| Monday, July 18, 2022 |
| Data collected by drones is processed through MSU's Atlas computer | |
 | A high-performance computing project at Mississippi State University aims to advance precision agriculture and benefit farmers. Researchers hope to use data obtained by drones to help farmers improve production by helping them quickly address problems such as plant diseases, pests and water stress. The Advancing Agricultural Research through High-Performance Computing project is a collaborative agreement between Mississippi State University and the USDA-Agriculture Research Service. Robert Moorhead, MSU professor and director of its Geosystems Research Institute is the three-year project's principal investigator. The partnership is powered by "Atlas," a high-powered system installed at MSU's High Performance Computing Collaboratory in 2020. Data collected by drones is already helping farmers. Drones can offer a perspective heretofore unavailable and the MSU project seeks to rapidly analyze the data. "A lot of producers are using drones to go out and look at their crops," Moorhead explained. "Now, researchers are starting to use it and try to understand how a crop is progressing, such as whether more fertilizing is helping and whether it is producing more fruit." Moorhead said farmers have found by just getting a cheap drone flying over their fields, they can find hogs in the middle that they didn't know were there, they can find deer browsing and grazing that they didn't know they were there. Especially with corn, that grows over your head, they can see things they didn't know about before." |
| MAFES celebrates Ice Cream Day | |
 | It's one of our favorite days around WCBI -- July 15th is National Ice Cream Day. And at Mississippi State University, the MAFES Sales Store was celebrating by giving away about 1500 cups of the sweet treat. Most folks know the MAFES store for its Edam cheese, but it also has a variety of ice cream flavors including butter pecan and muscadine ripple, as well as your standard chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. "Today, we see a lot of customers here in the store. We love our retail customers, visiting alumni, and alumni and their children here for camps and for different experiences here at Mississippi State University." If you missed it on Friday, not to worry, the MAFES Store has ice cream for sale all year in 6 ounce cups and half gallon and 3 gallon containers. |
| Lifestyles Briefs: MSU Libraries rebrands CPRC | |
 | The Mississippi State Libraries Congressional and Political Research Center is now operating as the Mississippi Political Collections after recently being renamed. The MPC, a division of the MSU Libraries Archives and Special Collections founded in 1999 under the leadership of former Dean Frances N. Coleman and the late Professor Michael Ballard, is located on the fourth floor of Mitchell Memorial Library. The library's Archives and Special Collections Division is led by Professor and MSU Libraries Associate Dean David Nolen, and MSU Libraries is under the direction of Dean Lis Pankl. Led by Director and Assistant Professor Kate Gregory and Senior Library Associate Amanda Carlock, the MPC gathers relevant materials relating to the political history of Mississippi and the U.S. and makes them available for public use and research. Those interested in conducting research with the materials or donating materials are encouraged to contact MPC faculty and staff to make appointments for information and consultation at 662-325-7663 or sp_coll@library.msstate.edu. |
| Kids learn about space during MSU-Meridian's Astro Camp | |
 | MSU-Meridian welcomed 120 local students to an Astro Camp this week, where they learned about science, technology, engineering, and math. "This is our first camp on campus, and it's really been exciting," said Rosalind Operton, an Assistant Clinical Professor at MSU-Meridian. "The children have enjoyed getting an in depth look at how things work in space." Astro Camp is a science adventure, utilizing art labs to stimulate interest in sciences and virtual calls with NASA professionals to increase science literacy. "Monday, they were able to talk with an actual astronaut and she showed them how they eat in space and that was fantastic." "Tuesday, they made rockets and made robots," she added. "They're getting hands-on experiences on what science and technology, engineering and math is all about." During this weeklong event, Operton said she has loved how the children have bonded and was amazed how many friendships are being formed because of their camp. Bailee Bates, one of the attendees, said her love for science and engineering drew her to the camp. "When I heard that the camp was run by NASA and MSU I got excited," Bates said. "I saw this as an opportunity for my future and I thought it might be fun." |
| Protect pets from warm weather risks | |
| When temperatures rise, it's not just humans who need to take precautions. Heat stress is just as serious and life-threatening for pets as it is for humans. While both dogs and cats can get too hot, dogs are more susceptible to overheating, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. "Humans sweat to cool off, but dogs don't," said Carla Huston, Mississippi State University Extension veterinarian and professor with the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. "Dogs cool themselves by panting and drinking water. They have a very limited ability to sweat through their noses and foot pads. When the outside temperatures are too warm and they don't have access to adequate shelter and clean water, they can overheat easily." Warm weather can be too much for dogs even when it does not seem that hot to humans. Use caution with dogs and limit their outdoor time if they do not have appropriate shade and cool, clean water when the heat index is 80 degrees and above, Huston said. Another summertime danger for dogs is blue-green algae. "Pets should not be allowed to drink from or swim in lakes or ponds that may be contaminated by blue-green algae blooms, which are bacteria called cyanobacteria," Huston said. "These algae can be toxic and result in fatal poisoning." |
| Starkville to hold final redistricting hearing Tuesday | |
| The Starkville Board of Aldermen will hold its final public hearing on a redistricting plan that makes changes based on the 2020 Census and the city's annexation of a part of the county. The hearing will take place during Tuesday's board meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall courtroom. The completion of the 2020 Census revealed imbalances in the distribution of Starkville's population across its seven wards. With a population of 25,819, the ideal number of residents in each ward is 3,688. Currently, some wards have an excess of population (4,866 residents in Ward 5) and some sit below the ideal number (3,085 residents in Ward 7). The deviation, which is a measure of how far the ward populations are from the ideal value, sits at 48.29 percent. Redistricting is required for any deviation greater than 10 percent. "It's a lot of changes ... It accomplishes all our goals and brings in that new population," Toby Sanford, G.I.S. director for the Golden Triangle Planning Development District, said during his presentation at Friday's work session. The plan, which involves numerous changes, will incorporate the annexed area into the ward map. The proposed plan moves everything annexed south of Highway 82 into Ward 5 and everything annexed north of the highway into Ward 6. |
| Parents feeling financial stress preparing for school as prices rise | |
| With the cost of gas, groceries and more skyrocketing, parents and teachers in the Golden Triangle are feeling the burn as they head to buy school supplies for the new school year. Elementary students do not require the same school supplies as middle school students, and middle school students do not require the same as high school students, though the difference is less so than in elementary school. Many parents in the area all said the same of school supply prices: most of those have not risen, but what can be purchased is being affected by other rising costs, namely gas. School districts, nonprofits and churches are coming together to alleviate some financial stress on parents who are having a hard time purchasing school supplies. In Starkville, the staff at the Discovery Center in the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District recognizes the extra financial strain on parents and guardians within the district, so they organize a Back to School bash nearly every year. With the COVID-19 pandemic still affecting the country, the bash was a drive-thru event. Students in the SOCSD start the school year on July 26 as part of the new modified school year, and Discovery Center had to adjust accordingly. JA of Starkville will also hold a Stuff the Bus event on July 23 at Chick-fil-A from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and July 30 at Walmart, Chick-fil-A and Kroger in Starkville from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| History made as Patterson takes ERDC command | |
| For the second time in three years, the change of command ceremonies at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center marked a historic milestone as outgoing Col. Teresa Schlosser, ERDC's first female commander transferred command to Col. Christian Patterson, ERDC's first Black commander. The ceremony also marked Schlosser's retirement from the Army, ending a 28-year career. "It's an amazing thing to be part of history as it is being made," Schlosser said in her remarks. "As the first female commander, it's pretty amazing to pass the colors to the first Black commander. Not only that, but Chris is also the first National Guardsman to command ERDC, not just within ERDC, but in the Corps of Engineers; that's pretty amazing." Also, Schlosser said, Patterson, who has a pubic affairs background and who has been stationed at ERDC as the organization's director of communications, is the first commander to come from within ERDC. Usually, she said, the military doesn't elevate commanders from within a unit; "We always bring somebody from outside." Maj. Gen. Richard Heitkamp, deputy commanding general for the Corps of Engineers, called getting Patterson from the National Guard "a coup." Citing Patterson's background in public relations and public affairs, Heitkamp said, "We have plenty of engineers; what we don't need is another engineer. What we need to do is better sell the fantastic capabilities we have here. That's why we need you. We're not such great marketing experts." |
| Capitol Resources launches public opinion research firm | |
 | Capitol Resources, LLC continues to grow by adding subsidiary Arc Insights. The new company is a full-service research and consulting firm that provides opinion insights to shape public affairs campaigns, policy development, and corporate brand strategy. Nicholas Thompson is a researcher with 15 years of experience serving political, non-profit, and corporate clients. His experience in opinion research includes roles with The Tarrance Group, a political research firm, Stand Together, a major non-profit, and as a member of the White House staff during the George W. Bush Administration. Capitol Resources is as Southern bipartisan lobbying firm operating in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. The firm was established by Clare Hester in 2001, and its principals are Clare Hester and Henry Barbour. "I am excited about Arc Insights and the opportunity to work with the Capitol Resources and BullsEye teams," said Thompson. "Arc is driven by a deep interest in the beliefs of individuals and how they make decisions. Our mission is to explore opinions and turn them into meaningful insights for our clients. We help our clients meet people where they are as they campaign to connect and persuade." |
| Mississippi AG: No prosecution plan in Emmett Till lynching | |
 | Mississippi's top legal official has no plan to prosecute the white woman whose accusation set off the lynching of Black teenager Emmett Till nearly 70 years ago, an aide said Friday following revelations about an unserved arrest warrant and a newly revealed memoir by the woman. "There's no new evidence to open the case back up," Michelle Williams, chief of staff for Attorney General Lynn Fitch, told The Associated Press. Williams also said Fitch's office has not been in contact with Leflore County District Attorney Dewayne Richardson, the local prosecutor who would be responsible for pursuing any case against Carolyn Bryant Donham. The Justice Department previously investigated without filing charges and closed the case, Williams said, referring to the government's decision in December to end its most recent review of the infamous slaying. Neither Richardson nor Leflore Sheriff Ricky Banks immediately returned messages seeking comment Friday. In an unpublished memoir obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, Donham said she was unaware of what would happen to the 14-year-old Till, who lived in Chicago and was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he was abducted, killed and tossed in a river. She accused him of making lewd comments and grabbing her while she worked alone at a family store in Money, Mississippi. |
| MCIR: Here's the proof against Carolyn Bryant Donham in the Emmett Till case. Is it enough to convict her? | |
| Carolyn Bryant's secret memoir contains new proof she is lying about the night Till was killed, retired FBI agent says. The secret memoir by the 88-year-old white woman at the center of the Emmett Till case contains new proof she is lying about the night he was killed, said the retired FBI agent who investigated the 1955 murder. A grand jury should hear this information along with additional information collected by authorities, Dale Killinger said after reading the memoir. "I always err on the side of a group of citizens hearing evidence and weighing it." Carolyn Bryant Donham's memoir, obtained by MCIR, constitutes new evidence that a Mississippi grand jury never heard when it declined to indict her on manslaughter charges in 2007, he said. But convincing Mississippi authorities to do so is another matter. In a statement, Michelle Williams, chief of staff for Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, called Till's murder "a tragic and horrible crime, but the FBI, which has far greater resources than our office, has investigated this matter twice and determined that there is nothing more to prosecute." Donham's memoir remains sealed in the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill until 2036. But through a source, MCIR has obtained a copy of that single-spaced 109-page memoir, which contradicts her original statement to her husband's defense lawyer, Sidney Carlton. |
| Congressman asks DOJ to investigate former Gov. Phil Bryant | |
| Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson asked the Department of Justice on Friday to investigate former Gov. Phil Bryant in connection with a welfare fraud case. A defendant in the case said in a court document, filed earlier this week, that she directed $1.1 million in welfare money to former NFL star Brett Favre at the direction of Bryant. The former governor has denied the accusations. "The people of Mississippi deserve answers, and accountability for breaking the law must be upheld for all who were involved: especially for Governor Bryant," U.S. Rep. Thompson wrote in a letter to the Department of Justice, which was obtained by WJTV. Earlier this week, Mississippi news outlets reported that the accusation is in a filing on behalf of defendant Nancy New, who, with her son, once ran a nonprofit group and an education company in Mississippi. After pleading guilty in April to criminal charges, Nancy New, 69, and her son Zachary New, 39, agreed to testify against others in what the state auditor has called Mississippi's largest public corruption case in the past two decades. |
| Second quarter Congressional campaign fundraising numbers favor Mississippi incumbents | |
| Now that the Congressional Primaries are over and voters in both the Republican and Democratic Parties have chosen their nominees, the race to the November Midterm General Election is underway in earnest. Second quarter campaign fundraising numbers have been released, giving onlookers an indication of the viability of each of the remaining candidates. In the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Congressional Districts, each of the incumbents -- Congressmen Trent Kelly (R), Bennie Thompson (D), and Michael Guest (R), respectively -- are in good shape heading down the stretch. Kelly has over $250,000 cash on hand while his Democrat challenger in the 1st District, Dianne Black, is in the red, according to the June 30th reporting with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Thompson in the 2nd District reports over $1.8 million cash on hand. His Republican challenger Brian Flowers has just north of $14,000. Guest, despite a highly contested GOP runoff in the 3rd District, reports nearly $350,000 cash on hand. Much of this is due to House Republican leadership providing the Congressman with assistance ahead of that runoff. The Democrat challenger, Shuwaski Young, is trying his best to draw national attention to the race and capture out-of-state dollars but only has $3,000 at this point. The 4th District, however, is a different story. South Mississippi Republican voters chose a new direction in the Primary Runoff, sending Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell on to the General Election instead of incumbent Congressman Steven Palazzo. That heated runoff drained Ezell's campaign funds, leaving him with just $14 cash on hand as of the June 30th reporting period. |
| The Senate is nearing a deal on immigration that could also lower food prices | |
 | Senate Republicans and Democrats are inching closer to a deal on an immigration bill that farmers say if passed could help reduce food prices in part by helping them hire more workers. This measure, known as the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, is focused mainly on updating the food production workforce, a system some call outdated and that has led to higher food prices especially for dairy, meat and vegetables. It would do this by allowing more farmers -- like dairy and pork producers -- to hire temporary workers year-round. Currently, year-round employers cannot use that worker visa program, known as the H-2A temporary agricultural program used by seasonal employers. It would also satisfy some goals for labor rights advocates by providing a pathway to legalization for workers who show a dedicated history of farm work. But Senate negotiators writing the bill are stuck on a little-known provision centered on those H-2A workers: whether they should be allowed to sue their employers if they believe labor laws have been broken. The bill received large GOP support in the House, where it passed twice. And members are anxious for their Senate counterparts to finally finish writing and introduce a bill. The split within the GOP over agriculture labor reform, led by Farm Bureau influence, threatens the prospects of a final deal as time runs out. That provision's biggest foe is the American Farm Bureau Federation. The Farm Bureau, often known for its more conservative stances, has long been the agriculture lobbying giant in Washington. |
| After Manchin tanks talks, climate action moves to life support | |
 | Sen. Joe Manchin III's decision to oppose at least for now provisions in his party's climate and social programs bill that would reduce fossil fuel emissions presents a dramatic but not necessarily fatal setback for the legislation and the prospect of averting what science contends will be a global climate catastrophe. "I do not believe history will look kindly on this moment," Julie McNamara, deputy policy director for climate and energy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonpartisan advocacy group, said in an interview. "It's definitely a setback if the bill doesn't go through," Ben King, associate director for the U.S. energy team at Rhodium Group, an independent research firm, said by phone. "It's not the nail in the coffin. But it makes the path much more narrow and much more difficult. It makes every other thing have to go right." For months, Manchin and Democratic leaders in the Senate have been negotiating passage of some scaled-down version of the House budget bill that passed that chamber in November. Manchin appeared to leave a sliver of hope for passing climate legislation this year, but said it would have to wait until the current inflation surge abates. And the provisions he said he'll support are, according to nonpartisan climate scientists and policy analysts, inadequate to avert some of the worst outcomes of climate change. In addition to representing West Virginia, which still relies on coal for significant employment and most of its electricity generation, Manchin has received substantial income and campaign cash from fossil fuel industries. |
| Biden Lays Out a U.S. Middle East Vision Heavy on Diplomacy | |
 | President Biden laid out his vision for the U.S. role in the Middle East Saturday, pledging to stay engaged in the region and strengthen relationships with Arab nations to counter the influence of China, Russia and Iran. "The United States is going to remain an active engaged partner in the Middle East as the world grows more competitive, and the challenges we face more complex," Mr. Biden said in a 10-minute speech in this seaside town during a summit of Arab leaders. "It's only becoming clear to me how closely interwoven America's interests are with the successes of the Middle East." "We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran," he added. He also repeated a pledge that the U.S. is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Mr. Biden said the U.S. would chart a new approach to the Middle East focused on diplomacy over aggression. "Today, I'm proud to be able to say that the era of land wars in the region, wars involving huge numbers of American forces, is not underway," he said. The American president concluded his four-day trip to the Middle East on Saturday, with Air Force One taking off from Saudi Arabia in the late afternoon. Earlier in the day, he attended the summit, which brought together leaders from Saudi Arabia and five other Persian Gulf countries that form the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. |
| Biden fist bump with MBS triggers backlash | |
 | President Joe Biden on Friday laughed off the backlash he received for fist-bumping Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- an exchange that's sparked outrage given the reports that the kingdom's de facto ruler approved the 2018 assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Biden chuckled when a reporter mentioned that his interaction earlier Friday with the crown prince had come under fire. Asked by the same reporter whether he can be sure a murder like Khashoggi's won't happen again, Biden responded: "God love you. What a silly question. How can I possibly be sure of any of that?" "If anything occurs like that again, they'll get that response and much more," Biden continued, referring to his 2020 campaign trail pledge to turn Saudi Arabia into a "pariah." Biden had said earlier in his remarks that he didn't regret using the term "pariah" to describe the country. At a news conference following a meeting with bin Salman, Biden said the prince claimed that he was "not personally responsible" for the death of Khashoggi. "I indicated I thought he was," the president said he replied. Biden's meeting with bin Salman on Friday marked perhaps the most closely watched moment yet of the American president's trip to the Middle East this week. Although Biden vowed to take a tougher line toward Saudi Arabia than former President Donald Trump, his visit to the oil-rich country comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a global energy crisis and a spike in gas prices in the United States. Biden also is seeking to reassert the United States' presence in the Middle East as China and Russia move to exert greater influence in the region. |
| Jan. 6 Committee to Focus on Donald Trump's Actions During Capitol Attack | |
| The House select committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, will present a minute-by-minute look this Thursday at then-President Donald Trump's activities as the Capitol was attacked, lawmakers who will lead the hearing said on Sunday. "He was doing nothing to actually stop the riot," Rep. Elaine Luria (D., Va.) said Sunday on CNN. "The president didn't do very much but gleefully watch television," Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.) said on CBS. A spokesman for Mr. Trump didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Trump has said he has done nothing wrong and has called the select committee a partisan effort. Mr. Kinzinger on Sunday also expressed frustration at what he called "very conflicting statements" about the availability of evidence the committee has sought from the U.S. Secret Service, which includes text messages from Jan. 6 and the preceding day. Mr. Kinzinger said that the inspector general who acts as a watchdog over the Secret Service reported that many texts from those two days were erased after he had requested them for his own investigation. The Secret Service in a statement Thursday said data were lost from some phones during a technology change that had been previously planned, but that it didn't lose any texts the inspector general had sought for his Jan. 6 review. "In the very least, it is quite crazy that the Secret Service would actually end up deleting anything related to one of the more infamous days in American history, particularly when it comes to the role of the Secret Service," Mr. Kinzinger said. |
| GOP establishment steps up push to block Trump ally in Arizona | |
| Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has already helped block one of former President Donald Trump's allies from winning the Republican nomination for governor in a crucial battleground state. Now he's hoping for a repeat in his own backyard. Ducey is part of a burgeoning effort among establishment Republicans to lift up little-known housing developer Karrin Taylor Robson against former television news anchor Kari Lake, who is backed by Trump. Other prominent Republicans, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, have also lined up behind Robson in recent days. On Monday, Robson's campaign announced the endorsement of former Vice President Mike Pence, who will campaign with her on Friday -- the same day Trump is scheduled to hold a rally for Lake, creating a split-screen moment underscoring the divide between the GOP establishment and Trump. The push for Robson is reminiscent of how many leading Republicans rallied around Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in the final stretch of his ultimately successful bid to fend off a Trump-endorsed primary challenger. Few states have been as central to Trump's election lies as Georgia and Arizona, the two closest 2020 battlegrounds where he pushed aggressively to overturn the results and fumed when Kemp and Ducey refused to go along. Trump has already faced a setback in Georgia, and the Aug. 2 race in Arizona is among his last opportunities to settle scores and install allies to lead states that may prove decisive if he decides to run again in 2024. |
| Could Biden's offshore drilling plan cripple crucial revenue source for coastal Alabama? | |
 | Oil and gas revenue leases produced so much of a boost for Alabama's Gulf Coast last year that Gov. Kay Ivey decided to travel to Spanish Fort in October and announce $41 million in projects while blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. This year's present to Alabama from the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) is down a little bit to $35 million. But in future years, Republicans are worried GOMESA money might not be worth any kind of celebration. "We are concerned for what the future of this funding source could look like," said Gina Maiola, the governor's spokesperson. Their concerns focus on the uncertainty of offshore oil and gas leases under President Joe Biden's administration, which is weighing whether to issue more leases in the Gulf of Mexico at a time of instability in fuel prices and inflation. Biden is hearing criticism from all sides. Republican leaders along the Gulf Coast accuse the president of damaging the economy by ceasing oil and gas leases. Environmental advocates believe the president is breaking campaign promises by not ceasing offshore drilling altogether. The state gets 37.5% of federal royalties from new Gulf oil and natural gas leases, according to the 2006 law that established GOMESA. Three other Gulf states -- Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana -- also share in the lease revenues. |
| Ted Cruz says Supreme Court 'wrong' on 2015 same-sex marriage ruling | |
 | Sen. Ted Cruz said the Supreme Court was off base in 2015 for its ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage and believes it should be reconsidered. "I think that decision was clearly wrong when it was decided," Cruz said on his podcast published Sunday, Verdict With Ted Cruz. "It was the court overreaching. "Obergefell, like Roe v. Wade, ignored two centuries of our nation's history. Marriage was always an issue that was left to the states. We saw states before Obergefell, some states were moving to allow gay marriage, other states were moving to allow civil partnerships. There were different standards that the states were adopting." Cruz's remarks come on the heels of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and determining there is no federal constitutional right to an abortion. Last month, Justice Clarence Thomas referred to the 2015 ruling as "demonstrably erroneous" and suggested the court revisit other rulings. Cruz has been a longtime opponent of same-sex marriage. He was vocal about his stance during a 2016 presidential run and at one point told NPR he planned for it to be the focal point of his campaign. |
| Abortion Pill Demand Is Driving an Underground Network | |
 | The panic started as soon as Jayda took the test in early July. It came back positive, and a quick calculation suggested she was seven weeks pregnant. It was a bad time. Her mom had just died, and Florida, the state where she lived, had introduced restrictions in April that prohibited people from using telehealth appointments to access abortion pills. Jayda, who is in her late 20s and asked to be identified by a pseudonym to protect her privacy, tried to book an in-person appointment with Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit that provides sexual health care across the US. But the wait time was two weeks. "That seemed like a lifetime away," she says. Instead she turned to the unregulated world of websites selling abortion pills, or MTP kits -- a combination of two medications, mifepristone and misoprostol, used to end pregnancies. As restrictions in US states have tightened, a cross-continental network of companies and nonprofits has sprung up to ship these pills to places where access is restricted. Some are motivated by ideology, others by profit and opportunism. But all fall into a legal gray area, where regulators appear unable or unwilling to assert authority. "The FDA has a policy that limits personal importation of drugs which would cover medication abortion, but historically the FDA really hasn't done a whole lot of enforcement," says Mary Ziegler, law professor at University of California Davis. "There is a sense that what these companies are doing isn't legal, but there's also a sense that no one is really going to do anything about it." |
| Faulkner conference focuses on late author's modernism | |
| Scholars of the late William Faulkner will gather in person and online to discuss the work of Nobel Prize-winning author. The University of Mississippi's 48th annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference takes place Sunday through Thursday. A university news release said the theme of the conference is "Faulkner's Modernisms." All keynote presentations, panels, film screenings and teaching sessions will have an online option for international scholars who are unable to travel to the United States. "Few literary scholars would dispute the fact that William Faulkner deserves a place in the front ranks of modernist writers," Jay Watson, Howry Professor of Faulkner Studies and conference coordinator, said in the news release. "Yet there is far less consensus on what his modernism -- or what literary modernism in general -- actually entails or how to characterize its defining elements. "This year's conference will take up these questions with fresh eyes and an open mind, in the spirit of what literary critics have come to call the 'new modernist studies' scholarship." Watson said he hopes to deepen understanding of Faulkner's work by placing it in the context of modernism. |
| Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee | |
| As police continue to investigate the disappearance of Jimmie "Jay" Lee -- the 20-year-old University of Mississippi student who has been missing for a week -- his friends and family are organizing search parties and passing out fliers in Oxford. Some of Lee's classmates have also started a GoFundMe to support his family. Lee, a Black student who is well-known in the college town's LGBT community, was last seen on Friday, July 8, at 5:58 a.m. leaving his home at Campus Walk Apartments, according to the Oxford Police Department. He was wearing a silver robe or housecoat, a gold cap or bonnet, and gray slippers. Police think Lee may have driven to Molly Barr Trails, a student apartment complex seven minutes away from Campus Walk where his car was towed in the afternoon of July 8. Police found his car at a towing company three days later, and it's now at the Mississippi State Crime Laboratory for processing. The University of Mississippi Police Department, which is working with OPD to find Lee, received the first report that he was missing on Friday, July 8, at 8:28 p.m., according to an incident report. On Thursday night, Kristy Durkin, a professor of social work at UM who taught Lee, went to put up fliers with Alexis Parker, one of Lee's classmates. They printed more than 50 fliers and taped them up at the central bus transit station, at restaurants and inside men's bathrooms at Lee's favorite bars on the Square. "There was one point I just kind of broke down and cried," Durkin said. "Everywhere we went, (people asked) have you heard anything, (and said) well put 'em (the fliers) up." |
| USM begins leadership transition as Bennett steps down | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi is undergoing a leadership change as Rodney Bennett ends his nine years as president -- a period that saw increased freshman enrollment and extended academic offerings. Bennett announced in January that he would step down before his contract expires in 2023, and Friday was his final day on the job. Starting Saturday, retired administrator Joe Paul is interim president. The governing board for Mississippi's eight public universities has appointed a committee to search for a new president for the university that has its main campus in Hattiesburg and a branch on the Gulf Coast. Bennett was the first Black president of USM, which is majority-white. With just over 14,000 students, it is Mississippi's third-largest university. Paul retired in 2015 after serving 40 years as a USM student affairs administrator. Before becoming vice president for student affairs in February 1993, he was assistant director of student activities, assistant vice president and dean of student development. He also held faculty rank in USM's College of Education and Psychology. |
| Board approves new USM degree in cybersecurity | |
 | The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning approved several new academic programs at their meeting held last month in Jackson. Students who want to pursue careers in emerging and expanding fields now have additional academic programs to help them achieve their goals. These programs will help meet workforce needs in new fields and fields that struggle with workforce shortages. The board approved a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Cybersecurity at The University of Southern Mississippi to help meet this need. The degree program allows students to transfer up to 60 hours of technical credit earned at a community college to the 4-year degree program in the growing field of cyber security. Graduates of the program will be prepared to fill positions in cybersecurity defense risk assessment and countermeasures designed to protect against cyber threats. The program provides an online option that allows those currently working in the field with a 2-year applied technology degree to pursue the bachelor's degree while continuing to work and, after completing the degree, take on leadership and advanced technical roles at their current employer. Mississippi State University also offers a BAS degree in Cybersecurity. |
| Call for entries: 2022 Southern Miss Ceramics National | |
| The Museum of Art in The University of Southern Mississippi's School of Performing and Visual Arts has announced a call for entries for its 2022 Ceramics National. Artists from across the country are invited to submit entries of original works created within the past five years. Ceramic sculptures, vessel forms (both functional and sculptural), and installation works are eligible. Mixed media works are eligible only if ceramic/clay is the primary medium. The deadline for submission is August 7, 2022. This biennial exhibition began in 2016 and has since become one of the top ceramic arts exhibitions featuring a broad spectrum of contemporary ceramic works. It features a gallery exhibition, an awards ceremony, and a juror's lecture and studio demonstration. It is presented in part by the generous support of Partners for the Arts. "This national juried biennial exhibition has gained wide attention over the years and features some of the best artists in contemporary ceramics," said Mark Rigsby, museum director and associate professor of Art and Design. "We are especially excited to have Mexican-American artist George Rodriguez, as our juror and visiting artist for this year's exhibition. We are hoping for another great show to maintain our momentum," added Rigsby. |
| USM changes name of student accommodation office | |
| In an effort to better serve and support students, the Office for Disability Accommodations at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) has changed its name to Student Accessibility Services (SAS). "We asked our students how they felt about a name change as it was important to us that they be a part of this decision-making process," said Murphy. "We surveyed the students registered with our office, giving them the opportunity to voice their opinion and vote." The students were presented several name-change options and were allowed to write in a suggestion not on the list. Student Accessibility Services (SAS) is USM's designated office to verify students' eligibility for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). SAS works with eligible registered students on an individual basis to provide classroom and housing accommodations that are specific to their disability. Currently, USM has approximately 700 students registered with SAS. The office covers disabilities such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, hearing impairments, visual impairments, chronic medical conditions, learning disabilities, mobility impairments, temporary disabilities, and pregnancies under Title IX. |
| JSU awarded nearly $160K by the National Science Foundation | |
| Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., has announced that Jackson State University has been awarded $159,865 by the National Science Foundation for a new project. The project is called the "Collaborative Research BPE Track 3: Minority Mentoring for Advancement and Participation in Engineering Hub," and will be under the leadership of JSU professor Dr. Abdelnasser Eldek. One of the goals is to positively impact the completion rates of students pursuing engineering degrees while also improving the career preparation of engineering students at participating minority-serving institutions, which will enhance the diversity of the US engineering workforce. Another objective is to employ the interest of HBCUs, leading companies, and non-profit organizations to collaboratively transform the human capital through inclusive mentoring, thus creating a culture change towards an impactful, resilient career. |
| Rust College receives $500K to preserve nearby historic industrial college | |
 | Mississippi's oldest and most prestigious HBCU (Historically Black College and University) announced today that it has received a second large grant to help restore the historic Mississippi Industrial College (MIC), an HBCU which closed in the 1980s. The National Park Service recently announced $9.7 million in grants to assist 21 preservation projects in nine states for the preservation of historic structures on HBCU campuses. Of that $9.7 million, Rust College has been awarded $500,000 for the restoration of the historic Washington Hall, which sits on the campus of MIC. Located directly across the street, Rust College acquired the property 2008 and is working to reimagine the former HBCU. Earlier this spring, the Holly Springs-based Rust College received its first congressional special project appropriation recommended by Sen. Roger Wicker. This $1 million allocation was awarded to facilitate the creation of the Ida B. Wells Social Justice and Interpretive Center on the MIC campus in the Booker T. Washington Hall building, which is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Washington Hall was founded in 1905 and is contributing to Mississippi Industrial College Historic District. MIC campus which will be a $35+ million-dollar renovation with the potential to offer new and innovative academic programming to Rust College students, and to serve as a place to restore the arts and meet the needs of the Holly Springs community and surrounding area. |
| Coding academy grads look for new work, higher wages | |
| About a year ago, David Zemola heard about an interesting opportunity he couldn't pass up. The 41-year-old aircraft mechanic at Columbus Air Force Base has worked 13 years in that field. But after his stepson told him about a program where he could become a certified coder, he enrolled. It might lead to more money, he thought, as well as more time to spend with his wife and six children. "I decided 'alright, let me give it a shot,' because, at that time, I was trying to teach myself how to do programming on the internet," Zemola said. On Friday afternoon, Zemola was one of five Mississippi Coding Academy graduates honored in a ceremony at the East Mississippi Community College Communiversity west of Columbus. About 60 graduated from across the state this year, with ceremonies also in Jackson and Biloxi, MCA founder and co-chairman Mike Forster said. MCA provides a tuition-free 11-month course for adults who have a high school level education. The course can be done both online and in person according to the MCA website. It teaches students how to code for websites, online apps and software development from the presentation layer that people see when loading an app or website, to the maintenance of code the technology uses to operate, instructor Jessika Hayes told The Dispatch. Funding and support for the academies come from private investment and affiliations with Mississippi State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, the Mississippi Development Authority and the Kellogg Foundation, the Mississippi Investment Board, as well as several other partners. Forster said there has been a collective investment of about $2 million. |
| USACE Vicksburg District partners with Hinds Community College to launch revetment mission into the future with ARMOR 1 | |
| Down an unassuming concrete corridor at Hinds Community College's Vicksburg campus, half a dozen students concentrate on five different long-arm robots designed for assembly, picking and packing maneuvers. The scene could be mistaken for segments of an automotive plant in miniature, except instead of installing windshields or mounting wheels, the robots are a glimpse of the district's most advanced revetment vessel. The students, a group of River Operations employees with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District, are part of the first robotics class designed to prepare them to work on ARMOR 1. The new automated vessel will hit the water for the 2023 revetment season following the decommissioning of the 73-year-old Mat Sinking Unit (MSU). Specifically developed in partnership with Hinds Community College for the district, the class will not only familiarize new employees with the vessel's robotics but also sustain training on a semi-annual basis. To ensure maximum results, ARMOR 1 Senior Project Manager John Cross worked with the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and designed a tailor-made curriculum for district operators. "I worked with Hinds over the last two years to develop this course. The new Hinds robotic and technical training center is first-rate and a great learning environment," Cross said. |
| Coahoma College honored by U.S. Department of Ed, Awarded Additional ARP Funding | |
| In a recent virtual press call, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it would award the final $198 million in Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grants. The funds will assist students who attend 244 colleges and universities and provides resources to help these institutions recover from the impacts of the pandemic. As part of the announcement, Secretary Miguel Cardona, First Lady Jill Biden, and American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling joined leadership from Coahoma Community College, Community College of Philadelphia, and Southwestern Michigan College to highlight the positive impacts these grants have had on their students and institutions. CCC President Dr. Valmadge T. Towner gave thanks for the support given to his institution and shared that the actions aided CCC in its ultimate goal of student success. "Our college and students of today are unable to authentically sing the Blues in large part because of the positive impact and good news that the American Rescue Plan has made with our students and college," Towner shared lightly, referencing the musical history of the area. "Without ARP, we are certain that many of our talented students and faculty would have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, which officially arrived on our campus in March of 2020 and caused our college to shut down and venture into virtual mode." |
| Damning report, new footage show chaos of Uvalde response | |
| A damning report and hours of body camera footage further laid bare the chaotic response to a mass shooting at a Uvalde elementary school, where hundreds of law enforcement officers massed but then waited to confront the gunman even after a child trapped with the shooter called 911. The findings of an investigative committee released Sunday were the first to criticize both state and federal law enforcement, and not just local authorities in the South Texas city for the bewildering inaction by heavily armed officers as a gunman fired inside two adjoining fourth-grade classrooms at Robb Elementary School, killing 19 students and two teachers. Footage from city police officers' body cameras made public hours later only further emphasized the failures -- and fueled the anger and frustration of relatives of the victims. "It's disgusting. Disgusting," said Michael Brown, whose 9-year-old son was in the school's cafeteria on the day of the shooting and survived. "They're cowards." Nearly 400 law enforcement officials rushed to the school, but "egregiously poor decision making" resulted in more than an hour of chaos before the gunman was finally confronted and killed, according to the report written by an investigative committee from the Texas House of Representatives. Together, the report and more than three hours of newly released body camera footage from the May 24 tragedy amounted to the fullest account to date of one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. |
| 'Global opportunity:' LSU expands role in energy industry through Shell investment | |
 | Industry leaders see Shell's $27.5 million investment in energy innovation at LSU as a way to bring today's workers up to speed on recent technological developments, and also train a new generation of employees to succeed in the workforce of the future. The energy giant last month announced LSU's largest donation ever from a for-profit company. LSU will use $25 million to start a new LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, which university President William F. Tate IV said would make LSU "a national model" for science and engineering in energy-related fields involving hydrogen, carbon capture, storage of electricity, and low-carbon fuels. Stephen Waguespack, president and CEO of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, said the Shell investment will allow LSU build a bridge from the current energy workforce to that in years to come. "America will most likely depend on the energy workers of today because those are the ones who understand how to build pipelines, how to drill, how to produce energy and use the same skills that are going to be used for renewable energy just as they are for traditional energy sources," Waguespack said. "That's why LSU is perfect, not just to train tomorrow's workers but also to cross-train today's workers." Tate IV, as part of his Scholarship First Agenda, has made energy development an area of focus. |
| UGA engineers launch new project to insure salt marshes for their environmental benefits | |
 | A project recently undertaken by University of Georgia engineers hopes to insure coastal marshlands remain protected. In a new collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, and funded by Georgia Sea Grant, the researchers are approaching marsh preservation by bringing unlikely partners to the table: insurance agencies. Healthy salt marshes provide such protective benefits as filtering water, preventing flooding and regulating water levels. "Since they are a benefit, how should we go about allocating resources as if they were an asset like a concrete levee or a concrete wall?" asked Matthew Bilskie, a UGA engineer who focuses on coastal resiliency. If a concrete wall gets blown out during a storm, Bilskie said, it gets repaired afterward. This project is trying to figure out how to do the same for natural resources. "The goal is not to put a dollar value on the salt marsh," Bilskie said, but to begin this pilot project to explore how natural resources can be valued based on how they serve the environment and community. While projects like this are uncommon, The Nature Conservancy led a similar project to evaluate the benefits of mangroves in Florida. |
| University police reevaluate active shooter procedures, launch mental health initiative | |
| UF's police department will not change its campus safety protocols after recent school shootings invoked fear nationwide, but it will implement a first-of-its-kind program in Fall: mental health counselors will partner with its officers. The new initiative, called the Behavioral Health Co-Responder Support Team, will have one or two counselors employed by August, according to UFPD's Assistant Director for Behavioral Services Meggen Tucker Sixbey. The department hired one clinician and hopes to onboard a second by the Fall semester. "The hope for the future is that there will be a counselor 24/7/365 paired with an officer," Sixbey said. UFPD's model mirrors nationwide city and county programs that deploy both a counselor and an officer responding to calls. If the situation is deemed safe, the officer will leave, and the counselor will stay as long as needed to connect the affected persons with appropriate resources. UF Co-Responder clinicians respond to calls with situations involving a mental health component, UFPD Captain Latrell Simmons and Sixbey wrote in an email, such as someone who is suicidal, appears disoriented or is in an escalated emotional state. "Police get called for so many non-police matters," Sixbey said. "I think a lot of departments across the country are saying, 'What else can we do?'" |
| Former Mizzou College of Engineering fiscal officer charged with multiple felonies after investigation | |
 | Horse riding lessons, big-screen televisions intended for a United Way fundraiser, leather chairs from a student lounge and shrubbery are among a list of items former University of Missouri College of Engineering financial services director Brandon Guffey allegedly stole or fraudulently purchased, according to court documents. Charges against Guffey in Boone County Circuit Court, filed Wednesday, are felony stealing, felony forgery, felony fraudulent use of a credit device and misdemeanor fraudulent use of a credit device. Guffey waived formal arraignment and his attorney entered a "not guilty" plea on his behalf. No hearings have been scheduled. The university fired Guffey in January and began an audit. Released in late June, the audit detailed how complaints by 18 staff members in the College of Engineering were consistently ignored, allowing thefts to continue. The audit states Guffey had the trust of the current dean of the College of Engineering and of the previous dean, giving him the ability to influence behaviors. Guffey is among three employees who have lost their jobs because of the situation. The audit found direct evidence of theft of more than $30,700 from the university, with some of the items stolen or purchased with an MU credit card recovered. Another $132,352 including cash and consumer electronics stolen from the university had not been recovered. |
| Why U. of Michigan and Cal State Are Changing Their Presidents' Contracts | |
 | Mark S. Schlissel, who was fired in January as president of the University of Michigan, is still earning a paycheck from the university. Despite an investigation of his "alleged sexual affair" with a subordinate -- a direct policy violation -- Schlissel exercised a clause in his contract that allowed him to remain as a tenured professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology on the Ann Arbor campus. Schlissel took advantage of what's known as his faculty-retreat rights, a common feature of many higher-education administrators' contracts that gives them the right to "retreat" into the role of a professor, often tenured, after leaving an administrative post. Some contracts do not rescind retreat rights even if the administrator is fired for cause, as Schlissel was, creating a significant loophole for administrators who leave their positions in disgrace. That could soon change. Michigan and the California State University system, where faculty-retreat rights were at issue in recent scandals, took steps this week to limit their use. At Michigan, the contract of the incoming president, who was hired this week, specifically states that if he were fired for cause, he would forfeit his faculty-retreat rights. (A university spokesman would not comment on the reason behind the shift in contract language.) Meanwhile, Cal State's Board of Trustees voted this week to standardize its contract policies across the system's 23 campuses, to require administrators' appointment letters to specify the terms of faculty retreat, and to revoke them if an investigation finds misconduct or if one is still underway. |
| Here's the latest thinking on how to reenroll stopped-out college students | |
| Approximately 39 million people in the U.S. have some college experience but no credential, according to a recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That means they likely have some of the debt that comes with attending college, but few of the benefits. As institutions search for ways to improve enrollment, targeting adults with some college experience might be one way to increase headcounts while helping people achieve personal and professional goals. But in the 2020-2021 academic year, just 2.4% of stopped-out students reenrolled. Experts say that bringing students back to college after an absence doesn't have to be a mystery. Here are some of their tips and recommendations. |
| In Fight Against Ableism, Disabled Students Build Centers of Their Own | |
| When Katie Sullivan arrived as a first-year student at the University of Wisconsin at Madison last fall, she encountered one barrier after another to her college education: classrooms with limited accessibility for students in wheelchairs; an elevator that was broken for months, forcing some disabled students to take a freight elevator; buses with only two spots for students in wheelchairs; a professor who she said refused to accommodate her academic needs. In addition to clearing those hurdles, Sullivan longed for a community that could relate to her struggles. She soon connected with another student, Emmett Lockwood, who had already been working on a proposal for a disability cultural center, where disabled students could build a sense of community and culture. Thanks to student advocates, including Sullivan and Lockwood, the university recently became the latest in a growing number with disability cultural centers, which aim to shine light on the perspectives and experiences of disabled people, foster a sense of community, and promote activism and disability justice. Altogether, at least 12 disability cultural centers now exist nationwide; in addition, students are working to create new centers on about a dozen other campuses. At many colleges with disability cultural centers, it took years of advocacy to create the centers at all. Once established, the centers provide programming for students, and sometimes faculty and staff members, to learn about disability as a social-justice issue and a lived experience, and to provide a safe space for disabled students to socialize. |
| Crisis-Pregnancy Centers Have Been Orbiting Campuses for Years. What Are They? | |
| When Hana got pregnant as a college freshman this year, she worried about her health. She studies public health and knew ectopic pregnancy was a risk. She wanted to see a doctor quickly to make sure she didn't have one. And she wanted an abortion. Her provider couldn't see her right away. She called the friend who had gotten her pregnant; he Googled "abortion services near me" and found a website for Worcester Women's Clinic, in Massachusetts. The clinic could see Hana, who asked that only her first name be used to protect her privacy, in two days. It wasn't until Hana got there that she started noticing red flags. One was that the actual name of the clinic differed from what was on the website. She realized later that it was a crisis-pregnancy center. Since the Supreme Court last month overturned Roe v. Wade, the legal precedent that enshrined the right to an abortion in the Constitution, such centers have gotten increased attention. The facilities rarely have affiliations with colleges but have, in some cases, been orbiting campuses for years. At Mississippi State University, Kimberly Kelly, an associate professor of sociology, noticed signs around campus, including at the health center's entrance, advertising a local crisis-pregnancy center. While conducting research for her dissertation on crisis-pregnancy centers from 2006 to 2009, Kelly visited several of them and saw differences in how they were designed based on whom they were trying to reach. Most centers were set up to look like doctors' offices, with waiting areas and private rooms. But one, near a college, was in a house on the edge of campus and looked like a "cool place where you would want to hang with friends." |
| Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Enforcement of L.G.B.T.Q. Protections | |
 | A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from enforcing directives that extended civil rights protections to L.G.B.T.Q. students and workers. The ruling comes roughly one year after a group of 20 conservative state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against two federal agencies for their interpretation of the 1972 landmark civil rights statute known as Title IX, which prohibited sex-based discrimination in educational programs and activities that receive federal funding, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited employers from discriminating against workers based on race, religion or sex. Last year, those agencies, the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, following guidance from President Biden, said the protections afforded under Title IX and Title VII extended to gay and transgender individuals and would be enforced in workplaces and in schools. The judge, Charles E. Atchley Jr. of Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, an appointee of former President Donald J. Trump, sided with the plaintiffs and denied the request to dismiss the suit, issuing a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the directives until courts could decide the matter. The judge's ruling comes as many states are debating and passing laws barring transgender girls from competing in girls' sports. The Biden administration's directives were part of a widespread effort by the White House to rescind or revise many polices of the Trump administration that restricted transgender rights. |
| Trump Education secretary says 'Department of Education should not exist' | |
 | Former Secretary of Education Betsy Devos believes that the department she once led should be abolished. Devos, who spent four years as the Education secretary during the Trump administration, made the remarks at the inaugural Moms for Liberty summit on Saturday, according to the Florida Phoenix. "I personally think the Department of Education should not exist," Devos told the mostly conservative crowd in Tampa, Fla. Devos was a leading proponent of "education freedom" during her time in office, promoting vouchers to allow families to choose their children's school. In a speech in 2020, she said, "I fight against anyone who would have government be the parent to everyone." Moms for Liberty is a conservative group that rose to national prominence for its objection to children wearing face masks at school during the COVID-19 pandemic. The local news outlet also reported that summit attendees were given tips on how to recruit, promote and endorse conservative school board candidates. Devos is not the first conservative figure to suggest nixing the federal agency charged with overseeing schools. A group of GOP House members backed a bill last year seeking sought to abolish the Department of Education. |
| Harvard Lobbies Congress to Cut Endowment Tax | |
 | Many wealthy private universities across the nation have voiced strong opposition to a tax on their endowments. Leadership at Harvard University are pushing Congress to reduce the tax on their income from private donors. Leaders of similar universities with large endowments are in support of a reduction or elimination of the tax in its entirety. In an email obtained by Inside Higher Ed, Suzanne Day, Harvard's senior executive director of federal relations, urged others to reach out to Democrats in Congress to reduce the endowment tax, a 2017 tax change passed by Republicans that imposes an excise tax on wealthy endowments, through the budget-reconciliation process this fiscal year. Colleges and universities subjected to the controversial tax want it eliminated. The 1.4 percent tax on net investment income applies to all colleges with endowments larger than $500,000 in assets per student. Nearly 100 colleges are currently subject to the tax. Colleges subject to the tax argue that it limits their capacity to provide financial aid to low-income students. According to 2021 data from the National Association of College and University Business Officers, nearly half of all endowment spending from 720 universities that participated in the study is used to fund student financial aid. |
| Mississippi continues to struggle in national rankings | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: Mississippi does not fare well on most national rankings. That trend continued as WalletHub.com published a series of rankings on multiple categories that compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Mississippi ranked at or near the bottom on most. Innovative states -- Mississippi ranked at the bottom. Among factors considered the state ranked at the bottom on share of venture capital spending per capita, STEM professionals, and science and engineering graduates and among the bottom three on share of technology companies, eighth grade math and science performance, and innovation environment. Impact from immigration -- Mississippi ranked at the bottom. The state was among the bottom three on brain gain, immigrant work force, and international students. ... PS: Out of 150 major cities, Hub Wallet ranked Jackson next to worst as a "best run" city, just ahead of Detroit. Among the factors considered Jackson ranked 146th on financial stability, 98th on education, 120th on health, 141st on safety, 122nd on economy, and 149th on infrastructure and pollution. |
| Mississippi, where abortion is technically both legal and illegal at the same time | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: Despite the current abortion ban imposed by state law, a brave doctor could theoretically perform the medical procedure and argue in court that she was acting based on what the Mississippi Supreme Court said was legal. Of course, a doctor challenging the law might be labeled as foolish instead of brave since the physician would run the risk of losing her medical license and face the specter of being sentenced to prison under conditions of the state law banning abortion. No telling how judges in Mississippi might rule on the issue. But the fact remains that Mississippi is in this strange place where abortions no longer are being performed because of state law yet there is a Supreme Court decision saying the Mississippi Constitution provides abortion rights. And a ninth grade civics student learns that the constitution supersedes state laws. Based on that 1998 Supreme Court ruling in Pro-Choice Mississippi v. Kirk Fordice, Jackson Women's Health Organization -- what had been the state's only abortion clinic -- recently filed a lawsuit asking that the state abortion ban law be blocked. Many assumed that the ultimate outcome of the lawsuit would be that a lower court would grant, perhaps reluctantly, the motion to postpone the ban and then the state would appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which would issue a ruling reversing the 1998 decision that said there was a constitutional right to an abortion. But Chancellor Debbra Halford of Franklin County, appointed by state Supreme Court Justice Michael Randolph to hear the case, took a different path. She refused to block the abortion ban. |
SPORTS
| Hail State Happy Hours Start July 18 | |
| Mississippi State athletics is set to launch Hail State Happy Hours, an exciting way for fans to interact with coaches from a variety of sports. Fresh off another successful Road Dawgs Tour which saw capacity crowds across the state, this new meet-and-greet-style of event features free admission and is set to begin with the first of 12 stops on Monday, July 18. The casual, drop-in events are slated to run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at venues across Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. The first Hail State Happy Hour will feature volleyball head coach Julie Darty Dennis, softball head coach Samantha Ricketts and soccer assistant coach Nick Zimmerman on Monday evening at Taste in Starkville. The events carried out in partnership with the MSU Alumni Association and local alumni chapters will feature a unique opportunity to visit with Mississippi State coaches. An additional set of Hail State Happy Hours and other engagement opportunities will be announced later this fall which will feature basketball coaches Chris Jans and Sam Purcell in select cities. For more information, fans can visit alumni.msstate.edu/hailstatehappyhours. |
| Mississippi State AD John Cohen: Conference realignment not over 'by any stretch of the imagination' | |
| The college sports landscape has shifted significantly the last two summers. Last year, during SEC Media Days, news broke that Oklahoma and Texas would be leaving the Big 12 and joining the SEC. Nearly three weeks ago, the Big Ten followed suit when it announced it is snagging UCLA and USC from the Pac-12. The moves caught many off guard, but for those at the top such as Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen, conference realignment was the next step in the evolution of college athletics. "It's fluid. It's affected really by everything -- COVID, the economy, current social issues," Cohen told the Clarion Ledger in an interview last week. "The surprise or shock factor certainly isn't there when you sit in our chair." Immediately following the Big Ten's moves, conversation shifted to how other conferences would respond. Would the SEC continue to add with the likes of Clemson and Miami in the heart of the debate? Would the Pac-12 and Big 12 continue to exist, or would the remaining member schools depart as well? Will the NCAA dissolve into two "super conferences" like the major professional sports? To Cohen, the SEC doesn't have to worry about the answers to the latter questions. With the conference's plethora of success from football to Olympic sports, Cohen says the SEC can focus on itself and make moves not swayed by what the Big Ten or others do. "You look at the level of competition within the framework of our league, we believe it's unmatched around the country," Cohen said. "Obviously, Texas and Oklahoma enhance our league. But do I think (conference realignment) is over? No, I don't think it's over by any stretch of the imagination." |
| Five questions for Mike Leach and Mississippi State football at SEC media days | |
| Mississippi State coach Mike Leach takes the stage at 2022 SEC Media Days at noon Central on Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia. Here are five questions Leach is likely to be asked: Why is Will Rogers not here? Will the absence of Charles Cross affect Rogers' accuracy? What is the expectation for Jordan Davis after a torn ACL a year ago? Can Decamerion Richardson be a lockdown corner? Will your kicking game be better? |
| Cincinnati Reds select Mississippi State baseball's Logan Tanner in 2022 MLB Draft | |
| Quality defensive catchers remain a top priority in the majors, as the Cincinnati Reds proved when they selected Mississippi State's Logan Tanner with the 55th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft on Sunday night. He is the highest-drafted catcher in program history and the first taken since Dustin Skelton and Marshall Gilbert in 2019. He hit .284 in three seasons in Starkville -- the latter two of which he spent as the full-time catcher. Tanner hit 17 home runs with 96 RBIs. Many, including Tanner, expected him to make a jump offensively in 2022, but his numbers remained in line with his career averages. However, he remained one of the top defenders in the SEC. Tanner was named to the All-SEC defensive team after recording a .990 fielding percentage and throwing out seven of 22 runners. His best season came in Mississippi State's 2021 championship run. Tanner, in 66 starts, hit a career-high 15 home runs in the heart of MSU's lineup. He hit .308 over seven games in the College World Series with eight hits, six RBIs, two doubles, a home run and six walks |
| Arizona Diamondbacks select Mississippi State baseball's Landon Sims in 2022 MLB Draft | |
| Mississippi State right-hander Landon Sims hasn't taken the mound since he tore his UCL in a March 4 start against Tulane. But his potential, paired with the commonness of Tommy John surgery, ranked above any injury concern in the eyes of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who selected Sims with the 34th pick in Sunday's first round of the 2022 MLB Draft. This marks the fourth consecutive draft a Bulldog has been taken in the first round. Sims becomes the third MSU pitcher in four drafts selected in the opening round, joining Will Bednar (2021) and Ethan Small (2019). Sims' career in Starkville was highlighted by his back-end work during the team's national title run in 2021. He served as Mississippi State's closer, collecting 13 saves to match his 1.44 ERA. In two seasons as a reliever, Sims recorded a .142 opponents' batting average. |
| Former Mississippi State athlete Marta Pen Freitas narrowly misses automatic qualifier at track and field world championships | |
| Mississippi State's Marta Pen Freitas narrowly missed advancing in the women's 1,500 meters at the World Athletics Championships on Friday night. Pen Freitas finished seventh in her heat, just 0.15 seconds out of automatic qualifying position. The top six runners in each of the three heats along with the next six fastest advanced to Saturday's semifinals. The Portuguese native who won the 2015 NCAA Championship in the same event, clocked in at 4:08.58, which was a second slower than her season-best time. The former Bulldog was hindered by a slow pace in the opening heat. While Pen Freitas' heat was won in 4:07.05, that time ranked No. 19 overall among the competitors. Pen Freitas' time left her in 30th position overall. Six Bulldogs remain at the championships in Eugene, Oregon, the site of this year's NCAA Championships. State's athletes resume competition Wednesday with qualifying heats in the men's 800m. That event will see former MSU All-Americans and Canadian teammates Marco Arop and Brandon McBride race alongside current Bulldog Navasky Anderson of Jamaica. The men's javelin is set to begin Thursday with former teammates Anderson Peters (GRN) and Curtis Thompson (USA) throwing side by side again for the first time since the Tokyo Olympic Games. Peters is the reigning World Champion in the event. American Tiffany Flynn will round out the competition in the women's long jump, an event she placed fourth in at the World Indoor Championships earlier this year. Preliminary rounds begin Saturday. |
| Deion Sanders will donate half of his salary to Jackson State to complete football facility | |
 | Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders will donate half of his salary to make sure the program's renovations to its football facility will be completed on time, he announced on Instagram. Sanders signed a four-year deal worth $1.2 million over three years in 2020. That's an average of $300,000 per year. Constance Schwatz-Morini, is the co-founder of SMAC Entertainment which represents Sanders. She said the budget for the project was tapped out. She suggested Sanders make up the difference by donating a quarter of his salary. "We've got, what the wiring?" Schwartz-Morini said. "The new rooms, the walls, electronics. Hows our wi-fi? This is your legacy we're talking about." Sanders said he wanted to up his donation to half of his salary to make sure the facility is ready a month before the season starts. Sanders's his target date for completion is August 4th. Jackson State will open the season against Florida A&M on Sept. 4 in Miami. "I'll put more than that on it. I'll put half on it to get this done," Sanders said. "If you don't believe me, check me. I will send you the receipts." |
| Deion Sanders on college football realignment: Conferences are 'chasing the bag' | |
| Jackson State is "already speaking about" conference realignment, football coach Deion Sanders said on ESPN Saturday. As HBCUs draw more national attention, Jackson State and other marquee HBCU programs will have to choose whether to stay together in the same conference or to leave and try to elevate elsewhere. "What do we want to do?" Sanders asked. "Do we want to sit back and adhere to tradition? Or do we want to put ourselves in a financial situation where our school prospers? You've really got to factor that in and weigh those options. There's some tremendous options that some of the schools are going to be faced with. We're already speaking about it." All but three Division I HBCUs play currently play in the MEAC or the SWAC, which are comprised entirely of HBCUs. There are no HBCU schools at the FBS level. No matter the level, conference realignment is about money, Sanders said. "You call it realignment. You can really call it chasing the bag," Sanders said. "That's all they're doing, they're chasing the bag." Earlier this month, Hampton and North Carolina A&T became the first HBCUs to join the Colonial Athletic Association. Tennessee State, a longtime rival of Jackson State, plays in the Ohio Valley Conference. Jackson State has been a member of the SWAC since 1958. Athletic director Ashley Robinson told the Clarion Ledger that he's focused on dominating at the FCS level before JSU reevaluates its position. |
| Could NIL deals end facilities arms race in college football? Alabama AD Greg Byrne weighs in | |
 | Greg Byrne can't say with certainty where two seemingly unstoppable forces -- facilities upgrades in college athletics and donations funding NIL deals -- will intersect, or what will happen when they inevitably do. This much is certain: one year into the NIL era, in which donors can pay athletes for their name, image and likeness value, they've found it to be a highly attractive new way to support their favorite teams. And while it would be an oversimplification to say that every dollar funding NIL deals is a dollar less given to athletic departments for facilities, Byrne holds to one truth that's simple enough. "As much as people think there is an endless supply of money, there's not," the University of Alabama Director of Athletics said. Every school is different and, as Byrne points out, so is every donor. NIL donations could heel facility upgrades on some campuses, perhaps not others. Some schools, in all likelihood, are feeling the friction between the two forces already. Some might not have to reckon with it for years. Byrne is grateful that, for now, funding for Alabama's athletic department at large hasn't sprung an NIL leak. "So far, we've continued to see our donors support our program, which we're very appreciative and thankful for, and it hasn't directly impacted that at this point," Byrne said. "But I certainly can't say that will be a guarantee down the road." |
| CFB Hall of Fame excited for return of SEC Media Days to Atlanta | |
| Everybody at the College Football Hall of Fame is excited about hosting SEC Football Media Days this week, but nobody is more genuinely joyous than Kimberly Beaudin. Beaudin is the president and CEO of the downtown Atlanta attraction. Particularly noteworthy of her story is the fact that she was appointed to that role in 2020, just four days before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the Hall of Fame as well as virtually every other business in America in 2020. To say her first couple of years on the job have been a challenge would be an understatement. "Yeah, I signed my offer letter on March 16, we shut down on the 19th and I furloughed all but six people shortly after that. So, that was not fun," said Beaudin, who previously had been the Hall's vice president of sales and marketing. Another casualty of that unfortunate year was the College Football Hall of Fame also was set to host SEC Media Days for just the second time in Atlanta history. At the time, no one was sure if or when the country's largest preseason football convention would come back. Thanks to the cooperation of the SEC and other cities, it has returned just two years later. Originally scheduled to be hosted in Nashville in 2021, Media Days instead returned to Hoover/Birmingham last year. Nashville has agreed to host in 2023, opening up Atlanta to host this year. "They've been great," Beaudin said of the SEC. "We've been working with them since then to find the right time, and 2022 just came together. So, we're really excited about it." As a result, about 1,000 sports journalists from around the country will fill the Hall's expansive facility on Marietta Street downtown. College football fans will be able to get involved as well. As it did when the event last was hosted here in 2018, the Hall's quadrangle entryway will serve as a "blue carpet area" where the public can gather free of charge to see and possibly get autographs from their favorite players and coaches at their team's respective interview times. |
| SEC Media Days kick off in Atlanta | |
| The annual gathering of football coaches and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey for the conference where it just means more will kick off today with about 1,000 media members also flocking to the event at the College Football Hall of Fame. The venue that was scheduled to hold the 2020 SEC Media Days before it was canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic then looted by rioters is back in the rotation after two years in Hoover, Ala. Sankey will open the proceedings at 10:30 a.m. Central today with his annual State of the SEC speech, the occasion he took last year to point out -- via Bob Dylan lyrics -- that "changes were a-coming" for the money-stacking, championship-racking league. Indeed, two days later, news broke that Oklahoma and Texas would be applying for membership in the SEC while handing in their notice to the Big 12. That bombshell news, unleashed right around the time state laws were allowing college athletes to profit from their Name, Image and Likeness, sent college athletics into the next round of realignment, a carousel that where it stops nobody knows. Expansion, realignment, scheduling and the Wild West that sprung from the implementation of NIL deals across the country are sure to be hot topics in "Hotlanta," where temperatures are projected to push into the low 90s during the week, about 10 degrees cooler than the frying pan in Arkansas. One topic likely not to catch fire: The very public spat between two of the league's three national champion coaches. |
| Bush's Beans signs on as SEC's latest sponsor | |
| After 89 years, the SEC now has official beans. Bush's Beans, based within SEC territory, in Knoxville, Tenn., inked a three-year sponsorship with the conference that includes an "official beans" designation, along with ads and product integration on the SEC Network. Planned activation includes branded games and other consumer-engagement plays, along with couponing and premium giveaways at SEC football, basketball and other championships. Retail displays are planned in time for the college football season. Bespoke Sports & Entertainment, Charlotte, helped negotiate the deal for Bush's and will assist with activation. "Obviously, this (the SEC) is in our backyard, but also, tailgating on game day is just so tied with the occasion and use of beans," said Bush's Consumer Experience Manager Kate Rafferty. "So, it felt like the right time to make that official. ... We'll be looking at our equity scores and how this ties our brands to game-day and tailgating occasions." Bush's controls around 80% of the domestic canned baked bean market, but its new deal will also enable it use SEC I.P. to market its chili beans and other bean products. Other sponsorships for Bush's have included a NASCAR team deal with JT Daugherty Racing and a hookup with the American Cornhole League. |
| Gavin Newsom Blasts Lack of Transparency in UCLA's Move to Big Ten | |
| Following UCLA and USC's surprising June announcement they will move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, the University of California Board of Regents has started looking into the decision, with California governor Gavin Newsom saying there was hardly any communication that UCLA, a public university, would be changing leagues. Newsom, who is an ex officio member of the board, spoke on the situation Thursday to Fox 11 in Los Angeles about the board already looking into UCLA's move. He did not hold back in his response to the situation. "Trust me when I say this, we're not going to be looking into it," Newsom said. "We already are looking into it, within minutes after reading about this in the newspaper." Newsom said the biggest issue he had with UCLA's news is the regents were never consulted about the potential move. He claims he learned about the move from the newspaper, just as many fans did that day. "Is it a good idea? Did we discuss the merits or demerits? I'm not aware that anyone did," Newsom said. "So it was done in isolation. It was done without any regental oversight or support. ... I have strong opinions about this, for no other reason than as a member of the regents, we were never consulted, never asked for an opinion and they didn't even have the decency to provide [a] heads-up." In the Board of Regents' July 21 agenda, it appears the board will be discussing the UCLA situation, per The Mercury News. It's unclear whether the board is considering any legal action or whether they plan to block UCLA's move. |
| Penn State athletes say woman extorted them, threatened to make sexual images public | |
| Two unnamed Penn State student-athletes told police they were extorted in the fall by a woman who convinced them -- and other athletes across the country -- to send sexually explicit images and threatened to publish them online, according to search warrants made public Friday. More than two dozen videos and photos were sent to the woman. That included videos of group sex and videos recorded in the Penn State football locker room depicting athletes in various stages of undress, university police wrote in the warrants. Five male athletes -- who were not suspected of committing any crime -- were reported to have been extorted by the same woman, who also was not identified in court documents. At least one met the woman on a dating app, while another was contacted through Snapchat. The woman, police wrote, told one man she "likes doing this to athletes" and planned to "expose him." It wasn't the first time the person behind the profile attempted to extort either high school or college athletes, police wrote. Sexually explicit videos and photos were also shared with coaches and their football programs in Alabama, Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi and Missouri. |
| Liberty Coach Takes Aim at Sex Assault Survivor on Twitter | |
| Liberty University football coach Hugh Freeze has taken to Twitter to defend LU athletics from criticism around controversial hires, including direct messaging a sexual assault survivor who sued the university for mishandling her case and won. Freeze, entering his fourth year at Liberty, previously coached at the University of Mississippi, where he was ousted for using a university cellphone to contact an escort service. Ole Miss later vacated numerous wins due to recruiting and academic violations that occurred partly under Freeze's leadership. Chelsea Andrews, a former Liberty student, was one of more than 20 plaintiffs who sued Liberty last year, alleging the university mishandled sexual assault cases and Title IX issues for years. (Liberty reached a partial settlement with various plaintiffs in May.) Andrews has tweeted critically about LU and its athletics program. One of her complaints was the hiring of Ian McCaw as athletic director, given that McCaw served in that capacity at Baylor University during a rampant sexual assault scandal. Seemingly irked by the criticism, Freeze rallied to McCaw's defense. "You don't even know Ian McCaw," Freeze said in a direct message to Andrews -- one of several sent in recent months and verified by Inside Higher Ed -- adding McCaw is a "Jesus like leader." Andrews declined to comment but questioned Freeze's activity in a tweet: "Why is the head football coach at Liberty University DMing me during and after my lawsuit with LU? At almost midnight. When I didn't tag him. & I haven't responded to the other DMs he's sent over the months," she wrote. "Publicly naming so he can see that I don't want direct contact w/ him." The incident, which has largely gone unreported by major and local news outlets, prompted a backlash against Freeze on Twitter, with observers calling the behavior "gross" and creepy. |
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