Thursday, August 4, 2022   
 
What are muscle knots? An exercise physiologist explains what those tight little lumps are and how to get rid of them
Mississippi State University's Zachary Gillen writes: Imagine you've just completed a tough upper-body workout. Your muscles feel a bit tired, but all in all you're able to go about the rest of your day just fine. The next morning, you wake up and realize the back of your shoulder blade feels stiff. When you rub your shoulder muscles, it feels like you're prodding a little gumball under your skin. Every time you try to move it around, the area feels tight, with slight pangs of pain. Over the course of the next few days, your back slowly loosens up and eventually your shoulder returns to feeling normal. It's probably something you'd like to avoid or minimize in the future if possible, though. So what was going on with that muscle knot? I'm an exercise physiologist. The goal of much of my research is to understand how different movements and forms of exercise place stress on the muscles. Figuring out programs to maximize performance, regardless of training goal, goes beyond what to do during the workout -- it's also about how best to prepare for and recover from the stress exercise places on the body. Some of the most common questions I've heard during my years as a personal trainer and researcher in this field involve muscle knots. What are they and how can you get rid of them when they happen?
 
Wheat acreage begins rebound as prices soar
Climbing market prices for wheat are beginning to earn growers' attention in Mississippi. The state's wheat acreage is trending back up after several years of historic lows, and this year's crop quality also shows promise. The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects the average price in 2022 for wheat to be $10.75 per bushel, which is more than double the 2020 price of $5.05. The average price last year was $7.70 per bushel. Two separate, simultaneous elements are driving prices up: the Russian invasion of Ukraine; and a drought in one of the largest wheat-producing regions in the U.S. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had a huge impact on global and U.S. markets. Combined, these countries contributed 30% of the global wheat export market before the invasion. The USDA projects Ukraine will account for only 5% of global exports in 2022, which is half of its normal wheat shipment. "This war has caused a major shift in the global wheat markets," said Will Maples, agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Meanwhile in the U.S., crop quality west of the Mississippi River is compromised by a dearth of rainfall. "Only about 30% of this year's nationwide winter wheat crop is rated good or excellent by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, but 77% of Mississippi's wheat falls under those categories," Maples said. "This has contributed to higher prices."
 
Shannon's Alivia Roberts achieves lifelong dream, heads to Miss America
Alivia Roberts may hail from a small town, but she's always had big dreams. The native of Shannon, Mississippi -- located about five miles south of Tupelo -- graduated as Shannon High School's valedictorian in 2014. She then made her way to Mississippi State University that fall. Prior to her freshman year, however, she began her journey with the Miss America Organization as a contestant in the Miss Mississippi pageant. Now, Roberts is heading to Miss America after seven years of competing in the organization -- this time as Miss Washington, D.C. Roberts first competed for the title of Miss Mississippi in 2014. She competed again in 2015. Then 2016, and again in 2017. She never won the Magnolia State's title, but after relocating to Washington, D.C., she opted to try for the title there. The White House employee grew up as a devoted 4H member which she said helped her gain vital speaking skills and initial exposure to Washington, D.C. while traveling to the capital to receive a Congressional Gold Medal. Using scholarships she earned during her time in the Miss America Organization, the Mississippi-turned-D.C. queen earned her master's degree from George Washington University. "I'm a small-town girl living big life dreams in Washington, D.C.," she said. "It's not anything I thought was attainable growing up, but because of my community, it's something that absolutely was."
 
Inaugural Raise the Woof event raises funds for new animal shelter
Patrons of Taste Italian Kitchen were greeted by wagging tails and happy dog kisses if they ventured from the main dining area to the veranda on Wednesday. In the new restaurant's first ever Raise the Woof campaign, all food sale proceeds went directly to benefit the Oktibbeha County Humane Society. Michele Fant, who owns Taste with her husband Craig Fant, told The Dispatch they jumped on the opportunity to support the local humane society as dog owners and lovers. "We own dogs and have had dogs our whole lives," Fant said. OCHS is looking to build a larger facility that would help with overflow and housing animals from different shelters that will be taken up north as part of OCHS Express, OCHS board president Rick Welch said. The new building will be in addition to the current building where OCHS operates at 510 Industrial Park Road in Starkville, and it will be located to the right of the current building. The shelter has been overwhelmed with animals for the last few years, and OCHS has outgrown its current facility. OCHS is working with Bissell Pet Foundation to raise money for the new facility. If OCHS raises $20,000, BPF will match for a total of $40,000.
 
Starkville man charged with armed robbery
An Oktibbeha County man was arrested shortly after an Aug. 3 armed robbery in central Starkville. Jamionte Paster, 17, of Starkville, has been charged with armed robbery. The Wednesday afternoon armed robbery that occurred on Sherman Street, just north of Highway 182 between Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary School and Westside Park. Starkville police said Paster and the victim are acquaintances, and there were no reported injuries. If you have information on this crime, please contact the Starkville Police Department at 662-323-4131 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151.
 
House in limbo as Speaker Philip Gunn weighs run for governor
House Speaker Philip Gunn did not put rumors about his political future to rest during the Neshoba County Fair. The third-term speaker told Mississippi Today last week that he is in a "constant evaluation" about whether he will run for governor, for another term as speaker or not run for anything at all. That indecision has left many members in the 122-member House of Representatives openly questioning what they should expect in the final year of the term. Normally by this time in a four-year term, speakers planning to remain in office for another term go out of their way to allay speculation about their future. Traditionally, speakers want to affirm their commitment to presiding over the often contentious chamber to fend off potential challengers. Any sign of an open speaker's post or uncertainty draws potential candidates like bees to honey, and running a lower legislative chamber is hard enough without questions and doubts about the leadership. And power abhors a vacuum. The numerous rumors about Gunn's future prompted colorful state Rep. Michael Evans, an independent from Kemper County, to announce during his speech last week at the Neshoba County Fair -- one day before Gunn spoke -- that he was endorsing Speaker Pro Tem Jason White, R-West, as the next speaker. "I don't know anything for sure," Evans said when asked he if he was certain Gunn was stepping down and White, perhaps Gunn's closest lieutenant in the House, was running for speaker. "I have heard things like everyone else that Gunn is leaving. But he has not said. I don't know."
 
Governor announces Mississippi will opt out of federal rental assistance program
Gov. Tate Reeves on Wednesday announced that Mississippi is pulling out of a federal COVID-19 rental assistance program and will return any remaining funds back to the nation's capital. The Republican governor at a press conference said he has instructed the Mississippi Home Corporation to stop accepting applications for the federal program after Aug. 15 because he believes rental assistance incentivizes people to opt out of the workforce. "These socialist experiment programs being pushed from Washington are cruel, like a bookie offering free cash but never mentioning the downside," Reeves said. The first-term governor told reporters he didn't know how much money will be returned to Washington after the state organization stops accepting applications, and he didn't know when exactly the money will be returned. Vangela Wade, the president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Justice, said in a statement that the governor's decision was "heartless" and shows a "complete disregard for people's health and safety." "People are also struggling to make ends meet due to higher food and gas prices," Wade said. "And all the while, we're battling a deadly pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 12,000 Mississippians."
 
Mississippi governor halts rental assistance funds
Mississippi will soon stop accepting applications to a federal rental assistance program created during the COVID-19 pandemic to help people stave off evictions, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday. The Rental Assistance for Mississippians Program will not accept any applications past Aug. 15, and the state will return as much as $130 million for the program back to the federal government. The total amount that will be returned to the Treasury Department will decrease with each new application that is approved or recertified, according to the governor's office. "It's time our state returns to pre-pandemic policies," Reeves said at a press conference. "We will continue to say 'no' to these types of projects and handouts that encourage people to stay out of the workforce." While Reeves praised a "booming" Mississippi economy, he said there are still too many people in the state "being paid not to work." Labor shortages across the country have led to staffing woes for some employers and increased job opportunities for some workers.
 
Mississippi to opt out of federal rent and utility assistance program in coming weeks
On Aug. 15, the state of Mississippi will stop accepting applications for federal rental assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Tate Reeves said at a press conference Wednesday. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or ERA, is part of the federal government's COVID-19 relief initiatives and has provided more than 36,000 Mississippians with help paying rent since the start of the pandemic, Reeves said. When accepted for the program, applicants can receive rental assistance for up to 15 months, meaning that payments will continue for those who apply before the Aug. 15 cutoff date. "If you've already applied for the program, today's announcement will have no impact," Reeves said. The primary reason for closing applications is to encourage people to work, Reeves said. When the ERA program was extended by the federal government for a second round, it no longer required applicants to prove that they could not pay their rent or utilities due to the pandemic, which Reeves said expands its scope beyond what the program was initially intended for and prevents people from returning to the labor force. Reeves also said that as the rental assistance program has gone on, the state has seen more instances of fraud in applications.
 
Gov. Tate Reeves halts federal rental assistance, says it incentivizes not working
Gov. Tate Reeves on Wednesday said he's "pushing back on the left" by pulling Mississippi out of a federal pandemic rental assistance program and plans to send any unspent dollars back to Washington. Reeves said "Mississippi's economy is booming," unemployment is at a record low, and the rental assistance program has been incentivizing people to stay out of the workforce by offering up to 15 months of rental and utility bill assistance. "There is a job available for virtually every Mississippian who wants to work," Reeves said at a press conference on Wednesday. "These socialist experiment programs being pushed from Washington are cruel, like a bookie offering free cash but never mentioning the downside." Advocates who help people with rental assistance said Reeves' decision will hurt Mississippians -- many of whom are working but struggling to pay all of their living expenses. "This is not a good day," said Gwen Bouie-Haynes, the executive director of the National Association of Social Workers-Mississippi Chapter, which has helped residents sign up for the program. "... This will result in more people living on the street in Jackson and across the state of Mississippi."
 
Jackson Women's Health Organization legal saga comes to an end with case dismissed
The legal battle between the state of Mississippi and its last abortion clinic, which played the key role in the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, has come to an end. Jackson Women's Health Organization had fought to remain open based on a previous state supreme court decision, but after the building was sold on July 19, the clinic's lawyers moved for the state supreme court to dismiss their case. On Wednesday, the court formally approved that request. The case has now ended. "Diane Derzis, the clinic's owner, has now sold the clinic's building in light of the dim prospects for a speedy and meaningful ruling that would allow the clinic to reopen," Rob McDuff, one of the clinic's lawyers, said in a statement explaining the decision to ask for a dismissal. "Accordingly, we have dismissed our case on the clinic's behalf. If the clinic is not in a position to reopen in Mississippi, it no longer has a basis to pursue this case in the courts." The court order issued Wednesday was expected after McDuff and the rest of their legal team made their motion. "No objection to dismissal has been received," the court order reads. That said, it marks the end of a historic years-long legal fight that led to abortion being banned in Mississippi.
 
Governor takes aim at Jackson for not doing more to fix water crisis
Gov. Tate Reeves is taking aim at the city of Jackson for not doing more to fix the water crisis. Reeves said Wednesday that the money is there, but the city is not spending it the way it should to fix its water problems. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said again this week that the city needs more financial help to rectify its aged and broken-down water system. The city is under another state-imposed boil-water alert that has been in place since last weekend. The governor bristled at the city's hopes to get more money to fix the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant and other infrastructure problems. "The city of Jackson is in a crisis, period," Reeves said. "It's not limited to their water situation." Reeves acknowledged that the city has a manpower shortage problem, but said Jackson has already been allocated a significant amount of money through the American Rescue Plan Act -- $90 million between the city and Hinds County, with the state matching what they have already said they would spend on infrastructure. "My understanding is that the city and the county are going to put up about $25 million of their over $90 million, so I don't know how they can suggest that these water and sewer challenges they have are a priority in fixing," Reeves said. "We, as a state, are willing to give them a dollar-for-dollar match and they can only come up with about 25% of what they were given, and they spend everything else on other things."
 
'It's a matter of time before we start to see doors close': Restaurant owners reach out to city council about Jackson's water woes
Jeff Good didn't know about Jackson's latest boil water notice issued last week until his customers started asking him about it. Good, co-owner of three North Jackson restaurants, is one of several restaurant owners who spoke at a city council meeting Wednesday where they voiced their frustrations about Jackson's ongoing water issues. For his part, Good said the city's lack of transparency is troubling, especially when the city did not inform residents that a boil water notice had been issued for about a day after it was handed down by the state. "There was nothing on any of the city's websites, and there was not for another 30 hours, I believe," he said. "And right now, if you go to the website and the Facebook page... it's three days ago that there was a post about the boil water notice." For many restaurants, these water failures translate into more expenses and less business. Good says his restaurants spend between $200 and $500 a day when the city is under boil water notices to ship in bottled water, canned drinks, and ice from distributors. Meanwhile, he said fewer customers come in because they're worried that the water isn't safe. The challenges come even as restaurants still deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, employee shortages, inflation, and supply chain concerns.
 
NASA Authorization Act to support projects in Mississippi
For the first time in five years, Congress has voted to authorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) operations with the passage of the NASA Authorization Act of 2022. The legislation, which was included in the CHIPS Act, will extend NASA's ability to operate the International Space Station from 2024 to 2030. It also formally permits a "Moon to Mars Program," which includes the Artemis campaign of lunar missions and eventual human missions to Mars. Senator Roger Wicker, a ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, touted the passage of the NASA Authorization Act. "Congress just took a significant step to bolster our national security by passing the CHIPS Act of 2022," Wicker said. "The NASA provisions in this legislation will propel America into a deeper exploration of space and ensure a strong competition against China on the final frontier." The NASA Authorization Act includes several provisions that support NASA projects in Mississippi, including the Stennis Space Center. The package will also authorize NASA's Office of STEM Engagement and require that it continues to coordinate NASA STEM educational activities, including the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP), and the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program.
 
Senate Overwhelmingly Votes to Add Sweden and Finland to NATO
The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a treaty that would expand NATO to include Finland and Sweden, with Republicans and Democrats linking arms to pave the way for one of the most significant expansions of the alliance in decades amid Russia's continued assault on Ukraine. The vote was 95 to 1, with only Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, opposing the move. The lopsided tally, far surpassing the two-thirds support necessary to approve a treaty, underscored the bipartisan appetite for a more muscular Western military alliance even amid threats from Russian officials that Sweden and Finland would face retaliation should they join NATO. All 30 current members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization must ratify the accession of the two countries. Twenty-two countries have already done so, but as recently as two weeks ago, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey was threatening to block Finland and Sweden's membership bids, which would prolong the process. Still, the approval of the United States is a crucial step, and the vote was a triumph for President Biden. It was a vindication of his push to rally Western allies to confront Mr. Putin's brutal campaign in Ukraine and a step toward fulfilling his pledge as a presidential candidate to restore the alliances frayed badly during the Trump era and reassert the role of the United States in protecting democracy around the world. The vote margin also reflected a striking repudiation by Republicans of the "America First" philosophy espoused by President Donald J. Trump, who was openly contemptuous of NATO and of American commitments to international organizations.
 
Hyde-Smith, Wicker back Finland, Sweden joining NATO
The U.S. Senate voted 95-1 on Wednesday to accept Finland and Sweden into NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The vote ratified the Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 (Treaty Doc. 117-3) and backed the two countries' entry in NATO. Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker both supported the move. "Today is a pivotal day for the free world. Finland and Sweden will be strong partners in the most successful alliance in human history, enhancing NATO's ability to deter aggression and strengthen freedom in Europe," Wicker said. "After visiting with both countries' senior leaders this summer, I am convinced that expanding NATO to our Nordic friends will benefit the national interest, and I look forward to deepening our security relationship in the years ahead." Wicker led a congressional delegation to Europe in July, making stops in Sweden and Finland to meet with the president and prime minster of both countries, respectively. Finland already spends the NATO-mandated 2 percent of its GDP on defense, while Sweden has upped its defense spending in recent years and is on pace to reach 2 percent of GDP in the next decade. Finland and Sweden, previously neutral nations, applied for NATO membership following Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine in February.
 
Election deniers rack up wins, fueling concerns in both parties
Republicans touting former President Trump's unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen saw victories across the map in Tuesday's primaries, raising questions -- and, for many, concerns -- about what will happen in November's general elections. Despite top GOP figures such as former Vice President Mike Pence urging Republicans to look forward rather than focus on what happened two years ago, GOP primary voters overwhelmingly chose candidates who made the 2020 election a central part of their campaign message. Democrats, and some Republicans, argue these candidates won't stand a chance when they face independent voters in November. But others warn not to count them out given President Biden's low approval ratings and the dismal national mood. "You look on paper and you immediately want to say none of them are electable," said GOP strategist Doug Heye. "But if we have a wave, some of these candidates will be successful." The Republicans who won Tuesday night weren't the first election deniers to make it to the November general elections. But they expanded the ranks of candidates pushing Trump's claims in a general election and drove home that there is still a swath of the Republican base with an apparent appetite for falsehoods about the 2020 election. According to an analysis from FiveThirtyEight released last month, there are at least 120 Republican nominees who deny the results of the 2020 presidential election.
 
Primaries bring big losses for incumbent GOP state lawmakers
As Wisconsin's longest-serving Assembly speaker, Republican Robin Vos has presided over efforts to restrict abortions, weaken unions, expand gun rights and push back against COVID-19 mandates. Despite that, he's facing a primary challenger who claims he's not conservative enough. The challenger's argument: Vos should do more to respond to former President Donald Trump's unfounded allegations of fraud in the 2020 election. Primary challengers like the one facing Vos next Tuesday have been successfully targeting incumbent state lawmakers across the country, and Republicans are taking the brunt of it. With more than half the state legislative primaries concluded, Republican incumbents this year have been losing at nearly twice the average rate of the past decade, according to data compiled for The Associated Press by the election tracking organization Ballotpedia. The primary loss rate for Democratic state lawmakers is similar to previous elections. The Republican losses continued to mount Tuesday, as Trump-endorsed candidates ousted incumbent state senators in Arizona and Michigan and a conservative challenger beat the assistant majority leader of the Missouri Senate. In many cases, Republican lawmakers are being defeated by challengers portraying themselves as more conservative on election integrity, transgender policies, school instruction and other hot-button issues.
 
Gun Trafficking Surges Across State Lines: One Pistol's 1,200-Mile Journey to a Boston Homicide
The tan-and-black pistol sat inside a stack of tires at the end of an alleyway, dropped there, police said, by a teenage gunman as he ran from the scene. Around the corner, 17-year-old Alissa King, a popular youth basketball star, lay on the Boston pavement, dying from a gunshot wound to the neck. Five spent casings from the 9mm pistol littered the street around her that spring afternoon, April 15, 2020. Five months earlier, a factory worker looking to make some extra cash had walked into a pawnshop next to a fried fish restaurant in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He bought three pistols for a group of men trafficking guns up the East Coast. One of the guns was the tan-and-black Taurus G2C that would be used to shoot Ms. King. Amid the rise in homicides across both urban and rural communities, traffickers are bringing a growing percentage of firearms from states with loose gun laws into states with tighter restrictions, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of federal data going back a decade from 2020. As disparities between local gun laws widen, the surge in guns trafficked between states is being fueled by schemes involving straw buyers, according to law enforcement. The crime is simple, but difficult to thwart: People who can clear a background check and are willing to do a quick job for a little money buy the guns for traffickers. The traffickers pay them and drive the weapons across state lines. They then sell them to gang members, people barred from owning firearms and others who want to avoid background checks in places where it is harder to buy guns.
 
Drought, sluggish Mississippi River make small dead zone
Drought made the Mississippi River sluggish and led to a smaller than average dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico -- an area where there's too little oxygen to support marine life, the scientist who's been measuring it for decades said Wednesday. Each year, investigators cruise the region to measure the zone. This year, they found it covers 3,275 square miles (8,500 square kilometers), said lead researcher Nancy Rabalais, of the Louisiana Marine Universities Consortium, and Steve Thur of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That's just under 70% of the average-sized area predicted in early June. The oxygen-depleted area usually stretches from the Mississippi River into Texas waters but this year stopped at the Atchafalaya River, Rabalais said during a video conference. However, it's still well above the goal of a five-year average of 1,900 square miles (4,920 square kilometers) or less set in 2001 by a task force organized to reduce its size. The difference between prediction and reality "emphasizes the role that Mississippi River runoff and weather patterns play ... and the inherent uncertainty of predicting" such occurrences, said Thur, director of NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, which pays for the annual study.
 
The Origins of Covid-19 Are More Complicated Than Once Thought
In October 2014, virologist Edward Holmes took a tour of the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, a once relatively overlooked city of about 11 million people in the central Chinese province of Hubei. The market would have presented a bewildering environment for the uninitiated: rows of stalls selling unfamiliar creatures for food, both dead and alive; cages holding hog badgers and Siberian weasels, Malayan porcupines and masked palm civets. In the southwest corner of the market, Holmes found a stall selling raccoon dogs, stacked in a cage on top of another housing a species of bird he didn't recognize. He paused to take a photo. Eight years on, that photo is a key piece of evidence in the painstaking effort to trace the coronavirus pandemic back to its origins. Of course, it's been suspected since the early days of the pandemic -- since before it was even a pandemic -- that the Wuhan wet market played a role, but it's been difficult to prove it definitively. In the meantime, other origin theories have flowered centered on the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a biological research lab which, it's argued, accidentally or deliberately unleashed the virus on the city and the world. The overwhelming scientific consensus is that Covid originated in a similar way to related diseases such as SARS, which jumped from bats to humans via an intermediate animal. Figuring out exactly what happened with Covid-19 could prove immensely valuable both in terms of finally disproving the lab leak theory and by providing a source of information on how to stop the next pandemic. "This is not about placing blame," says Kristian Andersen, a professor of immunology and microbiology at the Scripps Research Institute in California. "This is about understanding in as much detail as we can the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic."
 
Blue Cross subpoena targets communications with news outlets in defamation suit against UMMC officials
The University of Mississippi Medical Center's communications with two news outlets are targets of a subpoena filed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi on Monday as part of its defamation lawsuit against some of the medical center's top officials. Last week, Blue Cross sued three top UMMC employees, alleging defamation and civil conspiracy over the public relations campaign the medical center has been waging against the insurer due to their contract dispute. Blue Cross is seeking to compel UMMC to provide their internal communications with Mississippi Today and Supertalk Radio, two news outlets which have closely covered the effects of the ongoing contract dispute between the state's largest hospital and private insurer. The filing demands all written communications between UMMC and these outlets related to Blue Cross, its contract dispute with UMMC and UMMC's public relations campaign. The subpoena also specifically seeks communications between UMMC officials and Kate Royals, Mississippi Today's community health editor who worked as a writer/editor at UMMC between stints at the news organization. The communications between UMMC and several prominent statewide medical groups are also subject to the subpoena, including the board of trustees of the Mississippi State Medical Association and the board of governors of the Mississippi Hospital Association.
 
JSU raises over $600K on annual Day of Giving
Jackson State University held its annual Day of Giving event on Friday, July 29 in which the university exceeded its fundraising goal by receiving over $600,000 in donations. This year's virtual program was themed "1877: For Thee Culture" and hosted by JSU alumna and on-air personality Chelle B as well as alumnus Mark Henderson who serves as a JSU's theatre professor and coordinator of speech communication. "Giving back to Jackson State University means creating impactful college experiences and a high-quality academic environment where our students can flourish. These generous gifts from alumni, friends, and supporters will ensure that more students with financial needs can be served," JSU President Thomas K. Hudson said. "I applaud the collective efforts of everyone who made our Day of Giving a success." In addition, the event included a myriad of alumni, faculty, staff, and student participation, including a virtual day party. Later that night, JSU's production of "1877: For Thee Culture," aired on Facebook, YouTube, and JSUTV, paying homage to popular television shows from the 1990s such as A Different World and Martin.
 
Ben Burnett named 10th president of William Carey University
Ben Burnett is William Carey University's next president. He said just hearing those words makes him feel an array of emotions. "Blessed, excited, nervous, doesn't seem real," Burnett explained. However, there's no doubt that on Aug. 16, Burnett will take the reins as the 10th president of William Carey University. His path to the presidency started with a passion for music. He said his love for music turned into studying music education and later teaching high school band for 11 years at Oak Grove in Lamar County. He said it was around that time he felt a deeper calling. "It was about teaching and being involved in the lives of young people," Burnett said. He became Oak Grove Middle School's principal, then Lamar County Superintendent of Education for two terms. While serving as superintendent, he took an adjunct professor position at William Carey. His next role came in 2013, when William Carey's President, Tommy King, reached out. "With the opportunity to interview for the dean of education position, where I was already established as a professor... Just made sense," Burnett said. For the last eight years, Burnett said the department of education created big successes for the university and the state. One success is the Alternate Route Program, which is helping more people become the teachers Mississippi desperately needs. For the last two and a half years, Burnett's held the title of Executive Vice President of William Carey. He said those duties prepared him for what's next and the goals he has in mind as president.
 
As school revs up, this is what public and private schools are saying about COVID, monkeypox
A year ago, COVID-19 was the prevailing conversation people had as children throughout Mississippi were preparing to return to school. As school is revving back up this week in the Magnolia State, COVID-19 seems to be an afterthought, whether that is regarding public or private schools. And then there is monkeypox, which hasn't yet registered on anyone's screen as the state's third case of the disease was recorded on Monday. The Mississippi Department of Education and the Mississippi Department of Health are referring all questions to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. While COVID-19 cases in Mississippi are up slightly from earlier this summer, with 968 reported on July 28, that is less than half of the instances Mississippi reported at the same time in 2021. It is also nowhere close to the 10,000 cases per day reported in January. Madison Ridgeland Academy Headmaster Termie Land said his school is ready to open fully next week. His school follows similar guidelines to that of the public schools. "At this point, we will be treating COVID like any other illness," Land said. The state health department is not giving any other advice regarding monkeypox, which had its third case identified in Mississippi this week. While COVID-19 is an airborne illness, monkeypox spreads primarily through direct contact with infectious sores, scabs or body.fluids
 
MSDH: Approximately 466K children to receive pandemic benefits this fall
More than 466,000 children will receive pandemic-related funds to help feed them, the Mississippi Department of Human Services announced this week. The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) have received federal approval to distribute Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits to approximately 466,000 Mississippi children who participated in the National School Lunch Program or were under age 6 and received SNAP benefits during the 2021-22 school year or summer 2022 months. P-EBT benefits can be used to purchase SNAP-eligible food items at stores that accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. All eligible children will be issued a new P-EBT card. For K-12 students, the P-EBT card will be mailed to the address provided by the child's 2021-22 school district. For SNAP Under 6 children, the P-EBT card will be mailed to the family's most updated address on file with the SNAP program. Although all public-school children could access free meals during the 2021-22 school year, P-EBT benefits are limited to those deemed eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch under the National School Lunch Program by application or through either a school with Community Eligibility Provision status or a Provision 2 school. In addition to the K-12 P-EBT benefit distributed in prior years, children under age 6 who received SNAP benefits during the 2021-22 school year or summer 2022 have been approved to receive P-EBT benefits. An estimated 90,000 additional Mississippi children will receive benefits this year with the addition of SNAP for children under the age of 6.
 
'Never seen it this bad': America faces catastrophic teacher shortage
Rural school districts in Texas are switching to four-day weeks this fall due to lack of staff. Florida is asking veterans with no teaching background to enter classrooms. Arizona is allowing college students to step in and instruct children. The teacher shortage in America has hit crisis levels -- and school officials everywhere are scrambling to ensure that, as students return to classrooms, someone will be there to educate them. "I have never seen it this bad," Dan Domenech, executive director of the School Superintendents Association, said of the teacher shortage. "Right now it's number one on the list of issues that are concerning school districts ... necessity is the mother of invention, and hard-pressed districts are going to have to come up with some solutions." It is hard to know exactly how many U.S. classrooms are short of teachers for the 2022-2023 school year; no national database precisely tracks the issue. But state- and district-level reports have emerged across the country detailing staffing gaps that stretch from the hundreds to the thousands -- and remain wide open as summer winds rapidly to a close. Why are America's schools so short-staffed? Experts point to a confluence of factors including pandemic-induced teacher exhaustion, low pay and some educators' sense that politicians and parents -- and sometimes their own school board members -- have little respect for their profession amid an escalating educational culture war that has seen many districts and states pass policies and laws restricting what teachers can say about U.S. history, race, racism, gender and sexual orientation, as well as LGBTQ issues. "The political situation in the United States, combined with legitimate aftereffects of covid, has created this shortage," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. "This shortage is contrived."
 
U. of Alabama updates student ID to add preferred name options
The University of Alabama now allows students to use their chosen or preferred name on mobile student ID. The university's assistant director of communications Shane Dorrill wrote via email that this option has been available on physical cards for several years, but after a software update, will be available online as well. The Action Card office announced the change via social media on May 19. They wrote that they partnered with Safe Zone, a resource center dedicated to promoting "equity and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ individuals at the University of Alabama." Action cards are used for meal plans and dining dollars, building access, sporting and entertainment events and health center access, among other things. Eli Strong, who helped co-found the university's Safe Zone chapter with Amanda Schubert, said that during his six years on campus, he used his student ID, or ACT card, more frequently than his government ID. Strong, who graduated with both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the university, is a transgender man. He said that this change is important because it's a safety issue, it's a way for the university to acknowledge people and make their lives easier and a way for people to feel affirmed by the documentation they carry around each day. This change comes amidst a variety of anti-LGBTQ legislation in Alabama's state house.
 
History made: U. of Alabama students move into brand-new Julia Tutwiler Hall
More than 4,000 students who will participate in pre-semester activities moved into residence halls Wednesday at the University of Alabama during the early move-in period. Students and parents eagerly moved into the new Julia Tutwiler Hall with the assistance of UA housing and residential staff and community volunteers. These students were making a bit of UA history as the first residents of the new Tutwiler Hall since the July 4 demolition of the old Tutwiler. Steven Hood, interim vice president for student life, said he was excited for students to finally move into the new Tutwiler Hall, which Hood said has been in development since 2016. "We started the planning on this in February of 2016. So it's really, really exciting to see it open up here in 2022, six-and-a-half years later," Hood said. Early move-in participants included freshman students participating in Panhellenic recruitment, which begins Saturday, along with some honors students, Million Dollar Band members and participants in pre-semester camps and orientations. The rest of the students will be able to move into residence halls beginning next Friday, Hood said. UA will begin fall semester classes on Aug. 17. Last year, UA had 38,320 students, including the largest freshman class in campus history.
 
U. of Kentucky sends supplies, medical staff to help with flood relief
In the aftermath of last week's deadly flooding in Eastern Kentucky, the University of Kentucky has been working to send medical supplies and staff to the region. UK HealthCare operates multiple clinics in the region that were impacted by the flooding, and has been working to set up mobile clinics in the days since. Severe flash flooding hit Eastern Kentucky on July 28, leaving at least 37 people dead and countless properties in the region damaged. Among those damaged were some UK properties, including facilities at the Robinson Center for Appalachian Resource Sustainability. UK Police Chief Joe Monroe has been coordinating efforts between the university and the state's emergency operations center to deploy people and supplies in the region. Medical supplies, other donations and volunteers have been sent to the areas impacted by flooding in recent days, Monroe said. "One of the things that the university is very focused on, and President (Eli) Capilouto says a lot, is that we're the University of Kentucky, but we're also the university for Kentucky," Monroe said. "That's something that we take very seriously." The university has been sending medical supplies to the area, including IV fluids, tubing and vaccines. There is a huge need for hepatitis A and tetanus vaccines to help protect people from those infections, which a UK pharmacy team has been sent to help distribute, Monroe said.
 
Why This Provost Doesn't Want to Recognize a Grad-Student Union
As graduate-student instructors have been advocating for union recognition and increased compensation, Indiana University at Bloomington leaders announced this week that they'd waive the students' mandatory fees and increase their minimum stipends. And that decision, Indiana's provost said in a rare interview on Wednesday, is evidence that grad students don't need a union after all. Rahul Shrivastav said the university is showing it can respond to students' concerns and make changes through existing structures, which aligns with recent guidance from Indiana's Board of Trustees. The trustees wrote in a letter to the faculty in late May: "The process to enhance the experience for our graduate students is best accomplished through the existing channels of shared governance and collaboration, some new and some that have long driven IU's progress." "To me what this shows is that the mechanisms we have in place work," Shrivastav said. He continued, "This is the charge that the trustees gave to the president and to me: Fix the problems, but fix them within the structures that exist, and that's what I've done." But graduate students and university leaders still don't seem to be on the same page.
 
Campuses try to alleviate student, staff inflation woes
Kayla Williams, a sophomore at Sam Houston State University, chose paying her tuition over buying groceries last year. The cost of both had gone up, but as a student supporting herself through college, staying enrolled seemed more important. She scrambled to work as many hours as possible as an information desk assistant for the campus student center, but it wasn't enough to meet all her needs. "It's either I pay my tuition ... or I save the money to buy me something to eat," she said. "It got bad -- to the point where I would just go days without eating." Williams later discovered the campus food pantry, where she now works. Sam Houston State and other campuses across the country are steeling themselves to support many more students like Williams who are financially burdened by rampant inflation -- the highest inflation rate in 40 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics -- and the rising costs of food and other day-to-day essentials. As many colleges and universities take belt-tightening measures and raise tuition as their own institutional expenses rise, some are also trying to ease the financial struggles of students, faculty and staff members. Jennifer Finetti, who advises students on their finances as director of student advocacy at ScholarshipOwl, a college scholarship platform, said students' families are also struggling, which may mean less financial support for their enrolled children.
 
Researchers Did a Deep Dive Into Efforts to Restrict Critical Race Theory. Here's What They Found.
Since Republican lawmakers began backing bills to limit diversity training or ban the teaching of "divisive" topics, most national news coverage has focused on such efforts in red states. But a new analysis reveals that restrictions like these have popped up in nearly every state, with local governments and school boards taking matters into their own hands when the state doesn't act against critical race theory. The new CRT Forward Tracking Project follows and analyzes anti-critical-race-theory legislation, regulations, and administrative policies on a national scale. Begun by the University of California at Los Angeles's law school on Tuesday, the project has analyzed almost 24,000 articles and found nearly 500 instances of attempted limits on the teaching of critical race theory. The project's director, Taifha N. Alexander, said the most surprising result of her work is that the group has found cases in nearly every state. Alexander said that, while it may seem like these measures are being introduced only in conservative states, that perception reflects state-level activity, ignoring local action. In California, for example, the project has not identified any state-level efforts but has found many anti-CRT measures at the school-board level. "If you are living in the United States, everywhere from Alaska to New Hampshire and everywhere in between, there have been anti-CRT measures implemented at some level. The only exception to that is Delaware," Alexander said. While anti-CRT measures can be found across the country, the study did find that proposals were most heavily concentrated in Virginia, Florida, Missouri, and the U.S. Congress.


SPORTS
 
Euro 2022 can be a catalyst for women's football in England -- here's how
Mississippi State University's Rachel Allison and a colleague write for The Conversation: Euro 2022 has all the ingredients to be a breakthrough moment for women's football in England. A peak television audience of 17 million, the biggest UK audience for a programme in 2022 so far, tuned in to watch England beat Germany in the final. Attendance records were smashed in the group stages of the tournament, and 87,192 people attended the final -- the most for any Euros fixture, men's or women's. However, we do need to exercise caution around claims of watershed moments for women's sport. In the US, major soccer tournaments have led to only minimal changes in media coverage of women's sport. We need to ensure that when the dust settles, women's football is not relegated back to the margins. We have carried out research on why people in the US and England become fans of women's football. Drawing on our findings, here are some key ways to build on the Euro 2022 tournament and secure the future of English women's football.
 
Forbes earns spot on Bednarik Award watch list
Mississippi State junior cornerback Emmanuel Forbes has been named to the watch list for the 28th Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1994 and is named in honor of Chuck "Concrete Charlie" Bednarik who was an All-American player at the University of Pennsylvania and later a multiple year All Pro linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was the last NFL player to be a full-time player on both offense and defense. In 2021, Forbes started all 13 games for the Bulldogs and totaled 60 tackles on the season, including 46 solo stops. He tallied 5.0 tackles for loss with one sack and led the team with three interceptions returned for a total of 33 yards. As a sophomore, Forbes led the State defense with five pass breakups while he also forced one fumble on the campaign.
 
Mississippi State pitcher KC Hunt spurns Pittsburgh Pirates in MLB draft, set to return to Starkville
KC Hunt got his chance at the Major Leagues. The Mississippi State right-hander turned it down. Hunt declined to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates, affirming his return to Starkville in a social media post Wednesday. "Thank you to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but we've got some unfinished business...see y'all at The Dude," Hunt tweeted. A 12th-round pick of the Pirates on July 19, Hunt chose to come back for his senior season in Starkville. He posted a 7.46 ERA in 25 1/3 innings in 2022, striking out 32 batters. The Wyckoff, New Jersey, native's electric fastball and strikeout stuff made him attractive to the Pirates, but Hunt chose instead to bet on himself. If he can secure a spot in the Bulldogs' starting rotation in 2023, he can make himself a much higher draft pick next summer.
 
MLB Draft pick KC Hunt returning to Mississippi State baseball
Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis got a big piece in his pitching staff back Wednesday. KC Hunt, who was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in last month's MLB Draft, announced he wasn't signing with the club and is returning to MSU. He was taken in the 12th round with the 350th overall pick. Hunt made 15 appearances for the Bulldogs last season, featuring 14 out of the bullpen. His lone start came in MSU's opening series against Long Beach State in which Hunt went three innings and allowed five earned runs. He missed the next month due to injury but found success when he returned in a bullpen role. Half of his outings came without a run allowed and nine featured outings longer than an inning. His best appearance came at Ole Miss in late April. After pitching two innings the night before, Hunt tossed 2 2/3 scoreless frames to seal an 11-inning, series-clinching win. Hunt will be a senior next season. He joined MSU in 2020 out of Ramapo High School in New Jersey.
 
Mississippi State football players launch new Starkville NIL Club
Mississippi State football players are making their own foray into the name, image and likeness space. What dozens of Bulldogs teased Tuesday on social media launched Wednesday afternoon: the new Starkville NIL Club, a player-led fan community aimed at generating money to be distributed evenly across MSU's roster. More than 95 players are participating in the club, according to a joint statement tweeted out by countless MSU players slightly before 2 p.m. Tuesday. Fans must give $5 or more per month for a subscription to the club. According to the site, the Bulldogs' players have teamed up with the YOKE membership platform, which has launched several similar clubs for other schools in recent months. The list includes Texas, Michigan State, Auburn, Arkansas, Kansas State and Minnesota, as well as Ole Miss; the Oxford NIL Club launched in July. NIL became legal on July 1, 2021, allowing college athletes to profit from the use of their own name, image and likeness.
 
Starkville NIL Club launches for Mississippi State football players
On the eve of Mississippi State football players reporting for preseason practices, they took to social media for a new NIL push. MSU's players announced the launch of the Starkville NIL Club. It's a "membership-based community" where fans can donate to player and interact with the team. Proceeds are said to be split evenly among all players. Benefits include digital events with players, content created by players such as film breakdowns and a community message board. "Without a doubt, we enthusiastically support our student-athletes capitalizing on their name, image and likeness, and are committed to the education and facilitation of those opportunites," a team spokersperson said. Donations are already being accepted, and at the time of publication, the $50,000 monthly goal was at $235. The Starkville NIL Club is a replica of the Oxford NIL Club for Ole Miss players launched July 21. The Rebels had the same monthly goal and have raised $7,311. Mississippi State's athletic department is not directly related to the NIL initiatives as Mississippi law still has boundaries.
 
What Mike Leach can achieve that Dan Mullen didn't for Mississippi State football
Blake Toppmeyer writes for USA TODAY NETWORK: When considering the outlook for Mississippi State's third season under Mike Leach, a couple of eggs come to mind. No. 1: Win the Egg Bowl. No. 2: Don't lay an egg. The first point is obvious. The Egg Bowl's outcome is a defining moment for each team, and Leach is 0-2 in those rivalry games. To understand the second point, consider last season's September games against Louisiana Tech and Memphis. The Bulldogs needed to block a field goal in the final seconds to defeat La Tech, then lost two weeks later to Memphis, albeit that result carried the asterisk of incompetent officiating. Add the stinker showing in a blowout bowl loss to Texas Tech for another egg. On the other hand, MSU logged notable wins against North Carolina State, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Auburn. This erratic nature is not uncommon for Leach's teams, but this season offers the promise of more stability. Experienced teams should be consistent teams, and the Bulldogs benefit from the return of 16 offensive or defensive starters, tops in the SEC. Leach has the chance to achieve something neither Dan Mullen nor Jackie Sherrill could do: Deliver a Year 3 that exceeds the hype.
 
MHSAA football state championships return to Southern Miss
The Mississippi High School Activities Association 2022 football championships are returning to Southern Miss. MHSAA executive director Rickey Neaves announced this year's football championship games will be held at M.M. Roberts Stadium on Dec. 2-3 Thursday. "From the leadership at USM and throughout the City of Hattiesburg to state-wide businesses and fans, we appreciate the support of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Gridiron Classic (MHSAA Football State Championships) and are very happy to be returning for another year," said MHSAA Executive Director Rickey Neaves. The will be the second consecutive year the state championships will be held at USM. Last year the championships were scheduled to be hosted by Jackson State, but the event had to be relocated due to the Tigers hosting the SWAC Championship on Dec. 4. "Our friends at USM never blinked when we called and gave less than 45 days of notice that we had a conflict at Veterans Memorial in Jackson," Neaves added. "As always, they eagerly welcomed us and did a fantastic job helping us showcase our student-athletes and coaches."
 
ESPN's 'College GameDay' announces addition for 2022 season
ESPN's "College GameDay" will add Jess Sims for the upcoming season, the sports network announced Wednesday. Sims, a Peloton instructor and sports reporter, will make live, weekly appearances from campus sites on the college football pregame show, joining host Rece Davis and analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack. "I am so excited to join the GameDay crew because the show not only celebrates all of the on-field action, but also highlights the passionate communities that surround the games," Sims said in a release. Once again, research producer Chris "The Bear" Fallica and reporters Jen Lada and Gene Wojciechowski return for the program's 36th season. Sims became a global sensation when she joined Peloton in 2018 as a Tread instructor, teaching running, walking, bootcamp, strength and stretching classes to more than seven million subscribers worldwide. A former collegiate basketball player at Trinity College, Sims has also worked with the WNBA's New York Liberty as an in-arena host (2021) and sideline reporter (2022) the past two seasons.
 
Want to buy South Carolina football tickets while you're shopping at Costco? You can do that now
Many shop at Costco to purchase various Kirkland Signature items in bulk -- such as milk chocolate almonds or crinkle cut chips -- but customers in South Carolina can also drop in to pick up some Gamecock football tickets. Tickets for South Carolina football games in 2022 were spotted in a West Ashley Costco on Wednesday night by WCIV-TV sports director Scott Eisberg. The tickets are priced at two for $89.99, and apply to all regular-season home games excluding Georgia. The ticket deal will be available inside Costco locations in the state of South Carolina, according to Lance Grantham, USC's senior associate athletic director for ticketing. "We're expect good results from it," Grantham told The State --- 800 have been sold so far, he said. "It's a really good value for the fans." The in-store purchase gives fans access to two west upper tickets in the stadium, two "all you can eat" passes and one fairgrounds parking pass. Fans can save up to 40 percent, according to a disclaimer, with that number varying by the game. The Costco promotion is part of the Gamecocks' growing effort to boost single-game ticket sales. But USC isn't the only school selling tickets in wholesale stores. Eisberg's original tweet had around 900 reactions as of Thursday morning. One reply the tweet showed a photo of sideline tickets for Rutgers games being sold at a different store for $99.99. The University of Louisville is also selling football tickets at Costco.
 
Eli Gold, the voice of Alabama football, will not be on air to start 2022 season
Eli Gold, the longtime radio voice of Alabama football, is dealing with health issues and will not be calling games to start the fall, UA announced Wednesday. Gold has served as the play-by-play voice of the Crimson Tide since 1988. The Brooklyn, New York, native is 68. Chris Stewart will replace him in the booth. He has been Alabama's men's basketball play-by-play announcer for the past two decades. Stewart will also fill in as host of "The Nick Saban Show" and "Hey Coach" starting on Aug. 18. In addition to basketball, Stewart has also worked as the radio play-by-play voice for baseball since 2000. Stewart also recently has been the broadcast host of Crimson Tide Sports Network's Alabama football radio coverage as well as the host of "The Nick Saban Show" and "The Nate Oats Show." Gold is a five-time winner of the Alabama sportscaster of the year award from the National Sports Media Association as well as a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. His career has spanned well past calling football. Included on Gold's long list of assignments have been professional hockey games and NASCAR coverage for a variety of networks.
 
Senators Tuberville, Manchin working on bill to tackle NIL
Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Joe Manchin have reached out to college sports leaders, including the Southeastern Conference commissioner, for feedback and ideas on how to regulate the way athletes are compensated for their names, images and likenesses. Tuberville (R-Ala.), a former college football coach who led Auburn to an undefeated season in 2004, and Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced Wednesday that their staffs have already begun drafting a NIL bill that they said would will be in compliance. "The lack of meaningful leadership and a lack of clarity in this area resulting from Alston (Supreme Court decision) means that the U.S. Congress must act to set clear ground rules for student-athletes and institutions alike," the senators wrote in a letter to Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey. "Like you, we have the common goals of protecting student-athletes, ensuring fair competition and compensation, and preserving the time-honored traditions of college sports." Manchin is friends with Alabama football coach and West Virginia native Nick Saban. Sankey and Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff met with Tuberville, Manchin and other lawmakers during a lobbying trip to Capitol Hill in May. At least eight bills related to college sports have been filed by federal lawmakers over the past four years -- some more narrowly addressing NIL and others targeting other athlete benefits and issues. There has been no substantive movement on any of them.
 
Tommy Tuberville pushing for federal laws regulating NIL
Former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville is working to draft congressional legislation which would regulate NIL use for college athletes at the federal level, his office announced Wednesday. Tuberville and fellow senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, have sent a letter to college athletics directors, administrators, student-athlete groups and more seeking feedback to "guide discussions on a legislative path forward." In an interview with the Opelika-Auburn News on Wednesday afternoon Tuberville said he supports athletes making money but that he is concerned with there being a level playing field in college sports and with how teams in different states are operating under different state-level laws. "College athletics needs help," Tuberville said. "They need guidance, they need rules, they need regulations. They need somebody to step up and try to pull all 50 states together ... to where everybody kind of understands what everybody else is doing." The two senators hope to draft bipartisan legislation which lays down uniform rules that apply to all schools nationwide. "We're not in this to stop people from making money," Tuberville said. "We're in this to put guidelines to where people can have an opportunity to compete and maybe it will make them even more money at the end of the day. But right now we have coaches from one state that's got a set of rules, and coaches from other states that have sets of rules, and the NCAA is not a strong institution right now because they don't want to get involved in the Supreme Court decision last year."
 
Phil Mickelson and 10 Other LIV Golfers File Antitrust Lawsuit Against PGA Tour
Eleven golfers on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit---including Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau -- filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour Wednesday challenging their suspensions, the opening salvo in a legal fight that could reverberate across professional sports. The group includes three players -- Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones -- who are seeking a temporary restraining order that would allow them to play in the Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs, which begin next week. Each had qualified for the playoffs before signing on to play for LIV, before being told by the PGA Tour they were being excluded from the event because of their participation in the LIV series. n a memo Wednesday to players, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan defended the suspensions. He wrote that the Tour has been preparing for this attempt to "disrupt" the Tour and that the players should be confident in the legal merits of the Tour's position. "Fundamentally, these suspended players -- who are now Saudi Golf League employees -- have walked away from the TOUR and now want back in," Monahan's memo said. "With the Saudi Golf League on hiatus, they're trying to use lawyers to force their way into competition alongside our members in good standing." The lawsuit filed by the golfers means that the PGA Tour is now facing legal battles over its practices on multiple fronts. In addition to this lawsuit, the Justice Department has launched an antitrust investigation into whether the Tour has engaged in anticompetitive behavior, The Wall Street Journal first reported.



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