| Thursday, September 22, 2022 |
| Court of Appeals to visit four college campuses this fall | |
 | The Mississippi Court of Appeals will convene on four college campuses in September, October and November. Three-judge panels of the Court of Appeals will hear appeals on Sept. 28 at the University of Mississippi School of Law, on Oct. 19 at Alcorn State University, on Nov. 9 at Mississippi State University and on Nov. 15 at Rust College. The Court of Appeals' Court on the Road program will crank up for the first time since early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic halted visits by the Court to college campuses. The Court on the Road program schedules oral arguments on college campuses and occasionally at other locations as a teaching tool to give students and the public opportunities to watch proceedings in cases on appeal. Court on the Road offers a unique learning experience for students with an interest in law, government, journalism and a variety of other fields. The general public may attend to gain a better understanding of appellate court proceedings. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Donna Barnes of Tupelo said, "Our court is fortunate that statutes permit us to convene in places other than the Capital. That allows anyone, especially school groups, to attend in person and see first-hand how the system works." In each case on appeal, attorneys for both sides will have 30 minutes to make their arguments and answer questions from the judges. Judges talk with students after each oral argument and answer students' questions, although they won't talk about the pending cases. People wishing to watch an oral argument are asked to be seated 15 minutes before a proceeding is scheduled to begin. |
| Fall is starting, which means it's peak time for agri-tourism | |
 | Thursday is the first day of fall. This is when many farmers transform their properties into places where families can come to have fun. "Agri-tourism is a really unique opportunity for farmers to diversify their operations," farmer Addie Mayfield said. Thousands of dollars are spent on equipment in order to farm successfully. Mayfield said this is just one way to earn money back on that investment. Ag-tourism has many forms such as corn mazes, wineries, flower farms and Christmas tree farms. Another benefit to expanding their farming operations is being able to educate those who visit. |
| Mississippi farmers struggle during the harvest season this year | |
| It has been a summer of extreme swings, with an extended drought, followed by heavy rain and then resumed drought. This has caused Mississippi farmers to struggle during the harvest season. The sustained drought has made it difficult to grow crops. The recent rainfall has made it more difficult to harvest what they were able to grow. Addie Mayfield and her family are first-generation farmers. These extreme conditions have made this season extra tricky for them. "From a row crop aspect, it has been a really tough year. You know, we didn't have rain all summer; and now when we are trying to get crops out, it has been rainier than normal. So, it's been a really tough year," Mayfield said. This time of year is challenging because farmers cannot change the results they are handed from the previous months. "At this point, we have just been waiting for the rain to stop and the fields to dry up a little bit so that we can get in and cut." Mayfield also said the trucker shortage is affecting when they are able to send their harvested crops out. |
| Area unemployment continues to improve | |
 | Local and state unemployment rates fell in August, while the national rate remained the same as in July and June, according to the latest labor market report by the Mississippi Department of Employment and Security. Oktibbeha and Noxubee counties rates both fell 1 percent in August while Lowndes and Clay fell 0.7 and 0.5 percent, respectively. Compared to a year ago, Clay and Noxubee had the most significant drops, currently sitting at 4.6 and 6.2 percent. Oktibbeha fell 2 percent to 3.8 and Lowndes fell 2.2 percent to 3.9. On the state and national level, Mississippi fell 0.6 percent in August from 4.4 percent in July, while the nation remained at 3.8 percent. Compared to a year ago, the state fell 1.9 percent from 5.7 percent in August 2021, and the nation decreased 1.5 percent from 5.3 percent. The number of unemployed people in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties fell to 1,000 and 860. In contrast, Clay and Noxubee fell to 380 and 210 people, bringing the total number down by 500 in the Golden Triangle. Across all four counties, there are 2,450 people unemployed, showing a 40.9 percent fall from August 2021. |
| City pivots to request proposals for commercial garbage pickup | |
| State law caused city officials to pivot Tuesday on a plan to subcontract its commercial garbage collection service to a private company. Aldermen voted 6-1 in a recess meeting at City Hall to send out a public request for proposals for privatizing the service. Originally, the board expected to consider a subcontract with Waste Pro Mississippi to take over pickup for more than 300 commercial customers and apartment complexes. But officials discovered before Tuesday's meeting a state law that requires the proposal request process for solid waste contracts that exceed $50,000. In the Waste Pro contract proposal, the company would have taken on pickup for the city's 4-, 6- and 8-cubic-yard commercial dumpsters at the same rates the city currently charges, as well as add a customer option for a 2-cubic-yard dumpster. Waste Pro also planned to purchase those dumpsters from the city in phases. The city would remain in charge of billing, at least at the outset, and pass rate collections to the subcontractor. Mayor Lynn Spruill told The Dispatch after the meeting that the city would look at other companies' proposals based on rates, how quickly they could purchase the dumpsters and the city's two commercial collection trucks -- which would eventually move the city out of commercial pickup entirely. "The goal is to make sure a private company can provide service we can be proud of (before we turn it completely over)," Spruill said. |
| Education: 17 local students dubbed National Merit Scholarship semifinalists | |
| National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of over 16,000 semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, and 17 go to public school in the Golden Triangle. Starkville High School has two semifinalists: Soyeon Park and Jackson Shapley. The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science has 15 semifinalists: Daniel Caton, Chloe Dobbins, Andra Dusin, Madison Echols, Nathan George, John Hagood, David Johnson, Vivek Nagarajan, Ryan Neal, Elsa Pfrenger, Dylan Randall, Mandy Sun, Lauren Varner and Richard Zheng. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring. About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. |
| Chief Ben named Citizen of the Year | |
| Choctaw Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben has been named Citizen of the Year by the Community Development Partnership. CDP President David Vowell made the announcement Tuesday morning following the selection committee's decision. Ben will be presented with his award this Monday night during the CDP's Banquet at the Neshoba County Coliseum starting at 6:30 p.m. "I am honored to be chosen the 2022 Citizen of The Year," Ben said. "As a life-long resident of Neshoba County, this title means a great deal to me. To be among the distinguished individuals who have held this title and the first Choctaw Tribal member to do so, again, it is a tremendous honor." Ben is the fifth democratically elected Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. He was first sworn into office on July 9, 2019. The Large Business of the Year will be presented to The Neshoba County Fair. |
| Philadelphia's Ellis Theatre opens with Marty Stuart and Connie Smith on Dec. 8 | |
 | More than $4 million in renovations to a nearly century-old building in downtown Philadelphia (Mississippi) will mark the beginning of a major change for this city of about 7,100 people, supporters of the project said Wednesday.Dr. Dan Barnard, executive director for the 500-seat Ellis Theatre on Byrd Avenue, said the renovation will complete Phase 1 of a larger $40 million project called the Congress of Country Music being spearheaded by country music superstar, and Philadelphia native, Marty Stuart. "It is spectacular, incredible work," Barnard said of the theatre rehabilitation, which was overseen by Yates Construction. Included is a new roof, new seating, new HVAC and electrical systems, new plumbing, a new fire protection system, all new audio-visual equipment, and more. There will also be three box seat sections on the north wall that had once been used in Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center, Bernard said. A four-night Grand Opening is set to kick off on Dec. 8 with performances by Marty Stuart and Connie Smith. On Dec. 9 Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder will perform, followed by Vince Gill on Dec. 10 and The Gaither Vocal Band on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 11. Documentary film director Ken Burns describes Stuart's contributions this way: "If country music had a President, it would be Marty Stuart. He is the embodiment of the culture. His Congress of Country Music is to be his Presidential Library. It's a place where all generations will come to study and be inspired." |
| Mississippi State Fair is around the corner. What you need to know | |
| The Mississippi State Fair is just around the corner and organizers said the recent presence of the National Guard using the Mississippi State Fairgrounds as a staging area for water distribution during the Jackson water crisis did not affect plans for the fair. The National Guard left the Fairgrounds last week after Gov. Tate Reeves said the city's water tested safe. Sgt. Payton Haynes of the Mississippi National Guard said staff of the Mississippi Fairgrounds and the Mississippi Coliseum were helpful in the process. "The National Guard has worked hand in hand with the Coliseum and other entities that have used the parking space without any conflict," Haynes said. "When it comes to the benefit of the people, we are proud to serve residents in the Jackson area. Just about every resident that receives water is appreciative of the efforts." The National Guard was demobilized just in time to make way for preparations for the Mississippi State Fair slated for Oct. 6 through Oct. 16, officials said. |
| Legislative leaders weigh impact of inflation, odds of recession | |
| State Economist Corey Miller told legislative leaders that nationally there is a 35% chance of "a modest recession" during the upcoming calendar year. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said he believes odds of a recession are much higher. "I believe we will have a recession...," Hosemann told reporters during a break in the hearing attended by him, House Speaker Philip Gunn and other key lawmakers who make up the Legislative Budget Committee. Hosemann pointed out that Miller and other economists projected inflation of about 2.5% for the year and thus far it has been more than 8%. "I think we need to be preparing for all the issues we face that come from a recession," Hosemann added. Overall, Miller said the state economy has slowed considerably during the current fiscal year but that both the state and national economies remain "resilient." "In summary, the U.S. and Mississippi economies have slowed and the risk of recession is elevated, but not the base case. Inflation remains historically high but may have peaked," Miller said. "The Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates to reduce demand, which should bring down inflation." Getting more people working in Mississippi remains an issue, Miller said. The state's labor force participation rate, which accounts for all eligible to enter the workforce, remains one of the lowest in the nation, Miller said, at 55.2%. The pre-pandemic level was 56.2%. |
| Fed Raises Interest Rates by 0.75 Percentage Point for Third Straight Meeting | |
 | The Federal Reserve approved its third consecutive interest-rate rise of 0.75 percentage point and signaled additional large increases were likely even though they are raising the risk of recession. Fed officials voted unanimously to lift their benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 3% and 3.25%, a level last seen in early 2008. Nearly all of them expect to raise rates to between 4% and 4.5% by the end of this year, according to new projections released Wednesday, which would call for sizable rate increases at policy meetings in November and December. "We have got to get inflation behind us. I wish there were a painless way to do that. There isn't," Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said at a news conference after the rate decision. Stock markets tumbled after a volatile trading day. Officials projected that rate rises will continue into 2023, with most expecting the fed-funds rate to rest around 4.6% by the end of next year. That was up from 3.8% in their projections this past June. Analysts said they hadn't expected the Fed to show quite so high an endpoint for the rate. Given how persistently elevated inflation has been, "I wouldn't be surprised to see them go even higher than what they've written down -- say, to 5%," said Ellen Meade, an economist at Duke University who is a former senior adviser at the Fed. |
| John Davis, former Mississippi agency leader, pleads guilty to conspiracy charges | |
 | John Davis, the former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, pleaded guilty today to two federal charges and 18 state counts of fraud or conspiracy in connection to how the agency he led for several years misspent million federal welfare dollars. Davis pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and theft of federal dollars, which carry a maximum prison sentences of five and 10 years, respectively. Davis also will plead guilty to five state counts of conspiracy and 13 state counts of fraud against the government, according to a notice of dismissal file in Hinds County Circuit Court. The court filing does not indicate what kind of deal he received for pleading guilty, but it does show that Davis is expected to cooperate with federal and state officials and testify against other criminal defendants. Documents also indicate that Davis will spend his entire sentence in federal prison and avoid the brutal conditions inside of Mississippi's state prisons. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves accepted Davis' guilty plea and told him that he is looking forward to seeing this portion of the former director's life behind him and hopes he re-enters society one day to be a productive citizen. "I hope you serve this sentence with dignity and respect," Reeves told Davis. Neither Davis nor his attorneys commented to reporters outside of the federal courthouse in Jackson. |
| Ex-director pleads guilty in Mississippi welfare fraud case | |
 | A former director of Mississippi's welfare agency pleaded guilty Thursday to new federal charges in a conspiracy to misspend tens of millions of dollars that were intended to help needy families in one of the poorest states in the U.S. --- part of the largest public corruption case in the state's history. John Davis appeared in federal court to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of fraud against the government. During the hearing, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves asked several questions about whether Davis understood the charges to which he was pleading guilty. "Yes, sir," Davis responded each time. Reeves set sentencing for Feb. 2. Davis remains free on bond, and the judge said he hopes Davis makes better decisions from now on. "I look forward to hoping that this portion of your life is behind you," Reeves said. Davis was executive director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services from February 2016 through July 2019. He was appointed to the job by then-Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican. |
| Shad White addresses welfare fraud at meeting of Covington GOP Women | |
 | Mississippi State Auditor Shad White spoke Wednesday in Covington County and had some new comments about the ongoing civil lawsuit to recover money from the state welfare scandal. Last week, texts were released showing former governor Phil Bryant and Brett Favre allegedly worked together to channel millions of dollars of state welfare funds to build a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi. Neither Bryant nor Favre has been charged in the case. "I think as the civil trial progresses, you'll see more and more documents come out that show who was doing what through the course of this massive misspending problem," White said. "I think the public will begin to understand, here are the folks that bear some responsibility, here are the folks that don't bear some responsibility. And at the end of it, some folks will be charged by a prosecutor with a crime, and some folks simply will not. They'll have their reputations tarnished a little bit, or a lot of bit, but, at the end of the day, I think the public is going to learn more about this case." |
| In Mississippi, Welfare for the Well-Connected as a Scandal Spreads | |
 | As he became further enmeshed in a scheme that diverted federal welfare money to build a volleyball stadium that cost more than $5 million at the University of Southern Mississippi, the former football star Brett Favre texted a question to the head of a nonprofit doling out funds meant to go to welfare recipients in the nation's poorest state. "If you were to pay me," he wrote in 2017 of a $1.1 million proposal for promotional efforts that would actually be funneled toward building the stadium, "is there any way the media could find out where it came from and how much?" At the University of Southern Mississippi, faculty members say the school prides itself in admitting first-generation students from the kind of families the money was meant to help. "No one is very happy about it," Denis Wiesenburg, the faculty senate president and a professor of marine science, said of the recent unwanted attention. "We recognize that it has tarnished the reputation of the university." |
| What they said: Bennie Thompson, others talk Jackson water at Homeland Security hearing | |
 | Federal lawmakers took a closer look at Jackson's water and sewer issues that have led to recent federal and state intervention. Unfunded infrastructure mandates, environmental justice, water equity, and climate change were among the topics discussed Wednesday during a Congressional Homeland Security Committee hearing, with Jackson's water crisis at the center of the discussion. Led by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, the hearing focused on what is needed for cities like Jackson to be prepared for future infrastructure issues rather than just focusing on fixing the problem at hand. He emphasized the nation is suffering simultaneous disasters, from the wildfires in the western U.S. to the typhoon in Alaska and the hurricane in Puerto Rico. Add to that the flooding in Jackson that caused the city's water system to fail, leaving more than 100,000 people without clean water. "It hit close to home," Thompson said. Former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate said the government needs to look to the future when investing in infrastructure. In addition to Jackson, Fugate cited the floods in Nashville in 2010, Columbia, South Carolina, in 2014, and the discovery of lead in the water in Flint, Michigan. |
| US: Security Council must tell Russia to stop nuke threats | |
| U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on every U.N. Security Council member to "send a clear message" to Russia that it must stop its nuclear threats in the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week that his nuclear-armed country "certainly use all means available to us" if its territory is threatened and to defend the country and its people. Blinken used a council session Thursday to criticize Russia's invasion and press other countries to join in their forceful condemnations of the conflict. "Every council member should send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately," he said. A day after President Joe Biden assailed Russian leader Vladimir Putin for what he called egregious violations of the U.N. Charter and international law, the U.S. made the case at the U.N. Security Council that Russia should face further censure and isolation for its invasion. Blinken listed several allegations of war crimes and other atrocities and called on countries that have yet to speak out forcefully against them as an affront to international order. As the meeting began, there were already signs of a charged atmosphere around the council's famous horseshoe-shaped table. Despite Blinken's forceful words, however, a U.S. official said the diplomat was under no illusion that the council would act against Russia, given its veto power as a permanent member. The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of Blinken's speak in order to preview it. |
| Cyber summit faces Internet's part in Americans' mutual distrust | |
 | The National Cyber Summit conference in Huntsville paused three days of panels, speakers and cool new technology displays Wednesday to hear a former assistant secretary of state address the cost to the nation of fast-moving online lies. "I was at the State Department on Jan. 6. I'm just going to leave that one there," Ellen McCarthy, a former assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, told the conference's Wednesday lunch. "I'm incredibly proud of how departments and agencies rallied together and coordinated with one another when it came to ensuring the security of our elections, the intellectual integrity," she said. "The problem is that so many people don't believe that." McCarthy said a 2015 Pew Research Center counted 20,000 websites "that were very open about the fact they were publishing disinformation, didn't hide it, and ad companies spent $235 million (that year) supporting those websites." Don't expect government to help close the trust gap, McCarthy said. "Countering misinformation requires precise, sophisticated communications," she said, adding, "all attributions that weren't in any government I worked in." Instead, McCarthy pointed Americans to private sector research into the problems with modern communications including "Truth Decay," a book of research by the Rand Corp into "the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life." She also recommended "The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy" and the "Truth in Media Cooperative" that she herself now leads. |
| Appeals court allows review of Mar-a-Lago classified documents | |
 | A federal appellate court on Wednesday allowed the Justice Department to use classified documents seized in the search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club last month, reversing a lower court judge who sided with the former president. The ruling from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit found U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon likely erred when she ordered that the DOJ could not continue its criminal probe of Trump using the 100 or so classified documents found in the search. The ruling succinctly cuts down some claims from the former president, particularly a suggestion he had any personal interest in classified documents or that he had declassified them as president. And the opinion concludes Cannon -- who Trump appointed to the job -- likely had abused her discretion. The panel found it "self-evident" that the public interest favored a government investigation into the national security risks from the documents found in the search. "An injunction delaying (or perhaps preventing) the United States's criminal investigation from using classified materials risks imposing real and significant harm on the United States and the public," the ruling said. |
| In Hannity interview, Trump claims he can declassify documents 'even by thinking about it' | |
 | Former President Donald Trump said in a broadcast interview Wednesday that he can declassify documents "even by thinking about it." "There doesn't have to be a process, as I understand it," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity, after Hannity pressed him on which process he took to declassify the documents. He continued, "If you're the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying it's declassified, even by thinking about it." Trump's comments came before the ruling from the appeals court authorizing the Department of Justice to review the 100 classified documents he took. The court said that although the former president has said he declassified the documents before he left office, there are no records of it. "In any event, at least for these purposes, the declassification argument is a red herring because declassifying an official document would not change its content or render it personal," the court said. The Hannity interview was the former president's first sit-down interview since his Mar-a-Lago search, the Washington Post reported. It also came the same day that a lawsuit was filed against him in New York. New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Trump of fraud after a three-year inquiry into the finances of his family business. |
| Lawyer says Ginni Thomas agrees to interview with Jan. 6 committee | |
 | Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has agreed to sit for an interview with the House Jan. 6 committee, her lawyer told The Hill on Wednesday night. "As she has said from the outset, Mrs. Thomas is eager to answer the Committee's questions to clear up any misconceptions about her work relating to the 2020 election," her lawyer, Mark Paoletta, said in a statement, reported first by CNN. "She looks forward to that opportunity." The committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol asked Thomas to speak with the panel in June. Thomas has faced increased scrutiny over her potential role in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 riot, after it was revealed that she communicated with former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump attorney John Eastman about contesting election results and pressured lawmakers in both Wisconsin and Arizona to overturn the results in their states. Thomas initially seemed eager to appear before the committee, saying she couldn't wait to "clear up misconceptions." However, her attorney later said he didn't see a need for her to testify and asked for "better justification." |
| House passes bill to prevent efforts to subvert presidential election results | |
 | The House voted Wednesday to pass an electoral reform bill that seeks to prevent presidents from trying to overturn election results through Congress, the first vote on such an effort since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob seeking to stop the certification of Joe Biden's electoral win. The bill passed on a 229-203 vote, with just nine Republicans breaking ranks and joining Democrats in supporting the measure. None of those nine Republican lawmakers will be members of Congress next year -- either because they lost their primaries or chose to retire. The Presidential Election Reform Act, written by Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), explicitly cites the Capitol attack as a reason to amend the Electoral Count Act of 1887, "to prevent other future unlawful efforts to overturn Presidential elections and to ensure future peaceful transfers of Presidential power." "Legal challenges are not improper, but Donald Trump's refusal to abide by the rulings of the courts certainly was," Cheney said Wednesday during House debate on the measure. "In our system of government, elections in the states determine who is the president. Our bill does not change that. But this bill will prevent Congress from illegally choosing the president itself." The Presidential Election Reform Act would clearly reaffirm that the vice president has no role in validating a presidential election beyond acting as a figurehead who oversees the counting process, barring that person from changing the results. It also would expand the threshold necessary for members of both chambers to object to a state's results, as well as clarify the role governors play in the process. Finally, it would make clear that state legislatures can't change election rules retroactively to alter the results. |
| The Next Silicon Valley Will Be in the US Heartland | |
 | You don't meet many billionaires on buses. But that proletarian rolling stock became a favorite of Steve Case, the founder of AOL and survivor of the worst corporate merger in history, when he acquired Time Warner in 2001. Beginning in 2014, Case, now an investor and philanthropist, led eight bus tours into the US interior, rolling his bright red motorcoach -- packed with investors and guest entrepreneurs like Tory Burch, Mike Bloomberg, and Ted Leonsis -- into cities like Detroit, Boise, Chattanooga, and Omaha. He did it to promote a trend he calls "the Rise of the Rest," which he says will see the coastal dominance of tech unicorns broken by a crop of big startups from the US heartland. Case logged 11,000 miles on his bus trip, until the pandemic put a stop to it, visiting 43 cities. In each one, he met with local leaders and investors, toured local enterprises, and held a Shark Tank-style pitch contest, sinking $100,000 into the most promising startup. Case's own venture company, Revolution, also started a $150 million investment fund in 2017 to seed regional startups. It did a second fund in 2019. The experience solidified his hunch that within the next 10 years, the biggest tech companies would come not from Silicon Valley, or even New York or Seattle, but from the boondocks. Innovation, he believes, is alive and well in the sticks. Case has a new book, Rise of the Rest, documenting his passion for fostering US innovation between the coasts. |
| State board wants lawmakers to drop nursing loan program, create stipend instead | |
| A state education board wants lawmakers to take a different approach to financial aid programs intended to tackle Mississippi's growing nursing shortage. Earlier this year, lawmakers created the Nursing and Respiratory Therapy Education Incentive Program, which would provide nurses with money for college if they agree to work in Mississippi for five years after they graduate. If a nurse reneged on the deal, they'd have to pay the money back with interest. This forgivable loan program would create more student debt in Mississippi and likely do little to address the nursing shortage, Mississippi Today reported earlier this year. It's not yet up and running because it was too complicated for the Office of Student Financial Aid to implement this year. Now the program may never get off the ground. Members of the Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board on Wednesday unanimously voted to ask lawmakers to roll back the forgivable loan program and replace it with a stipend that would be awarded at the end of each year a nurse works in Mississippi. Nurses could use the funds to pay off federal student loans. The move reflects a shifting policy debate over Mississippi's use of student loans to address labor shortages as well as the board's desire to reduce the administrative burden on the seven-person office that would implement the program. |
| Diverse essay collection commemorates Meredith's 1962 enrollment | |
| The University of Mississippi, along with Yoknapatawpha Press, has released an anthology of essays chronicling James Meredith's 1962 enrollment. "James Meredith: Breaking the Barrier" serves as the commemorative text for the 60th anniversary of the university's integration. In the collection, 10 university students, journalists, historians and eyewitnesses tell the story of Meredith's turbulent but successful path to becoming the first African American to graduate from the state's flagship university. The book stemmed from the work of a planning committee and was proposed by Kathleen Wickham, UM professor of journalism, who served as its editor. "The book provides a diverse and distinct group of voices and a unique perspective on the events surrounding James Meredith's enrollment at the University of Mississippi," Wickham said. "We wanted to tell a narrative that told the whole story, but using different voices." The 160-page book features more than 50 images. It is available for $15 at the campus bookstore and will be sold at two upcoming campus events: "The Mission Continues: Building Upon the Legacy," the university's signature event honoring James Meredith, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts; and "Meredith & the Media: The Legacy of a Riot," a panel discussion at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics, 5:30 p.m. Sept. 27. |
| Dobbs takes helm at Population Health | |
 | Effective August 1st, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, former state health officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health, now serves as the new Dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health (SOPH). Dr. Dobbs is the third person to lead SOPH, which was established in 2016 under founding dean Dr. Bettina Beech, becoming only the third school of population health in the country. Dr. Dobbs has spent most of his career as a public health servant. However, a career in medicine was not his first choice. As an applied physics major at Emory University, Dr. Dobbs had plans of becoming a theoretical physicist. "A summer spent at the university's hospital, where he learned that working in health care is a marriage of science, service and humanities, brought a change of heart to the Alabama native," a release from UMMC said. "It seemed like the right thing," Dr. Dobbs said. "I was plenty smart, but I was never gonna win a Nobel Prize." Dr. Scott Rodgers, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, said Dobbs brings a wealth of experience to the role. Rodgers said that the new Dean isn't afraid of hard work and possesses a high level of compassion and grit that enabled him to succeed in his role for the state. Dobbs has established a few short-term goals: to grow enrollment, which stands at 58 students and to provide what he calls a "population-based mentality" and educational curriculum to other schools at UMMC. |
| Right-Wing Posts Target Trans Health Clinic at Vanderbilt | |
 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Clinic for Transgender Health is the latest trans health-care provider to be targeted by right-wing activists. On Monday night, Matt Walsh, a conservative pundit and contributor to The Daily Wire, released the results of what he called an "investigation" into the clinic to his over one million Twitter followers. Among other things, the Twitter thread asserts that VUMC established the clinic in 2018 because gender-affirming surgeries were highly profitable, that the center threatened "consequences" for staff who declined to provide gender-affirming care and that it "enforced compliance" by parents who might be hesitant to consent to care for their minor children. In a statement issued yesterday morning, Vanderbilt University Medical Center said Walsh's social media posts "misrepresent facts about the care the Medical Center provides to transgender patients." "VUMC began its Transgender Health Clinic because transgender individuals are a high-risk population for mental and physical health issues and have been consistently underserved by the U.S. health system," the statement read. "We have been and will continue to be committed to providing family-centered care to all adolescents in compliance with state law and in line with professional practice standards and guidance." Members of the Vanderbilt clinic’s staff contacted by Inside Higher Ed declined to comment, as did a VUMC spokesperson. |
| U. of Missouri to formally add journalists as exempt from college-mandated reporting | |
 | The Office of Institutional Equity at the University of Missouri has formally included journalists on the list of those who can protect the confidentiality of sexual assault survivors in the Title IX process. University officials have not considered journalists to be mandated reporters, said Andy Hayes, assistant vice chancellor and Title IX administrator for the Office of Institutional Equity. But that was never listed in the exceptions included for Title IX reporting, until last week. Being a mandated reporter means that a university employee must report knowledge of a potential Title IX violation. The university's Title IX website now formally assures survivors of sexual assault and others protected by Title IX that they can talk with journalists in campus outlets without automatically being reported. This leaves that decision to the survivor. Current university news operations include the Columbia Missourian, Vox Magazine, KBIA, KOMU and Missouri Business Alert. The UM System's Title IX website now lists journalists as exceptions to mandated reporting requirements along with health care providers, counselors, lawyers and their associated staff. Hayes said journalists were told in 2020 about the policy. Explicitly writing that journalists are exempt from the mandated reporting policy is necessary, said Lindsie Rank, student press counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. "An unwritten policy that nobody knows about isn't very effective," Rank said. |
| 'Just Despicable': Michigan State Professors Oppose Attempt to Oust President | |
 | Campus support for Michigan State University's embattled president has swelled over the past 10 days, including nearly 100 prominent faculty members who signaled their "wholehearted support" for Samuel L. Stanley Jr. in a public letter this week. The faculty letter responded to an apparent attempt by several Michigan State trustees to oust Stanley, who has been president since 2019. Other faculty and student groups have also demanded transparency from the board after the Detroit Free Press, citing an anonymous source, reported that the trustees had delivered an ultimatum to Stanley: resign within a few days or be fired. "The anonymous attempt to undermine the sitting president is just despicable," said Raymond L. Brock, a professor of physics and a co-author of the faculty letter, along with two other professors, Felicia Wu and Victor DiRita. "The excuses appeared to be pretty flimsy and contrived, and the reputation hit we're going to get is going to discourage faculty from coming to MSU." Brock described the letter as "a spontaneous and heartfelt effort to try and set the record straight about this." He added: "We wanted to be sure Stanley knew he had our support." The professors' statement highlights a longstanding division between the campus community and Michigan State board members, who are elected by statewide vote. |
| UVA Students Demand Transparency After Noose Is Found on Campus | |
| It was 7:02 a.m. on September 8 when Terrell Pittman, a second-year student at the University of Virginia, received an email with the subject line "Community Alert -- Hate Crime." But even before he checked his inbox that morning, Pittman's phone was blowing up with messages from classmates: A noose hung around the neck of the university's famous statue of Homer. "My mind was everywhere," Pittman said. "I couldn't focus, wondering what I should do, what Black students should do, what the university would do." The university, in some students' view, did not act with the urgency the incident warranted, and has not been forthcoming with details about the case. So Pittman, who leads the Black Student Alliance's political-action committee, and other Black students took to the Lawn -- a focal point of the campus -- in protest. Wednesday marked the third day of demonstrations about the incident on the campus -- one that has strong memories of the 2017 Unite the Right rally, when white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, carried torches across the UVA campus, and clashed with the police. One white supremacist rammed a car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one and injuring dozens of others. For Black students, the appearance of the noose this month represents the history of lynchings that killed thousands of Black people in the United States. For Pittman it evoked memories of a more recent incident. On August 19 the building that houses the Office of African American Affairs was vandalized. In a statement, university officials said the vandalism had not been racially motivated. |
| Emory set to launch national HIV self-testing program | |
| Emory will lead an effort to deliver 1 million rapid HIV self-tests to communities heavily affected by HIV. The goal of the project is to increase awareness and diagnoses of HIV infections in the United States. The Emory led program -- Together TakeMeHome (TTMH) -- is being funded by a $8.3 million Centers for Disease Control and Prevention award in its first year. The total amount of the CDC award is up to $41.5 million over five years. "Testing is a critical entry point for HIV prevention and treatment services, especially for people most affected by HIV," Dr. Travis Sanchez, professor at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and executive director for the program, said in a press release. "Together TakeMeHome leverages proven HIV prevention strategies by allowing people to get tests delivered directly to their doorsteps and gives people who otherwise might not have tested an opportunity to know their status." TTMH will start mailing tests through orders processed by Amazon to people who sign up on its website in early 2023. The program will be evaluated through data collected from order information, surveys, and interviews, to see who uses the tests, how many new diagnoses were made and how many people began HIV treatment or PrEP, the drug used to prevent HIV. |
| USAID Announces $30 Million to U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for New Research Partnership | |
| On Wednesday, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new $30 million award under Feed the Future, the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative, to the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Soybean Value Chain Research led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The announcement was made during an event at which Members of Congress and key partners across the development community celebrated the essential role of research and innovation in ending global hunger. These critical investments continue to redefine what is possible in the global fight to end hunger and poverty and are increasingly important in responding to the shocks driven by COVID-19, climate change, and the current global food security crisis. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Soybean Value Chain Research award provides researchers, agricultural extensionists, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and smallholder farmers with critical information and technology to advance soybean development in sub-Saharan Africa. This award builds on the University of Illinois's previous leadership of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Soybean, etc. The 21 Feed the Future Innovation Labs, led by U.S. universities and funded by USAID, work on food security and nutrition challenges in our partner countries with local researchers and institutions. |
| House backs bill to let people with spousal student loans split the debt | |
| The House passed a bill Wednesday to let couples who combined their student loans while married to separate the debt, sending the measure to President Biden and bringing some borrowers closer to becoming eligible for debt relief. In the 16 years since Congress ended spousal consolidations, borrowers have been fighting for a way to sever their loans. The short-lived federal program made couples legally liable for each other's education debt in exchange for a single payment and a lower interest rate. But that made it impossible to sever the debt, even in the face of domestic violence or divorce. It also trapped hundreds of people in loans that are ineligible for debt relief initiatives, including Biden's recent loan cancellation plan. The 232-193 vote Wednesday arrives three months after the Senate passed the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, introduced by Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Rep. David E. Price (D-N.C.). House Republicans raised objections to giving the Education Department more authority over federal loans that are owned by private entities, as the bill would turn the debt into separate direct loans held by the federal agency. They also argued that the Senate bill did not protect both borrowers and could take more than a year to implement. Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.), the top Republican on the House Education Committee, enumerated her concerns with the bill on the House floor Tuesday, calling it "well-intentioned" but "flawed." |
| Bill Would Make Colleges Pay for Defaults | |
| U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, wants universities to pay for student loans in default and the Congress to make other changes to the Higher Education Act of 1965 as part of a new bill introduced Wednesday. Under the Make the Universities Pay Act, a university would have to pay 50 percent of its students' loan balances in default. The colleges and universities also would be barred from raising tuition to cover this expense, "unless there is an equivalent percentage decrease in administrative expenses at the institution." The six-page bill also would allow student loan debt to be discharged in bankruptcy and require higher education institutions to report mean and median earnings of graduates and loan default rates, disaggregated by degree or program. The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard already has much of that information. The bill's introduction comes nearly a month after President Biden announced a plan to forgive up to $10,000 in student loans for borrowers currently making less than $125,000. Hawley's office in a news release said the plan usurps Congress's authority and lacks what the senator says are "much-needed reforms." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State volleyball opens up SEC schedule with four-set win over Georgia | |
| Mississippi State volleyball had just taken a timeout up 13-12 over Georgia in the fourth set of Wednesday night's match, MSU's Southeastern Conference opener. After being down 11-7 earlier on, Georgia went on a 5-2 run to cut the lead to just one as momentum looked to swing in its favor. MSU had a 2-1 set lead at that point in the match, and a set loss would take it to a crucial fifth-set tiebreaker. However, Lauren Myrick had other ideas, rattling off two straight kills right after the timeout as Mississippi State went on a 7-0 run out of the break and ended the set and match on a 12-3 run, starting out SEC play with a four-set victory over Georgia. Set scores were 25-14, 20-25, 25-15 and 25-15. "I think serve-receive was what got us back in the game in that set," Myrick said. "We struggled a little bit in the beginning, but once it evened out, it started going our way." Everything went MSU's way in the first set, coming out of the gates hitting a blistering .667 with 19 kills and just one attack error. "The theme for today was figuring out who we are and I think it was a great opportunity to start SEC play with figuring out that identity and setting the tone on our home court," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "I was really proud about our first contact. I thought it was great. Just overall, they seemed confident, they seemed loose, they were having fun." |
| Mississippi State in bounce-back mode when Bowling Green visits | |
| Mississippi State looks to bounce back from its 31-16 loss at LSU in which it surrendered 21 straight points in the fourth quarter when it hosts Bowling Green (1-2) on Saturday, noon ET (SEC Network). Bowling Green seeks to follow up its 34-31 overtime win over Marshall, which upset then-No. 8 Notre Dame the previous week. Bowling Green QB Matt McDonald vs. Mississippi State QB Will Rogers. They're obviously not going head to head, but the game figures to be a passing contest with both tied for fourth nationally with 10 touchdowns each. McDonald has tossed at least four TDs in two straight games, including a career-best five against Eastern Kentucky in a 59-57 seven-overtime loss. Rogers leads the nation with nearly 34 completions per game and is sixth with almost 326 yards per game. He seeks to rebound from a 214-yard outing at LSU that marked his lowest total since his freshman season. Bowling Green is facing a SEC opponent in consecutive seasons for the first time since playing Florida and Mississippi State in 2012-13. ... BGSU is 4-9 against the SEC. ... MSU managed just 289 yards against LSU, 214 passing. ... Bulldogs WR Austin Williams has played in a school-record 53 games and is tied for sixth all-time with 14 TD catches. ... MSU will honor Frank Dowsing Jr. and Robert Bell as its first African-American varsity players on the 50th anniversary of when they last dressed for the Bulldogs. |
| Bulldog grab bag: Drops plague Mississippi State in loss at LSU | |
| To Steve Spurrier Jr., you're only as good as your last game. That's why Mississippi State's outside receivers coach noted Rara Thomas' two drops Saturday at LSU along with a touchdown catch Spurrier called "elite" and three other big grabs. For MSU to achieve the consistency it seeks, the Bulldogs must eliminate mistakes like Thomas' -- and their other three drops Saturday. "That's what we've got to do," Spurrier said. "We're a good team, and we play a lot of good teams, and if we're going to beat teams, we have to be consistently good. We have to be." Speaking to media Wednesday, Spurrier referenced a costly Mississippi State drop on third-and-2 -- and he could have been describing two completely different plays. Rufus Harvey dropped a pass in that situation right before halftime in Baton Rouge, and Thomas dropped a third-and-2 toss on the Bulldogs' opening drive in the third quarter. Caleb Ducking also had a drop for MSU, totaling three drops in Spurrier's outside unit (Ducking and Thomas) against LSU. "In our offense, when you throw as much as we throw and you throw as many hopefully high-percentage passes, if you don't hit them, you're in trouble," Spurrier said. |
| Some are showing how NIL can do more than just pay athletes | |
| The Daily Journal's Parrish Alford writes: The new day of college athletics isn't all bad. Name, Image and Likeness has changed the games in ways we may not have envisioned at one time. Players are getting paid, and, predictably, some are making really big money. Also, there are some athletes who are not using their platforms for their personal gain only. ... Last week Mississippi State linebacker Jett Johnson, a former Tupelo High School standout, announced a deal through local company Juva Juice that will donate to the Tupelo Police Athletic League. MSU quarterback Will Rogers also has a deal in which Simmons Erosion Control, of Lake, donates to Make-A-Wish Mississippi. ... For Johnson, Juva Juice founder Justin Mitchener reached out with the idea of highlighting play on the field by contributing to a charity of Johnson's choice. Mitchener presented a plan that ties the amount of money donated by the company to Johnson's tackles and big plays. Johnson was quick to name TPAL as his beneficiary. "PAL did a lot for me growing up, so I wanted to give back to them." |
| Full Mississippi State basketball 2022-23 schedule, including CBS game vs. Ole Miss | |
| Chris Jans' first season coaching Mississippi State basketball is approaching. Wednesday, he received some clarity as to what the team's schedule will look like. The SEC released tipoff times and broadcast assignments. All that's left is determining those factors for nonconference play, though the opponents have been finalized. The highlight of the release: Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss on Jan. 7 broadcast on CBS. The Bulldogs will have three conference games across ESPN networks (against Tennessee twice and at Arkansas) and 14 on SEC Network. Mississippi State opens its season Nov. 7 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. MSU has 11 nonconference games including four away from home. MSU hosts TCU on Jan. 28 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. |
| Men's Hoops Faces Akron In Philadelphia | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball will make the trek north to The City of Brotherly Love as the Bulldogs square off with Akron from the Mid-American Conference announced earlier this week by event organizers. The inaugural Barstool Sports Invitational is slated for Friday, November 11 at Wells Fargo Center, home of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. Tip time is on-tap for approximately 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be streamed online only at www.Barstool.tv/live. Toledo and UAB will proceed State's matchup with Akron at 4 p.m. CT. In less than 50 days, Mississippi State will open its 2022-23 campaign and play its first game of the Chris Jans era versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nov. 7), a 2022 NCAA Tournament participant from the Southland Conference, at Humphrey Coliseum. Fans can purchase season tickets through Mississippi State's Athletic Ticket Office starting as low as $155 at www.HailState.com/tickets or by calling (662) 325-2600/(888) 463-2947 (GO DAWGS) for the program's much-anticipated first season under Coach Jans. |
| MSU Sends Two To ITF Second Round | |
| A pair of Mississippi State men's tennis players are moving on to the second round of the main draw at the ITF Fayetteville 15K. Graduate Gregor Ramskogler and true freshman Benito Sanchez Martinez both picked up straight-set wins on Wednesday to advance while representing the Bulldogs. Ramskogler topped Ireland's Osgar O'Hoisin 7-6(1), 6-3 in a morning match while Sanchez Martinez secured a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Finn Bass of Great Britain later that night following an extended heat delay. O'Hoisin was the tournament's No. 5 seed and currently holds a No. 56 ITF singles ranking. Ramskogler meets American Warren Wood to start the second round on Thursday at 9 a.m. while Sanchez Martinez takes on former Florida standout Sam Riffice later in the afternoon. |
| SEC introduces first Opportunity Forum class | |
| The Southeastern Conference on Wednesday introduced its inaugural SEC Opportunity Forum class, fifteen university and conference administrators who will participate in a year-long program designed to connect mid to senior level administrators in the SEC from historically underrepresented groups with industry leaders and assist them with advancement in the profession. "The Southeastern Conference and its member institutions are committed to expanding the diversity of our athletics department leadership," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. "It is important for the Conference and its member institutions to achieve measurable and sustained progress in increasing diversity and representation of historically underrepresented groups in athletics positions, consistent with the overall educational mission." The SEC Opportunity Forum is one result of SEC Bylaw 23, a Conference rule adopted by the SEC Presidents and Chancellors in 2021 to encourage, facilitate and assist member institutions in attracting, hiring and retaining individuals from historically underrepresented groups in the leadership of athletics departments, particularly in the roles of athletics director, head coach, and senior woman administrator (SWA) and in positions that typically lead to those roles. The inaugural SEC Opportunity Forum class of administrators includes Mississippi State: Alvin Franklin, Associate Athletics Director/Development and Team Lead. |
| USM Paid $1.75 Million to Exit C-USA | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi paid $1.75 million to Conference USA as "Consideration Paid to the Conference for Early Withdrawal" according to an agreement document obtained by the USM Student Media Center today. The "Confidential Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release" was signed on March 29 by the presidents of USM, Marshall University and Old Dominion University, the three schools that left C-USA. According to the document, USM had 30 days to pay the settlement from the time the document was approved. The Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning unanimously approved a motion to agree to this settlement on March 31. It was previously reported that the typical Conference USA exit fee was $3 million, but the conference and the universities agreed to settle for a $1.75 million buyout. This was also a penalty for not giving the required 14 months' notice before leaving. Southern Miss was required to pay the fee within 30 calendar days of receiving the notice, which it appears they have done so. Confidentiality was an important aspect of the agreement, as Conference USA made it clear that it did not want the agreement to become public. The Student Media Center and other media organizations requested a copy of the document on or around March 31, but C-USA filed a protective agreement on April 21 to keep the documents confidential. The matter was slated to go to court on Sept. 15 before C-USA changed course, allowing the documents to become public. |
| JSU to improve game day fan experience after heat-related issues | |
| The Jackson State University Department of Athletics has taken steps on Wednesday to improve the fan experience at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. After many fans suffered heat-related illnesses during the JSU versus Grambling football game last Saturday, the athletics department has taken steps to ensure the safety and overall experience for attending fans for the remainder of the season. At Head Coach Deion Sanders' weekly media press conference, Coach Sanders addressed the game day temperatures and access to water on game days following the recent fallout. "Well, first of all, we [JSU] have a gym full of water. So we should never run out of water," Sanders stated. "And the fans should never not have water. Secondly, All these guys aspire to go to the NFL, don't they? What time are NFL games?" Sanders asked the media, implying the games start at 1 p.m. EST. "Why do you think I made them at 1 p.m.? Because I want them to get ready for the NFL. That's how it's gonna be. We did that on purpose," Sanders concluded. |
| The Rise of the 32-Year-Old College -- Yes, College -- Football Player | |
| Tom Brady briefly tried out retirement, but at age 45 he's still a few years away from being able to fully join the AARP. The University of Georgia's soon-to-be 25-year-old quarterback Stetson Bennett IV, on the other hand, is already embedded with the retirement group. Mr. Bennett and some of his linemen are stars of a new AARP commercial in Georgia that warns seniors of fraud. A student quarterback might seem like an odd choice to be a pitchman for retirees, but Mr. Bennett is one of the most popular people in the state after delivering the Bulldogs their first national championship in 41 years last season. He also represents a surprising development in college football: many of the players are a lot older than they used to be. Mr. Bennett, who turns 25 in October, is practically an elder statesman by college football standards. Elsewhere in the top five conferences there are 17 quarterbacks who are at least 23 or will turn that age by the end of the 2022 football season. There's even a 32-year-old punter suiting up for Oklahoma State. College football careers are being stretched from four or five years to as many as eight -- and the primary reason is the pandemic. The NCAA gave all football players who competed in the truncated 2020 season a bonus year of eligibility. On rosters across the country, the most veteran players are creeping up into their mid-20s. |
| Proposed New CFB Calendar Calls to Move Season Earlier, Alter Recruiting Guidelines | |
| A proposal to revamp the 365-day college football calendar calls for leaders to further examine moving up the start of the regular season as well as the bowl season. The proposed calendar, a collaboration of the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame, would also create new dead periods, permit the off-campus recruitment of high school juniors, shift back the early signing date and provide more of a framework around the recruitment of transfers. However, maybe the most significant item is the notion that officials need to "further explore potentially making Week 0 fully permissive," the calendar notes. Under current rules, teams need a waiver to play a game during what's termed "Week 0," the weekend before the official start to the season. In another proposed change, bowl games would be permitted to start the second Saturday in December -- a week earlier than normal. The nine-page calendar is being circulated around athletic departments for feedback and further examination. Sports Illustrated obtained a copy of the document, which is only a draft proposal and has not worked its way through the NCAA legislative approvals process. In fact, there are plenty of hurdles left before the calendar is finalized, most notably a collaboration with officials on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee, who themselves have been working on a separate recruiting calendar. Officials with knowledge of the discussions caution that changes to the 365-day calendar are likely. |
| Charles Barkley for Auburn AD? 'They can't afford me' | |
 | As Auburn Athletics begins the search for its next full-time athletics director, there's one notable name who's declared he won't be in consideration. Asked Monday if he'd throw his hat in the ring for Auburn's AD job, former Tiger basketball legend Charles Barkley joked: "They can't afford me." Both Barkley and Auburn men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl spoke to reporters ahead of the Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Classic on the RTJ Trail at Grand National on Monday, and expressed an appreciation for both former AD Allen Greene and interim AD Rich McGlynn. A "great friend of mine," Barkley said he was disappointed that Greene didn't remain Auburn's AD. "I talked to him quite a bit," Barkley said. "I love the guy. I think he did a fabulous job at Auburn, and he's going to be missed." Pearl agreed that Greene's efforts at Auburn were stand-out, but also spoke at length about McGlynn, someone who "has paid his dues." "Let me just say this: When our players found out that Rich had been elevated to the position that he's in right now, our players reacted really positively," Pearl said. "It had nothing to do with Allen being gone. They loved Allen. But they were happy for Rich. So if the players respond that way, that kind of tells you something about the relationship that he has with everybody, and I think you get to feel that with the donors, too." |
| UK football players file suit against police officer who investigated frat party fight | |
 | Five of the six Kentucky football players charged with burglary last year have filed suit against the Lexington police officer who led the investigation into a fight at an off-campus fraternity party. R.J. Adams, JuTahn McClain, Andru Phillips, Earnest Sanders, Vito Tisdale and Joel Williams were each charged with first-degree burglary in August 2021. Tisdale also was charged with first-degree wanton endangerment. The charges resulted from a fight at an off-campus fraternity party in March 2021. A grand jury declined to indict the players in September 2021. On Wednesday, Adams, McClain, Phillips, Tisdale and Williams filed suits against Lexington police officer Cory Vinlove alleging he "initiated false charges to frame and defame them," according to a news release from the players' attorneys. "This lawsuit is another tragic example of the damage caused by corrupt policing in America," Elliot Slosar, an attorney at Chicago-based civil rights law firm Loevy & Loevy, said in the release. "It is shocking how Officer Cory Vinlove, in spite of objective evidence and the University of Kentucky's thorough investigation, damaged so many lives. As the lawsuits demonstrate, these five young black men were targeted by a white officer with an axe to grind and determined to make a name for himself." Student conduct records obtained by the Herald-Leader showed alcohol and racial slurs "played a significant role" in the escalation of the altercation at the party near UK's campus. |
| Kentucky A.D. Mitch Barnhart says 'rosters flipping so rapidly' is a factor in SEC's future football scheduling formats with OU, Texas | |
| University of Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart, one of college athletics most respected statesmen and currently the longest-tenured A.D. in the rugged Southeastern Conference, provided some insight during this week's Big Blue Nation radio show as to SEC discussions on future football scheduling models once both Oklahoma and Texas join the league. Visiting with host Darren Headrick, a former award-winning minor league baseball broadcaster who handles Wildcats' baseball, women's basketball and other duties, Barnhart peeled back the curtain about on the SEC's meetings for working toward a new football model -- and potential schedule-format adjustments for all SEC sports. "Every sport that the SEC sponsors had a group of people on the committee, both athletic directors or SWAs and we worked with the conference office to sit here and say as we transition into this new-looking league in 2025, which is where right now it sits, they (Oklahoma, Texas) will join July 1, 2025, what does that look like?," Barnhart said. "Is it nine games in football, is it eight games in football? Is it 20 games in basketball? Is it 18 in women's basketball? Is it still 30 in baseball or do we drop it down and make it 24? How do we do that differently? Is it 24 in softball?" |
| Student arrested for allegedly making nuclear threat unless Utes won | |
| A University of Utah student who police say threatened to detonate a nuclear reactor if the Utes' football team didn't win on Saturday has been arrested. The 21-year-old woman was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of making a threat of terrorism. On Saturday, the University of Utah football team hosted San Diego State at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The woman "posted threats of violence" on the Yik Yak app before the game, stating that "if the football team did not win the game, (she) was going to detonate the nuclear reactor that is located in the University of Utah causing a mass destruction," according to a police booking affidavit. Police note in their affidavit that the student does have knowledge of the nuclear reactor and "is aware of where the reactor is located and attends class in the same building where the reactor is housed." The arrest comes just a few weeks after a 19-year-old U. student was arrested for investigation of the same crime after he also allegedly used the Yik Yak app to make a bomb threat directed at the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building. When that student was arrested he said the alleged threats were a joke and that he had no intention of carrying out the threat. |
| UMass to hold Pride Day when Liberty football visits | |
| The University of Massachusetts is planning to hold a Pride Day on the same day that the Minutemen host evangelical Liberty in a football game. The school made the "special announcement" Sunday on Twitter in a 37-second video featuring techno music and a uniformed player standing in a room lit by rainbow colors associated with the LGBTQ community. It ends showing how to get tickets for the Oct. 8 game. Liberty, which started as a Baptist college under founder Jerry Falwell in 1971, has evolved into a conservative, evangelical university in Lynchburg, Virginia, that places restrictions on its students' behavior, including monitoring behaviors in its male- and female-only residence halls. They include sanctions for use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, dress code violations and failure to comply with its Entertainment Guidelines and Statement of Sexuality and Relationships. The latter prohibits, among other things, romantic displays of affection with a member of the same sex such as hand-holding, kissing and dating. The school has about 130,000, the vast majority of whom are online. |
| Women fueling flag football's surging popularity: 'It's accessible and inclusive' | |
 | At a sinewy 5-foot-3, Andrea Castillo looks like a soccer player -- something she once was growing up in Panama. But it didn't take long to realize that "the beautiful game" wasn't for her. She was 12, just entering secondary school, when she gave up fútbol for the fledging sport of flag football. It proved to be a good move for the now 18-year-old, who this summer quarterbacked Panama to a bronze medal in the World Games in Birmingham, Ala. "I think a lot about that," she said of the decision to quit one of her country's most popular sports for one that had little more than a cult following. "I've been growing with flag football. ... I have had the opportunity to be in all these events and have all these achievements at a young age." The sport has blossomed almost as quickly as Castillo's career. And while the global appeal of the National Football League has helped fuel flag football's rise in Panama and elsewhere, about the only thing the two sports share is the shape of the ball. Flag football is typically played with five people on a side on a field about two-thirds the size of an NFL gridiron, which makes for a wide-open game played at a breakneck pace. That also makes speed, agility and creativity more important than size or brute strength, a reason women and girls are flocking to the game in huge numbers. At the college level, 18 National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics schools in 10 states are playing women's flag football this season, as are a handful of schools at the National Junior College Athletic Assn. level. With more than half a million participants and 1,640 active leagues, according to the NFL, flag football is among the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. |
| LIV Golf may need a mulligan on Capitol Hill | |
 | Golf legend Greg Norman left the Capitol on Wednesday touting his meeting with Republicans as a smooth drive down the fairway, even though, for many GOP lawmakers, he hit immediately into the rough. Norman blitzed Capitol Hill this week in a blatant effort to repair the Saudi-bankrolled LIV Golf series' reputation as it faces withering criticism from human-rights activists, 9/11 families and lawmakers from both parties for its ties to the Saudi royal family. That LIV's 67-year-old Australian CEO even felt the need to meet with members of Congress underscores the public-relations toll already taken by allegations of improper foreign influence. Flanked by his lobbyist, former Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.), Norman did not deviate from his months-long messaging strategy: his insistence that LIV is all about "growing the game of golf." That pitch hasn't stuck, even on the GOP side of the aisle despite former President Donald Trump's partnership with the new series. "It was basically propaganda. They're just pushing their deal, and I don't care," said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who exited the room early as Norman met with the Republican Study Committee, the House GOP's largest caucus. "Honestly, this shouldn't be taking up our time. This is a conservative organization, and we ought to be dealing with what we've got to deal with in our country, not worried about a bunch of Saudis, a bunch of billionaire oil people. So I'm out." |
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