| Thursday, October 13, 2022 |
| University, company partnerships provide millions in impact | |
 | When Sod Solutions, a turfgrass company needed a new variety of Bermuda grass to take to market, it partnered with Mississippi State University. Eight years later, the company and university jointly announced the release of the new product. That collaboration is one of hundreds the university has undertaken in recent years. Since MSU was founded, the university has worked with private and public sector organizations to research and develop new technologies and products, Director of Technology Management Jeremy Clay said. "MSU is always open to supporting industry and helping businesses," Clay said. "It's not unusual for industries, whether a turf company like Sod Solutions or other companies coming to the university, needing help with the problem. And our job is to help solve these problems." MSU Executive Director of Research Initiatives and Innovation Katie Echols told The Dispatch that in the last five years, the university has engaged in 4,013 active projects to research and develop technologies and products for both private and public sector organizations. Private for-profit organizations sponsored approximately 11 percent, or roughly 440 projects. "(The projects) can be anything from feed, fertilizers, chemicals, machining, wood and paper products, animal health, genetics, biomedical, etc.," Echols said. "We also have relationships with companies working in the following sectors: energy, communication, advanced manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, etc." |
| Wayne-Sanderson Farms donates $1 million to Mississippi State poultry research feed mill | |
 | On Wednesday, Wayne-Sanderson Farms announced a second donation of $500,000 toward construction of Mississippi State University's (MSU) new poultry feed mill, bringing the company's total contribution to the facility to $1 million. "The new feed mill is part of a department-wide facility expansion and upgrade campaign underwritten by university funds and donations from Wayne-Sanderson Farms and other industry leaders," a release form Wayne-Sanderson Farms said. "Recent modernizations as part of the overall upgrade to the poultry research unit include renovated poultry houses, research labs and an automated processing plant to support the school's vertically-integrated "farm to processing" poultry science program format." Clint Rivers, Wayne-Sanderson Farms President and CEO, said they are proud to continue their support as Mississippi State gets that much closer to reaching their goal. "Every aspect of the poultry business, from educational leadership to scientific research, is positively impacted by the MSU program, and we're glad to do our part," Rivers continued. Scott Willard, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said they are appreciative to Wayne-Sanderson Farms for their continued support of poultry teaching, research and service at Mississippi State. |
| Goings on with Grant: Planet Fitness locating in old Gordmans site in Starkville | |
| Get ready to pump some iron, folks. Planet Fitness is coming to Starkville in the old Gordmans building at 844 Hwy 12. W. Gordmans came to the Starkville location in March 2020 but announced the store would close in December after its parent company, Stage Stores Inc., filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. District Manager for the southern region, Jessica Allen, told me Planet Fitness will provide more updates as it moves closer to an undisclosed opening date. "We are certainly coming to the great city of Starkville," Allen said. A new women's fashion boutique is also opening this weekend in Starkville. Milk and Honey will open Saturday at 213 E. Main St., next to the Starkville Cafe. Owner Mallery England told me she started Milk and Honey as a website earlier this year and ran it for six months before deciding to move back to Starkville to open a physical location, and raise her son Holston. "We just decided that we wanted to move back to Starkville and settle down," England said. "This was where we wanted to raise our little boy. So I closed the website and started looking at buildings." She said she wants the store to be a place where women have a place to shop for their favorite clothes without feeling judged. |
| 4-County's FASTnet installation going faster than planned | |
| Installation of fiber broadband services in rural areas of nine counties, including Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee, is running a year ahead of schedule. 4-County Electric Power Association CEO Brian Clark provided updates Tuesday on its FASTnet broadband service to the Rotary Club of Columbus at Lion Hills Center. Clark told attendees the company is now working on its mainline fiber buildout in Oktibbeha County near Sturgis, with Ackerman and Weir in Choctaw County next. The electric-co-op is also nearly finished in portions of southern Noxubee and northern Clay counties. "We have a great team," Clark said. "I think what sets us apart from our competitors is you can call any of us; you can call me you or any of the other employees that are all local. They speak our language, and they understand the community." 4-County began installing fiber optic cable to provide Wi-Fi services to its customers in 2020 and received $41 million in state and federal funds for the project. In just two years, 4-County has installed more than 2,800 miles of fiber optic cable for 7,029 customers in its service area. However, Clark notes installation of the cable from the road to homes will take additional time before it's complete. |
| Life, work of Walter Anderson to highlight Hazard series | |
| In its 31st year, the Hazard Lecture Series presented by Heritage Academy is continuing its original theme of exploration with three subcategories: the voyage of the mind, the voyage from the past and the voyage of the artist. This year's theme will focus on the artist as Starkville native Mattie Codling, director of collections and exhibitions at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs, speaks about the great Southern artist and museum namesake. The series began in 1992 and was established by the family of the late George Hazard Sr. His son, George Hazard Jr. who is director for the Hazard Lecture Series, said after two years of livestreamed programs, the event will return in person to hear from Codling. "... It is a pleasure for the lecture series this year to welcome an in-person audience," Hazard Jr. said. "And we will be presenting something worth seeing in person. Walter Anderson's work is approachable, imaginative and colorful. Codling will bring us an excellent visual sampling of (Anderson's) skill and variety from the best possible source, the Walter Anderson Museum right here in Mississippi. She will also discuss his artistic growth and offer us a look at the artist's life." The lecture is free and will begin at 7 p.m. Monday in the Heritage Elementary student activity building. |
| Nissan reaches Canton milestone | |
 | Nissan celebrated production of its five millionth vehicle at its assembly plant in Canton last week. The vehicle, a 2023 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab PRO-4X in Nissan's Cardinal Red TriCoat, rolled off the line at the Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant on Tuesday morning Oct. 4. "This week, the Canton team celebrated a major milestone for our plant, demonstrating how far we've come since establishing vehicle manufacturing in Mississippi," said David Sliger, vice president, Manufacturing, Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant. Marleen Yowakim, Corporate Communications for Nissan Group of North America, said this milestone represents nearly 20 years of Nissan manufacturing in Mississippi. Though the truck that rolled off the line was not an electric vehicle, she says this milestone "paves the path for electric vehicle production." Electric vehicle production is part of the company's long-term vision they have dubbed Nissan Ambition 2030. "The power of Nissan Canton is rooted in its employees, who will take us to new heights -- continuing to drive the EV revolution for our company," Sliger said. For nearly two decades, employees at Nissan Canton have assembled high-quality, award-winning vehicles, Yowakim said. The plant's opening in 2003 brought automotive manufacturing to Mississippi for the first time and has since contributed to the state's economic development. |
| Gov. Reeves unveils $8.8M RESTORE Dock in Port Bienville Industrial Park | |
| Governor Tate Reeves unveiled a new maritime dock and railroad facility in Port Bienville Industrial Park Wednesday afternoon, also known as the RESTORE Dock. The $8.8 million project includes a 600-foot bulkhead with a 40-foot apron that can accommodate three barges for loading and unloading, as well as a 250-foot crushed stone laydown yard for operations and storage. Other additions to the project include two Port Bienville Shortline Railroad track extensions and improved access roads. "The RESTORE Dock is another valuable addition to Hancock County's infrastructure," said Reeves. "It will help strengthen our state's supply chains and lead to more economic opportunities for Mississippians. I'm grateful for the hard work of all our partners in bringing this important project to completion." Reeves was joined by U.S. Congressman Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., local officials, and industry representatives during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new 35 facility, which is the HCPHC's fifth public dock, will be used to move about 480,000 tons of material across Port Bienville's public and private docks each year. |
| Tickets on sale Friday for Marty Stuart's Congress of Country Music season | |
| Tickets go on sale Friday for the inaugural season at Marty Stuart's Congress of Country Music in the renovated Ellis Theater downtown. The season kicks off on Dec. 8 and will include performances by Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, the Gaither Vocal Band, Old Crow Medicine Show and North Mississippi Allstars. The tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. at congressofcountrymusic.org. Ellis Theater Executive Director Dan Barnard said interest in the inaugural season has been overwhelming. "Donor pre-sales of season tickets have wiped out all the season-ticket eligible seating with interest from as far away as Wisconsin," Barnard said. "However, there are still seats available for every show. In addition, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, and Ricky Skaggs will each be doing two performances, so there are prime seats available for those added shows." Tickets will be available on the website or by calling the Ellis Theater box office at (601) 653-5358. Ticket prices vary and can be found under the "Shows" tab on the website. The season has multiple local sponsors, including The Thomasson Company, the city of Philadelphia, The Citizens Bank, Steve and Jenny Lynn Wilkerson, Brenda and David Vowell, Tim Moore, Kademi, Chalmers Law, Yates Construction, Pearl River Resort, and Pamela Lovern Realty |
| Increased security results in 'the most peaceful fair we've ever had' | |
| Getting into the Mississippi State Fair has been fairly easy in the past -- but now, with more security on-site, everyone is having to take a few extra steps. "We've had so far the most peaceful fair we've ever had at the state fairgrounds." Commissioner Andy Gipson said. After the devastating events at the Mudbug Festival just 5 months ago, Gipson says it's his goal to make sure something like that never happens again. So far, with more security on the fairgrounds than ever before, it doesn't look like it will. "Every time you turn around you see a law enforcement officer, whether they're in a zone, whether they're on a golf cart, whether they're in the parking lot, whether they're at the gate, you just you feel like you're protected here," Capitol Police Chief Bo Luckey. 10 law enforcement agencies patrol the fairgrounds during operating hours. A private security group is also stationed at all 7 entrances with metal detectors. "I've noticed that more families of every background up and down the Midway, they're bringing kids out here. This is one example this is how this whole city can be taken back. Working together pulling the same direction," Gipson said. |
| Social Security benefits to jump by 8.7% next year | |
 | Millions of Social Security recipients will get an 8.7% boost in their benefits in 2023. That's a historic increase and welcome news for American retirees and others -- but it's tempered by the fact that it's fueled by record high inflation that's raised the cost of everyday living. The cost-of living adjustment means the average recipient will receive more than $140 extra a month beginning in January, according to estimates released Thursday by the Social Security Administration. The boost in benefits. the biggest in 40 years, will be coupled with a 3% drop in Medicare Part B premiums, meaning retirees will get the full impact of the jump in Social Security benefits. "This year's substantial Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is the first time in over a decade that Medicare premiums are not rising and shows that we can provide more support to older Americans who count on the benefits they have earned," said Social Security Administration's Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakaz. About 70 million people -- including retirees, disabled people and children -- receive Social Security benefits. This will be the biggest increase in benefits that baby boomers, those born between the years 1946 and 1964, have ever seen. |
| Inflation Sits at 8.2% as Core Prices Hit Four-Decade High | |
 | U.S. consumer inflation excluding energy and food accelerated to a new four-decade high in September as prices continued to surge, a sign that persistent cost increases are becoming entrenched in the economy. The Labor Department on Thursday said that the so-called core measure of the consumer price index -- which excludes volatile energy and food prices -- gained 6.6% in September from a year earlier, up from 6.3% in August. That marked the biggest increase since August 1982. On a monthly basis, the core CPI rose 0.6% in September, the same as in August, and up from 0.3% in July. Investors and policy makers follow core inflation closely as a reflection of broad, underlying inflation and as a predictor of future inflation. The overall CPI increased 8.2% in September from the same month a year ago, down from 8.3% in August. That was also lower than annual increases of 8.5% in July and 9.1% in June, which was the highest inflation rate in four decades. The CPI measures what consumers pay for goods and services. The retreat of overall inflation from the June high came as gasoline prices cooled. But prices for housing, medical care, food and other items have continued to increase, threatening to keep inflation higher for longer. Prices for used cars and apparel cooled in September, offering limited relief to consumers from high inflation. |
| Mississippi representatives attempting to ban kratom again next year | |
 | House members for the second consecutive year appear on track to pass legislation that would make kratom, a green powdered herbal supplement, illegal in Mississippi. House Drug Policy Committee Chairman Lee Yancey, R-Brandon, told the Daily Journal that he's planning to advance legislation to ban the supplement, but he also wants the Capitol's other legislative chamber, the Senate, to support him. "I have asked the Mississippi Medical Association to work on the Senate," Yancey said. "I would love to see it come out of the Senate. The House has expressed our preference." Yancey during the 2022 session authored legislation banning the product which remains largely unregulated in Mississippi. The House approved the bill 81-30, but it died in the Senate. Kratom derives from the leaves of a Southeast Asian tree and is currently legal under federal law and Mississippi state law. Members of the House Drug Policy Committee on Monday heard from both physicians who want the product banned and industry insiders who think the supplement provides pain relief to people. Dr. Randy Easterling, a former Mississippi State Medical Association president, told lawmakers that he has not seen sufficient data to show that kratom is a safe product for managing pain. "Of all the studies that have been done, the risk of using kratom far outweighs the benefits," Easterling said. |
| UMMC, BCBS mediation suspended indefinitely. The dispute may soon become Legislature's problem. | |
| The dispute between the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCSB) of Mississippi appears to have no end in sight. The two multi-billion dollar entities are at a stalemate over reimbursement rates, a matter that has overflowed into name calling, pricy public relations campaigns, and even a defamation lawsuit filed by BCBS against leaders at UMMC. In April, UMMC and BCBS agreed to a mediation process at the urging of Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney. State law prohibits Chaney from directly mediating or helping resolve the dispute. However, five months in, Commissioner Chaney told Y'all Politics on Wednesday that he has suspended the mediation indefinitely. "On Friday, October 7, 2022, I suspended meditation indefinitely between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi Medical Center because no progress has been reported to my office in the last six weeks," Chaney said. The Insurance Commissioner also expressed his frustration and disappointment with the two, noting the impact it is having on Mississippians. Barring a resolution to this issue by year's end, lawmakers could find themselves in the position of wading into this matter when the Mississippi Legislature returns in January. House and Senate committees on public health, insurance, Medicaid, and colleges/universities may be the forums where the dispute ultimately plays out. |
| State representative says simple possession marijuana pardons will help Mississippi's economy | |
 | President Joe Biden pardoned thousands convicted of marijuana possession under federal law. "People are convicted for marijuana possession who may be denied employment, housing or educational opportunities as a result of that conviction," Biden said. State Rep. Jeffrey Hullum III believes the president's latest move will have a huge economic impact in Mississippi. "We must reduce the prison population for low-level, non-violent offenders to increase our tax base," Hullum said. "That will increase our tax base, grow our state, and move our state forward." The pardons will clear everyone convicted on federal charges of simple possession since it became a crime in the 1970s. "I feel like that would be a really great relief for people being accused of maybe a gram of weed and being in jail," said Savannah Nguyen. It's just unreasonable." President Biden is urging governors to follow his lead for people convicted on state charges of simple possession. "You reduce the prison population and put more taxpayers back at work for non-violent offenses," Hullum added. |
| Mississippi medical marijuana regulation 'stuck in constipation mode' | |
| Dozens of licensed cultivators have about 80,000 marijuana plants growing. Around 1,100 patients have signed up for medical marijuana, and 96 doctors or nurse practitioners are working to certify them. Small growers are complaining a large one has been allowed to skirt the rules. But the Mississippi State Department of Health has zero investigators -- and only three staffers -- overseeing Mississippi's new medical marijuana program. So far only one testing facility has been licensed and is only partially ready to test products. Plus, the health department's program director still has another job -- running the department's Office Against Interpersonal Violence. Health Department officials told the Board of Health on Wednesday that the agency is in a four-month "provisional" period with licensed marijuana businesses. As it finds problems or violations, it's typically just issuing "corrective actions," giving marijuana businesses a chance to straighten up without hitting them with fines or sanctions or calling in law enforcement. The Health Department in a meeting with its board Wednesday pledged transparency in its oversight of medical marijuana, shortly before going into a closed door session to brief the board on specific active marijuana program investigations. During its public meeting, some board members' questions were deferred to the upcoming executive session. |
| 4th Dist. candidate Ezell speaks to Jones GOP women Wednesday | |
 | On Wednesday, the Republican nominee for Mississippi's 4th Congressional District seat spoke in Jones County. Mike Ezell spoke to a meeting of Jones County Republican Women at the Laurel Country Club. Ezell addressed the economy, border security and crime. He said he's working hard to get out the vote in November. "We're not taking anything for granted," Ezell said. "We're going to keep working every day, asking you for your vote every day. It's hard work. That's how we've gotten here so far, and we're going to keep on working." Ezell will face Democratic nominee, former Hattiesburg mayor, Johnny Dupree, and Libertarian candidate Alden Patrick Johnson in the November 8 general election. |
| Rep. Bennie Thompson deals with 'suspicious' mail as he prepares for another high-profile Jan. 6 hearing | |
| A suspicious package was delivered to the Washington office of Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson as he prepares to lead another hearing investigating efforts of former President Donald Trump and his supporters to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election. What is being called the last Jan. 6 Committee hearing before the November midterm elections is scheduled to begin at noon on Thursday. It is slated to be aired by most cable news channels, but not Fox, and will again focus on efforts of Trump supporters to invade the U.S. Capitol to try to block Congress from certifying the election results. Thompson has been outspoken in his belief that the depth and seriousness of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol should be revealed for the nation to see. Most Republican politicians in Washington, including members of the state's congressional delegation with the exception of Rep. Michael Guest, opposed the investigation. Among the topics that could be discussed Thursday include information gathered by documentary filmmakers, the role of the Secret Service on that day as Trump expressed interest in going to the Capitol and possible details of the testimony of Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Ginni Thomas testified to the committee behind closed doors. She supported efforts to throw out the votes of millions of people to ensure Trump was reelected. Her husband was the only member of the nation's high court to oppose efforts to provide texts such as his wife's to the committee. |
| 'Clear and present danger': Jan. 6 committee to describe lingering Trump threat | |
 | Donald Trump's bid to subvert the 2020 election didn't end on Jan. 6, 2021, or even when he left office. Since then he's gone to even further lengths to delegitimize his defeat. That ongoing effort will be a centerpiece of the Jan. 6 select committee's next -- and perhaps final -- televised pitch to Americans on Thursday. "Tune in for our discussion of Trump's clear and present danger presented to democracy and freedom in America by a movement that he's galvanized," panel member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said this week at a virtual People for the American Way event. The panel intends to focus on evidence that Trump has "consistently and increasingly" been using rhetoric "that we knew caused violence on Jan. 6," Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) told reporters recently. Cheney cited recent comments by U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson in which she upbraided elected Republicans for continuing to indulge "one man, who knows full well that he lost, instead of the Constitution he was trying to subvert." The select committee's closing pitch to Americans will draw on all aspects of its more than yearlong probe. By contending that even amid the wreckage of Jan. 6, Trump continued to plot ways to remain in power, the hearing will also function as a segue of sorts to the criminal case that federal prosecutors are piecing together --- bolstered by the recent issuance of dozens of grand jury subpoenas and court-authorized searches of some of Trump's top allies. |
| House Jan. 6 Committee Hearing to Feature New Video Testimony, No Live Witnesses | |
| House lawmakers plan a wide-ranging look Thursday at former President Donald Trump's efforts to reverse the 2020 election results, in what could be the final public hearing of the select committee investigating the Capitol riot before the midterm elections. The committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol will focus its hearing, which starts at 1 p.m. EDT, on Mr. Trump's state of mind, committee aides said. The panel will also examine "ongoing threats to democracy that persist to this day," a committee aide said. The public hearing, the ninth this year, won't include live witnesses, committee aides said. Instead, it will show video recordings of witness interviews, which will include some that haven't been aired publicly before, the aides said. All nine of the committee members, including seven Democrats and two Republicans, are expected to take part Thursday. The hearing was originally scheduled for last month, but was postponed due to Hurricane Ian. Since its most recent hearing in late July, the panel has received thousands of documents from the Secret Service and interviewed new witnesses, including several members of Mr. Trump's cabinet. Documentary evidence will include information from hundreds of thousands of pages the Secret Service presented to the committee after it subpoenaed the agency in July, according to committee aides. Mr. Trump has said he did nothing wrong, continues to falsely claim the election was stolen and calls the select committee a partisan witch hunt. |
| Why the Jan. 6 Committee report will be big for book publishers | |
| After the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol holds its final hearing -- which might happen Thursday -- it will release its report to the public. That's expected to happen sometime before the November midterms. And whatever day that is will be a busy one for book publishers. "There will be this fire drill period where the report does drop in the morning. We grab the file off wherever the committee is housing it, and then it's a race," said Sean Desmond, publisher and vice president at Twelve Books. A race to reconfigure the report into a book, print copies, get them on booksellers' shelves and into Amazon warehouses, and finish the audiobook. Timing is important because the content of every publisher's version -- there are at least four going to print -- will be the same cleaned-up copy of the report with some unique context from a writer. You might be wondering what the audience is for something like this: government documents printed, bound and sold for $19.99. Interest in these publications goes back to 1964 and the Warren Commission Report on the assassination of President John Kennedy. It initially sold a million copies and continues to sell because it's a big piece of American history, said Allan Lichtman, a history professor at American University. People's interest in these publications shows they're politically engaged, Lichtman added. And though the reports are often written as dry accounts of events, they're sometimes downright juicy. "The Starr report, it not only reads like a novel -- it reads like a pornographic novel, which may account for some of its interest," Licthman said about the investigation into President Bill Clinton's Whitewater controversy that morphed into an examination of his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. |
| Trump worker told FBI about moving Mar-a-Lago boxes on ex-president's orders | |
 | A Trump employee has told federal agents about moving boxes of documents at Mar-a-Lago at the specific direction of the former president, according to people familiar with the investigation, who say the witness account -- combined with security-camera footage -- offers key evidence of Donald Trump's behavior as investigators sought the return of classified material. The witness description and footage described to The Washington Post offer the most direct account to date of Trump's actions and instructions leading up to the FBI's Aug. 8 search of the Florida residence and private club, in which agents were looking for evidence of potential crimes including obstruction, destruction of government records or mishandling classified information. The people familiar with the investigation said agents have gathered witness accounts indicating that, after Trump advisers received a subpoena in May for any classified documents that remained at Mar-a-Lago, Trump told people to move boxes to his residence at the property. That description of events was corroborated by the security-camera footage, which showed people moving the boxes, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The employee who was working at Mar-a-Lago is cooperating with the Justice Department and has been interviewed multiple times by federal agents, according to the people familiar with the situation, who declined to identify the worker. |
| In Western swing, Biden looks to make Democrats' case without making waves | |
 | Less than four weeks before the midterm elections that will decide control of Congress, President Biden is scheduled to hit the campaign trail in Los Angeles on Thursday, where his lone public appearance will be alongside mayoral candidate Karen Bass. Biden's four-day Western swing, which began in Colorado's high country Wednesday, is as noteworthy for where he isn't going as for where he is. The trip, built around a high-dollar fundraiser for Democratic House candidates in Los Angeles on Thursday night, will not include travel to Arizona or Nevada, two Western states with closely contested Senate races that may tip the balance of power in Washington. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, the only vulnerable Democratic senator appearing with Biden during this rare trip out West, welcomed Biden to his state Wednesday largely because the president was taking action that the lawmaker had been pushing for. At an event high in the Rocky Mountains, Biden created his first new national monument at Camp Hale, a World War II-era training camp now protected from development by oil and gas companies. If Democrats are somewhat squeamish about embracing Biden in the final month of the campaign, it's hardly a historical aberration, as incumbent presidents have almost always faced stiffed political head winds -- and seen their party lose seats -- in their first midterm election. Polls indicate that Biden is somewhat less polarizing than his three most recent predecessors. But Democrats seem to be avoiding him anyway. |
| Poll: Most in US say misinformation spurs extremism, hate | |
| Americans from across the political spectrum say misinformation is increasing political extremism and hate crimes, according to a new poll that reflects broad and significant concerns about false and misleading claims ahead of next month's midterm elections. About three-quarters of U.S. adults say misinformation is leading to more extreme political views and behaviors such as instances of violence based on race, religion or gender. That's according to the poll from the Pearson Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. "We're at a point now where the misinformation is so bad you can trust very little of what you read in the media or social media," said 49-year-old Republican Brett Reffeitt of Indianapolis, who participated in the survey. "It's all about getting clicks, not the truth, and it's the extremes that get the attention." The Pearson Institute/AP-NORC survey shows that regardless of political ideology, Americans agree misinformation is leaving a mark on the country. Overall, 91% of adults say the spread of misinformation is a problem, with 74% calling it a major problem. Only 8% say misinformation isn't a problem at all. Big majorities of both parties -- 80% of Democrats and 70% of Republicans -- say misinformation increases extreme political views, according to the survey. Similarly, 85% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans say misinformation increases hate crimes, including violence motivated by gender, religion or race. |
| U.S. says to defend 'every inch' of NATO as nuclear planning group meets | |
| The United States reaffirmed its commitment to defend "every inch" of NATO territory ahead of talks among defense ministers from the alliance on Thursday that will include closed-door discussions by its Nuclear Planning Group. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the remarks affirming America's commitment to NATO's collective defense following repeated nuclear threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin amid battlefield setbacks in his nearly eight-month-long invasion of Ukraine. "We are committed to defending every inch of NATO's territory -- if and when it comes to that," Austin said. Austin spoke shortly before attending a meeting by NATO's senior body on nuclear matters, which handles policy issues associated with the alliance's nuclear forces. NATO has not given details of the nuclear discussions taking place on Thursday. The alliance says its nuclear policy is under "constant review, and is modified and adapted in light of new developments." A senior NATO official said on Wednesday a Russian nuclear strike on Ukraine would "almost certainly be drawing a physical response from many allies, and potentially from NATO itself," without elaborating. Meanwhile, NATO said it would go ahead with its annual nuclear preparedness exercise dubbed "Steadfast Noon" next week, in which NATO air forces practise the use of U.S. nuclear bombs based in Europe with training flights, without live weapons. Cancelling the drills because of the war in Ukraine would send a "very wrong signal," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday. |
| Oktoberfest 2022 offers exciting lineup | |
 | Mississippi University for Women's Student Programming Board is proud to announce an exciting slate of activities for its annual Oktoberfest from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, on Shattuck Lawn. Edd Fairman the Wizard of Sorts will entertain while roving through the crowd. He will close out the event with an on-stage display. There also will be a costume contest for children up to age 12 that will start at 6 p.m. as well as plenty of other fun games and crafts, including a table for pumpkin painting and owl decorating that will be free to kids. The Taco Amigo and 44 Takeout food trucks will provide refreshments. "We'll have more entertainment than we've had in the past two years," said Mea Ashley, director of Student Life at The W. "In addition to the staple Masker Washboard Band Performance and costume contest, we'll have the Royal Blues Dance team and the Elite Modeling Squad. Those things will make the Oktoberfest experience feel closer to what it was pre-covid, so everyone should come and support our student organizations." Elite Modeling Squad is a student organization that will showcase fall fashions. The squad hosted its fall tryouts on Sept. 21. |
| US senator cancels Ole Miss appearance | |
| U.S. Sen Tim Scott has cancelled his campus appearance originally scheduled for Friday, Oct. 14, at the University of Mississippi after an unforeseen conflict arose. Scott was scheduled to give the keynote speech for the Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom's speaker series. The center and Scott's team are working to reschedule the event. |
| Southern Miss bringing back homecoming 'Pomping' tradition | |
| In honor of homecoming week, Southern Miss is bringing back a Golden Eagle campus tradition for the first time in five years. Eight houses in Greek Life are participating in the "pomping" competition, where members decorate wooden frames with tissue paper. This year's decorations will be in the theme, "You're so Golden." Ashley Lankford, Student Government Association president, said the Southern Miss tradition dates back to the 40′s. "So our alumni were very passionate about this event," said Lankford. "A lot of them came back and told me personally, and several others of our other SGA members, that they were really excited about doing this back whenever it was a really big thing. So since COVID happened, we kind of didn't have the opportunity to be here; you know, you don't have the hands. So, people just kind of didn't necessarily buy into the Homecoming traditions as much, but now that we are back on campus, we have the opportunity to bring back super fun traditions." Judges will score the pomping stands on Thursday night, and the winning house will receive a trophy. |
| USM president learns to pirouette, jeté and arabesque | |
| The interim president at the University of Southern Mississippi got into the Homecoming spirit Wednesday by taking a dance class at USM. President Joe Paul participated in the introduction to ballet class at the USM Theater and Dance Building. He was invited to take part in all the ballet moves by instructor Jackie Beth Shilcutt. "I envy (the students') flexibility, their sense of rhythm and their athleticism, but happy to be a part of it for just one morning," Paul said. USM is accredited in all fields of the arts, including dance, theater, art and design and music. |
| Gov. Kay Ivey declares October HBCU Month in Alabama | |
 | Gov. Kay Ivey signed a proclamation Oct. 3 declaring the month as HBCU Month. The signing makes Alabama the first state in the country, leaders say, to dedicate a month to recognize Historically Black Colleges and Universities. "The recognition of these elite historic institutions by Governor Ivey is significant," Dr. Quinton Ross, President of Alabama State University in Montgomery, said in a press release Wednesday. "No other State has dedicated an entire month in recognition of HBCUs. This speaks volumes to the Governor's understanding of the value of these institutions to the state and nation." Alabama has the largest number of HBCUs in the nation. HBCUs make up more than a quarter of the state's four-year institutions and enroll 40% of all Black undergraduates. But despite the role that HBCUs have played in educating the nation's workforce, many were blocked for decades from federal programming and additional funding -- and some say they're still struggling to fill funding gaps. "Our institutions have not -- and still are not -- being treated the same," Alabama A&M University President Andrew Hugine Jr. told CBS News last year. Ivey's proclamation comes amid a few recent initiatives to boost job growth and workforce diversity at the state level. The Alabama Office of Minority Affairs, for example, was established in 2016 to advise the governor on issues affecting women and minorities in the state. The agency now has a HBCU Co-Op Program focuses on establishing a pipeline of diverse talent between the state's HBCUs and Alabama's workforce. |
| U. of Alabama sets schedule for homecoming parade, bonfire | |
 | The University of Alabama next week will kick off its 2022 homecoming celebration, which will include a parade through downtown Tuscaloosa, a pep rally and bonfire on the Quad, and, of course, a football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. This year's homecoming theme is "Legends Live Forever." The homecoming queen and court will be recognized at halftime of the Alabama-Mississippi State game, which will kick off at 6 p.m. on Oct. 22 with ESPN televising. UA fans are invited to the homecoming pep rally beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 on the Quad, followed by a bonfire. In years past, the pep rally has included the crowning of the homecoming queen along with performances by the Million Dollar Band and UA cheerleaders and appearances by UA's elephant mascot Big Al and guest speakers. The homecoming parade will begin at noon on Oct. 22 on Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa and then move onto University Boulevard heading toward campus. Fans are invited to line the streets and watch the parade, which will feature floats, UA's fraternities, sororities, and other student groups along with the Million Dollar Band, UA cheerleaders, and Big Al. Homecoming festivities are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. this Sunday with the Roll Tide Run, a 5K run or walk event. During the week, student organizations will compete to see who has the most school spirit. In addition to the football game, other athletic events during homecoming week include UA soccer vs. Arkansas at 11 a.m. Sunday, UA volleyball vs. LSU at 8 p.m. Oct. 19 at Foster Auditorium, and UA baseball vs. Mississippi State in an exhibition game at 6 p.m. Oct. 21 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. |
| Can artificial intelligence help identify best treatments for cancers? LSU researchers say yes | |
 | A team of LSU researchers has developed a way to determine which drug therapies work best against an individual's unique type of cancer, possibly providing a way to find cures more quickly and make treatment more affordable. The interdisciplinary team includes researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Science, College of Engineering and the Center for Computation & Technology. It created CancerOmicsNet, a new drug discovery engine run by artificial intelligence. Using algorithms originally designed to map complex social networks, like those utilized by Facebook, researchers generated three-dimensional graphs of molecular datasets that include cancer cell lines, drug compounds and interactions among proteins inside the human body. The graphs are then analyzed and interconnected by AI, forming a much clearer picture of how a specific cancer would respond to a specific drug. Dr. Michal Brylinski, associate professor of computational biology at LSU, said that the team used established datasets to train the CancerOmicsNet engine into using artificial intelligence. "Once it's trained, then you can ask for something that you don't know and this is the input data," he said. "So you ask what inhibitor you think is going to be effective against this cancer and then AI makes a prediction. That's the implication to unseen data and then something like that goes to a wet lab and we can validate it." |
| $100 Million Gift for U. of Florida Biomedical Research | |
 | A $100 million gift to the University of Florida's Scripps Biomedical Research Institute will kick off a 10-year, $1 billion public-private partnership designed to turn the institute into a cutting-edge leader in the field, the university announced Wednesday. The gift comes from the foundation of UF alumnus Herbert Wertheim and is the largest in the university's history bequeathed by an individual donor. The endowment it seeds will be used to amplify fundamental science, drive research that translates discoveries into viable products and businesses, train the next generation of scientists, and improve the health outcomes and experiences of patients, according to a press release from the university. It will support the continued development of the 30-acre Jupiter campus and 70 adjacent vacant acres that the University of Florida recently bought for $100 from the California-based Scripps Research Institute. This historic gift is a testament to Dr. Wertheim's extraordinary philanthropic vision and his belief in UF and UF Health's boundary-breaking work to accelerate scientific discovery for the health, welfare and benefit of all those we serve," UF president Kent Fuchs said. "Together, we will not only strengthen the clinical expertise of our top-five public university, we will shape a culture of inspiration where future generations of scientists can marshal their creative energies in pursuit of scientific and clinical breakthroughs." |
| U. of Arkansas event looks at poultry welfare | |
| Poultry welfare has become more important to consumers and producers in recent years, and it's a critical issue in Arkansas, which leads the nation in poultry production, said Shawna Weimer, director of the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing, which is part of the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture. Therefore, it made sense to focus on poultry welfare for the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing's eighth symposium, conducted Wednesday for the first time since 2017 at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences, Weimer said. Tyson Foods -- headquartered in Springdale and the largest poultry-producing company in the world -- "is pretty progressive with animal welfare efforts, but animal welfare is a holistic approach [that requires] different partners with different perspectives" to collaborate, Weimer said. Bringing those diverse partners and perspectives together is a key element of this symposium, and it's especially crucial to have students in the mix, she said. "We're training the next generation of animal welfare leaders." Chrysta Beck and Jossie Santamaria, both University of Arkansas, Fayetteville graduate students in the poultry department focusing on immunology, were among those who attended Wednesday, and both were glad to have a symposium like this in their "own backyard." "Animal welfare, and the role it plays in immune response, is very interesting to me, and I don't have a big background in animal welfare," so the symposium will fill some knowledge gaps, Beck said. "It's good to have, for sure." |
| Faculty group says changes to tenure overwhelmingly unpopular with Georgia professors | |
 | A recent survey of professors at Georgia colleges and universities showed an overwhelming number want a reinstatement of tenure protections. The American Association of University Professors in Georgia, a professional faculty group, noted in a news release issued Sunday that changes to tenure protection in the University System of Georgia remain unpopular. According to the survey, 93.5% of the 972 faculty who responded agreed that the USG Board of Regents needed to re-instate the ability of tenured faculty to receive a hearing from their peers prior to a dismissal. "If they will just do that simple thing of moving the post tenure policy back under the for-cause policy, we would be happy," said Georgia AAUP President Matthew Boedy, an associate professor of rhetoric and composition at the University of North Georgia. The Board of Regents continues to stand by the changes they made and say that there is still due process for faculty members in the post-tenure process. "The University System of Georgia (USG)'s public colleges and universities have worked with faculty to develop strong institutional post-tenure, annual evaluation and student success policies," wrote Kristina Torres, assistant vice chancellor for leadership communications. "Their efforts strengthen tenure by allowing tenured faculty to be held accountable by their peers for at least maintaining, if not exceeding, the standards of a tenured faculty member." |
| U. of Georgia professor receives prestigious research grant | |
| A University of Georgia environmental engineering professor was named Wednesday a recipient of an esteemed grant for her pollution research. Jenna Jambeck was named a 2022 MacArthur Fellow, becoming the second UGA faculty member to receive the award, commonly known as a "Genius Grant." The MacArthur Fellowship is a $800,000, no-strings-attached award, which is described on its website that is given to "extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential." Jambeck's work provided the first estimate of the amount of plastic waste entering the world's ocean each year, about 8 million metric tons. Jambeck and her team discovered in a follow up study that nearly 80% of that waste wound up in landfills or in the environment. Additionally, Jambeck and her colleagues found that more than 90% of plastic has never been recycled. "The University of Georgia is incredibly proud of Dr. Jambeck for this exceptional achievement," UGA President Jere W. Morehead said in a statement. "Her groundbreaking research exemplifies UGA's land-grant mission to share knowledge generated through innovative scholarship and to leverage this knowledge to advance communities and the broader world. Our entire university congratulates Jenna on this significant honor." Jambeck joined the UGA College of Engineering in 2009 and is affiliated with the college’s School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering. |
| Clemson wildlife professor named MacArthur Fellow, first in university history | |
 | Clemson wildlife and ecology professor J. Drew Lanham was named a MacArthur Fellow on Oct. 12, the first professor at the university to receive the award. Known as a "genius grant," the fellowship comes with a no-strings-attached $800,000 award for Lanham to further use his "creative instincts for the benefit of human society." After being anonymously nominated, MacArthur Fellows must show exceptional creativity and promise for future advances based on the track record of work. Lanham, an ornithologist, naturalist and writer, was awarded a 2020 Rowland Alston Award for Excellence and honored by the Audubon Society in 2018. His research and teaching focuses on the impacts of forest management on birds and other wildlife. His writing combines his perspective as a Black American and love of conservation. "Drew stands out among our faculty, not only because of his achievements and recognition, or his extensive knowledge and experience, but because he is one of those rare individuals who leads from his heart," said Keith Belli, dean of Clemson's College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences. "His passion for his craft and his beliefs is special. I am very honored to call him a colleague and proud to have him as member of the CAFLS Family." |
| Mid-Missouri producer says market for locally produced food faring well through pandemic, inflation | |
 | The market for locally produced eggs from cage-free chickens shot up during the pandemic and continues to rise despite inflation, said Austin Stanton, who with brother Dustin Stanton operates Stanton Brothers Farm in Centralia. Stanton was part of a food producers roundtable Wednesday at the Holiday Inn Expo Center, part of the University of Missouri Extension and Engagement Week focused on All Things Food. Sales increased at the Columbia Farmers Market during COVID-19, Austin Stanton said. "It keeps going up," he said during the roundtable. "We're not raising our prices like the grocery stores. Local producers are cheaper." In an interview after the roundtable, Stanton said because he and his brother aren't raising prices, the prices are competitive with those of national brands at stores. Another presenter at the roundtable was Todd Hays, who raises pigs in an indoor operation in Monroe City. He's a plaintiff against the State of California and attended oral arguments Tuesday in the U.S. Supreme Court. California is prohibiting the sale of pork from pigs raised in cages they can't turn around in, including meat from other states. "California wants to dictate farm husbandry practices," Hays said. He said he was encouraged by the arguments. "The justices really dug into what this was about," Hays said. The Extension and Engagement Week keynote session on Tuesday in Jesse Auditorium looked at agriculture's future, with the effects of climate change, the pandemic, supply-chain disruptions and inflation. Presenters were Charlie Arnot, CEO with the Center for Food Integrity, and Jason Clay, an agriculture specialist with the World Wildlife Fund. |
| Professor's murder on campus raises urgent safety questions | |
| College and university campuses are highly permeable environments. That openness and accessibility makes campuses dynamic and stimulating. It also makes them vulnerable from a safety perspective. This dual reality was thrown into stark relief last week when Thomas Meixner, professor and chair of hydrology and atmospheric sciences at the University of Arizona, was shot dead in his office building, apparently by a former graduate student in the department. A second, unnamed person reportedly was injured by a bullet fragment. Meixner's accused killer, Murad Dervish, was arrested three hours later driving toward Mexico, following a police chase. Dervish told officers at the scene that he felt "so disrespected by that whole department" and "I hope he's OK, probably wishful thinking," according to police and court records. Dervish was prohibited from owning a firearm due to an unrelated protective order, but police found a handgun consistent with the apparent murder weapon when they arrested him. According to information from the University of Arizona, Dervish was barred from campus in January in relation to student disciplinary proceedings. Last week was not the first time a professor was murdered at work by a disgruntled student. |
| Penn State is about to host the Proud Boys founder, and its students are protesting | |
 | Penn State University says Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes spouts "hateful and discriminatory" rhetoric -- but the school also says a student group has the right to bring McInnes to speak on campus this month, at an event paid for with thousands of dollars in student fees. Students have launched a petition and plan to protest the Oct. 24 event, seeking to block McInnes and another controversial far-right figure, Alex Stein, from speaking in State College, Pa. Free-speech guarantees, warns the Student Committee for Defense and Solidarity, should not entail "platforming fascists and promoting hateful, meritless disinformation with thousands of student-fee dollars." But the university's leaders on Tuesday rejected calls to cancel the engagement or ban McInnes and Stein from campus. As they did so, Penn State officials stressed that the school doesn't agree with what it deemed the speakers' "repugnant and denigrating rhetoric." The event's organizer, the conservative student group Uncensored America, says McInnes and Stein will use comedy to provide "a unique perspective" on issues such as immigration (McInnes is Canadian), political correctness and gender roles. The organizers cited McInnes' willingness to "push the boundaries of comedy in a thought-provoking manner" to change how people think. But his many detractors say there's nothing funny about McInnes or the Proud Boys, whose members call themselves "Western chauvinists" and who have repeatedly been involved in violence. More than two dozen Proud Boy members, including several leaders, have been named in federal charges over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, including accusations of seditious conspiracy. |
| ACT Test Scores Drop to Lowest Levels in More Than 30 Years | |
| The average score on the ACT, a college admissions test, fell to its lowest level in more than three decades, the organization behind the exam said Wednesday. Test takers from the class of 2022 scored an average of 19.8 out of 36, the ACT said, the first time the average score dropped below 20 since 1991. The class of 2021 scored an average of 20.3. The scores, detailed in a report by the ACT Wednesday, mark a fifth consecutive year of falling test scores. Janet Godwin, chief executive of ACT, said the Covid-19 pandemic's disruptions exacerbated long-term, systemic issues in education, hurting test scores. "The magnitude of the declines this year is particularly alarming, as we see rapidly growing numbers of seniors leaving high school without meeting the college-readiness benchmark in any of the subjects we measure," Ms. Godwin said. More graduating students taking the ACT are also doing so through statewide and districtwide testing programs. For the class of 2022, 60% of students who took the ACT did so at least once through those programs, compared with 27% in 2015. Fifteen out of the 23 states participating in the program require students to take the ACT in their classrooms during regular school hours, regardless of whether they plan to apply to college. The aim is to increase access to the college admissions exam to students who may not otherwise have the opportunity. At the same time, many universities stopped requiring standardized tests from applicants during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some made these tests optional through at least next year. Others aim to bring back the requirement as disruptions caused by the pandemic wane. |
| In academia, lower socioeconomic status hinders sense of belonging | |
| For Michelle Gu, attending graduate school at Columbia University feels like being caught between "two incredibly different worlds." The neuroscience Ph.D. student, who requested to go by a pseudonym, is surrounded by classmates whose parents can help them out financially while they attend graduate school in pricey New York City. Meanwhile, "[I] focus a lot of my time figuring out how to make ends meet," says Gu, the child of Sino-Vietnamese war refugees who sends some of their $48,000 annual stipend to people they care about in the San Francisco Bay Area, where they grew up. Gu often avoids talking about their financial struggles and upbringing with other students and feels disconnected from the childhood experiences of more privileged classmates. At the same time, Gu also feels alienated from friends and family they grew up with. Last month, for example, they attended the funeral of a childhood friend and left feeling like they were no longer a full-fledged member of their former community. "People remember me, but they don't feel like they know me anymore," they say. "I internalized it as them viewing me as a partial outsider, someone who has left." Gu isn't alone in these struggles. Overall, science, technology, engineering, and medicine Ph.D. students who self-identify as belonging to a lower socioeconomic status (SES) group experience challenges with interpersonal connections, both inside and outside of academia, according to a recent study of 600 first-year Ph.D. students at Columbia, Stanford University, and Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). |
SPORTS
| No. 16 Mississippi State aims to stay hot vs No. 22 Kentucky | |
| Mississippi State is playing its best football under Mike Leach with three consecutive lopsided victories sparked by strong play on both sides of the ball. The No. 16 Bulldogs now aim to prove they can do it on the road Saturday night at No. 22 Kentucky, which hopes to be whole again and halt a two-game slide. Mississippi State (5-1, 2-1 SEC) has rebounded impressively from last month's 31-16 loss at LSU after leading 13-0. Not only have the Bulldogs outscored Bowling Green, Texas A&M and Arkansas by a combined 127-55, the Air Raid offense and 3-3-5 defense have contributed their share of big plays after being unranked just three weeks ago. Leach believes his team can achieve more. "We're playing faster than we did last year, though we can certainly play faster," the third-year coach said. "And then defensively, we do a lot of good things and are kind of explosive and powerful. But there's some of the big plays we can definitely shut down, too." MSU faces a Kentucky squad (4-2, 1-2) suddenly struggling and unsure if quarterback Will Levis will return from a left foot injury that kept him out of last week's 24-14 home loss to South Carolina. The SEC's No. 4 passer is being evaluated daily. |
| Bulldog grab bag: Mississippi State hits the road for first time since LSU loss | |
| The last time Mississippi State played at Kentucky, it didn't go well for the Bulldogs. MSU managed only a safety in a 24-2 loss to the Wildcats. But even with the crowd at Kroger Field limited to 12,000 people because of COVID-19, "it was still electric," Mississippi State running back Dillon Johnson said. "Besides getting the brakes beat off us," he clarified. A lot has changed since then as No. 16 MSU (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) prepares to make a return trip to Lexington at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Mississippi State hasn't won at Kentucky since 2014, back when the Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 in the nation. But a veteran team off to an excellent start in 2022 sees as good a chance as ever to break a string of three straight losses at Kroger Field. "I think we've grown a lot," nose tackle Cameron Young said. "We've gotten a lot older in different spots. We've matured, so I'm looking forward to the matchup." Mississippi State will hit the road for the first time in nearly a month. The Bulldogs lost their previous road game: Sept. 17 at LSU, where a second-half collapse led to a 31-16 defeat. Linebacker Sherman Timbs said road games are always tough, no matter the strength of the opponent. "Any week in college football, anybody can beat anybody," Timbs said. "It's all about who comes to play that weekend." |
| Why Rich Scangarello thinks Mississippi State could be start of UK's offensive breakout | |
 | Rich Scangarello's theory is about to be put to the test. When reviewing the film of Kentucky football's Oct. 1 loss at Ole Miss, the Wildcats' offensive coordinator could not help but feel like his unit was close to clicking on all cylinders. Yes, Kentucky had lost 22-19 in Oxford, but Kentucky reached the red zone on two fourth-quarter drives with a chance to tie or take the lead before losing fumbles. "We lost the game, but I liked the way the line played, I liked how we ran the ball, I liked our physicality. I liked the way there were a lot of plays where 11 guys did the right thing," Scangarello said. "We had four or five plays that changed that game. I can't have that happen, but I felt like we were striding forward and momentum was pushing to this offense, it was about to break out." Three days after the loss, Scangarello told reporters his experience suggested Kentucky was nearing the point -- typically four or five games into a season -- when things started to fully click when learning the offensive scheme he brought to Lexington from the San Francisco 49ers. Then South Carolina happened. With star quarterback Will Levis sidelined by a foot injury, Kentucky's offense went ultraconservative. The good news for Kentucky is Levis now appears likely to play against No. 16 Mississippi State this weekend. "Right now it seems like he'll be healthy, barring any setbacks," UK Coach Mark Stoops said of Levis on Wednesday's SEC teleconference. "Obviously, that brings a lot of energy to our team." |
| Magnolia Cup Showdown: Dawgs at Rebels | |
| Facing its second-straight road trip, the Mississippi State soccer program gears up for a Magnolia Cup showdown when the Dawgs travel to Oxford to face in-state rival Ole Miss (9-3-2, 3-3-0 SEC) on Thursday night. The contest will kick off at 6 p.m. and will be aired on SEC Network. The Bulldogs enter the contest ranked No. 25 and the Rebels will enter as No. 24 according to this week's Top Drawer Soccer rankings. State also received votes in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Poll. "We're looking forward to trying to get back on track after a difficult week," head coach James Armstrong said. "Even though it's a rivalry game, it's still the next game which is always important. The girls have trained hard this week and they're excited to play. We're looking forward to a highly competitive game on Thursday." MSU heads to Oxford with a defense that is currently tied for fourth nationally in goals-against average (.429). The backline is also second in the SEC in shutouts (9) and shutouts percentage (.643). Ole Miss enters the match having fallen to Texas A&M, 2-1. The Rebels entered halftime trailing 1-0 before finding the equalizer in the 84th minute. Two minutes later, however, the Aggies would score the game-winner. |
| Three takeaways from Mississippi State women's basketball media availability | |
| Basketball is nearly back. The 2022-23 season is less than a month away, and the Mississippi State women's team is back in the swing of things, preparing for its first season under new head coach Sam Purcell. Here are three takeaways from the Bulldogs' preseason preparation after speaking with Purcell and several players Tuesday. What was present throughout availability over the summer was the infectious enthusiasm throughout the team from offseason workouts through the Bulldogs' return for preseason preparations. That enthusiasm has only strengthened as tipoff approaches. "Official practices in the books, and the season is one step closer," Purcell said to open his press conference. "I have goosebumps because that's why I took the job, to get to November and get to this moment and most importantly get in the Hump and get this thing rocking." That enthusiasm was echoed by the players, who were equally excited for things to get going in the new season. "I would say the energy has been good," guard JerKaila Jordan said. "We've been working on bonding and like Sam said, starting practice off right, so everyday I try to come with the energy, and my teammates bring the energy as well." |
| Council wants new stadium for Jackson State and Deion Sanders | |
 | During an hours-long meeting Tuesday that ranged from the city's water crisis to the ongoing battle over who picks up the trash, the Jackson City Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting construction of a new football stadium for Jackson State University and encouraging the program's coach, Deion Sanders, to stay. The resolution did not provide funding or approval for a specific plan, but rather was a way of voicing on-record the council's support for any new stadium plan that the university may announce, said Ward 3 Councilmember Kenneth Stokes, who proposed the resolution. "It's just the perfect time to, if we're going to get a new stadium, start talking about where, and let's try to make it a reality," Stokes said. Council President Ashby Foote, of ward 1, said Wednesday any decision on the funding for a new stadium would come from JSU and the state Legislature, not the council. He said the council's vote does not indicate that a specific plan for a stadium will be coming soon. "Jackson wouldn't be involved with the financing of that. That would be done at the state Legislature level," Foote said. "It has been on the wish list of Jackson State and a lot of the Democratic state legislators for a while, but I'm not aware of any new developments or plans that have occurred." A spokesperson for JSU could not confirm nor deny the existence of a plan for a new stadium, saying only that JSU President Thomas Hudson is "thankful for the city's continued support for Jackson State University." |
| Big 12 Commissioner: 'Meaningful' discussions with ESPN, Fox | |
| Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark described recent discussions with television partners ESPN and Fox as "meaningful" as the conference looks into the possibility of striking a media rights deal almost two years before the current contract expires. "So (the conference) is not a free agent," Yormark told AP on Wednesday. "I can't go out there and talk to an Amazon or an Apple or CBS. But in a world that's changing, why don't we explore an early conversation which could, maybe, lead to a negotiation. And I can tell you that we've had meaningful conversations for the last three-plus weeks, and we'll see where they go." The Big 12 announced in late August it planned to engage ESPN and Fox, even though the exclusive negotiating window between the conference and the networks does not open until February 2024. The Big 12′s deals with the networks expire in June of that year. "There's no timetable," Yormark said. "If we can't get to a deal, then the fallback is 16 months from now. But I'm a big fan of ESPN. I'm a big fan of Fox. We're at a point right now where it's important to elevate and amplify our brand. And I think they're the two best partners to do it." The Big 12 is in transition as it prepares for Cincinnati, BYU, Houston and Central Florida to join next year and for Texas and Oklahoma to depart by 2025. The conference is likely to be 14 teams for at least one season. It currently has 10 schools. |
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