| Tuesday, November 8, 2022 |
| MDA announces V-QUAD Entrepreneurs Technical Assistance Program grant winners | |
 | On Monday, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) announced the 2022 V-Quad Entrepreneurs Technical Assistance Program grant award winners. Five applicants were awarded $20,000 V-Quad ETAP grants in collaboration with MDA's Office of Technology, Innovation & Entrepreneurship and MDA's Energy and Natural Resources Division. MDA Deputy Executive Director Laura Hipp said MDA congratulates the winners of these grants, and they look forward to the success of these projects. "This next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs is the future of industry and will help build stronger communities and a stronger economy for Mississippi," Hipp said. Winners of the 2022 V-Quad ETAP grants include: C & H Safety and Security; College of Architecture, Art and Design, Mississippi State University; JEF Advanced Technologies; Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, Mississippi State University; and A-Z Farmer's Market Project "The grants will be used by the five teams to receive technical assistance from one of Mississippi's four research universities -- the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, Jackson State University and the University of Southern Mississippi," MDA said in a release. "Teams receiving ETAP grants will be paired with a relevant research university to solve specific technical challenges posed by the applicants." |
| Crop harvest going well, average yields | |
 | "Snow" appearing on the sides of highways and bare ground visible for miles is a sure indication that row crop harvest in Mississippi is well underway. As of early October, the majority of the 2022 crop was already harvested, although much work remains for certain crops. Will Maples, agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the price outlook for 2022 crops is shaping up to be good. "Commodity prices across the board are higher than we have seen the last couple of years," Maples said. For each of the state's major row crops, current prices are higher than 2021 prices and significantly higher than 2020 prices. "Many market factors have contributed to the current market strength," he said. "Cotton prices have been boosted from record abandonment of acreage due to drought conditions in west Texas. Lower planted acreage and yield outlook nationally is leading towards a short corn crop. The Ukraine/Russia War added volatility into the world markets early in the year, especially to the wheat and corn markets." Despite high prices, profits are tight because of increased production costs for the 2022 crop. Producers must market carefully with price goals set to take advantage of current high prices. |
| USDA discovers highly pathogenic flu virus in Mississippi chicken flock | |
 | The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial breeder chicken flock in Lawrence County. Samples from the flock were tested at the Mississippi Veterinary Research & Diagnostic Laboratory, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. Avian influenza is caused by an influenza type A virus, which can infect poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese, and guinea fowl) and is carried by free-flying waterfowl such as ducks, geese, and shorebirds. APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials in Mississippi on a joint incident response. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flock will not enter the food system. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the public health risk associated with these avian influenza detections in birds remains low. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of all poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended as a general food safety precaution. |
| Farmers Find New Short Corn a Tall Order | |
 | A change coming for corn farmers could ripple through mazes, scary movies and Broadway show tunes. Seed companies are investing millions of dollars into developing new and hardier varieties of corn -- but they are several feet shorter than normal, growing to about 6 feet instead of the usual 9. The corn could use less water and stand up better against strong prairie winds. But the step down in height is unsettling for some farmers who associate taller corn plants with more grain production. "I won't try anybody's" short corn, said Joe Spellman, a 61-year-old farmer in central Iowa. "I don't care who they are." There's also the hit to rural pride in towering corn stalks. The opening number in the Broadway staple "Oklahoma'' rejoices that the "corn is as high as an elephant's eye." In Iowa, the top corn-producing state, an unofficial anthem called "Iowa Corn Song" has heralded the state as the land "where the tall corn grows" for over a century. Phantom players dramatically emerge from forest-like corn rows in the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams" -- and murderous children rampage through the fields in 1984's "Children of the Corn." The company and other crop seed giants, including Bayer AG, Syngenta Group and Stine Seed Co., are working on rolling out new varieties they say will help farmers grow larger crops. Turns out height is a key factor in corn's success. Tall stalks are susceptible to "lodging" -- when strong winds bend the plants at the stem near the ground, making it difficult to harvest. The companies say the new varieties' shorter, fatter stalks withstand the wind better, and allow for denser planting, potentially increasing a farm's overall yield. |
| VT Halter shipyard is being sold. What will it mean for the 900 Mississippi jobs? | |
 | The sale of VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula to Bollinger Shipyards is expected to go through early next week and the CEO says he is confident he can grow the company and turn a profit. The nearly 900 employees' jobs at VT Halter are safe, said Benjamin Bordelon, president and chief executive officer of Bollinger, which operates several shipyards in Louisiana. "We anticipate that we're going to obviously hire everyone," he said, "but we know we have some some growth opportunity and some job needs pretty immediately." Bollinger Shipyards is the largest privately-owned and operated shipbuilder in the United States, according to the company. This is the company's first shipyard in Mississippi and it will renamed Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding. The sale also includes ST Engineering Halter Marine Offshore, which will become Bollinger Mississippi Repair. Bordelon met with executives and the media at the VT Halter shipyard in Pascagoula Monday shortly after the announcement of the sale. He plans to meet with the employees after the sale closes. Bordelon wore not a suit, but jeans and a work shirt. Speaking with a Cajun accent, he said he's been working since December on the process to buy VT Halter and he's excited about growing into Mississippi and acquiring and expanding the legacy and the workforce of the shipyard. "Mississippi has been a shipbuilding magnate for decades," he said, "and the workforce that is developed here is, I think, a tremendous opportunity for us to utilize and grow." |
| Representative, judicial seats on the ballot Tuesday | |
 | Voters will head to the polls Tuesday to decide races for the District 37 House of Representatives seat, as well as several judicial races across the area. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Andy Boyd and David Chism, both of Lowndes County, are facing off in a special election to fill Rep. Lynn Wright's seat in the House. Wright passed away in June. The district includes parts of Lowndes, Clay and Oktibbeha counties. Three 16th Circuit judge positions will be on every ballot in Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties. Two of those will see a new judge take the bench. In Place 1, Jim Kitchens, the only incumbent circuit judge running, is facing challenger Chuck Easley. Both candidates are from Lowndes County. Four Clay County residents are running for Place 3: Trina Davidson-Brooks, Mark Cliett, Michelle Easterling and Bennie Jones Jr. The winner will take the seat of Lee Coleman, who did not seek re-election. In Place 2, Lee "Jay" Howard, of Oktibbeha County, is running unopposed for the Place 2 seat. He is replacing his father, Lee Howard, who chose not to run again. Oktibbeha County voters will also have a county court judge race on the ballot. Charles Bruce Brown, C. Marty Haug and Lee Ann Turner are all vying for the newly created seat. Due to Oktibbeha County's population growth since the 2010 census, it is required by state laws to have a county court to oversee both civil and criminal cases with a dollar range between $3,500 and $200,000. |
| Mississippi: 4 House seats on ballot, 1 without incumbent | |
 | Mississippi is electing a new U.S. House member because a six-term Republican incumbent lost a June primary amid accusations of misspending in a previous campaign. The state's three other incumbents each face one challenger. The open seat is in the southern 4th District, where Republican Mike Ezell, Democrat Johnny DuPree and Libertarian Alden Patrick Johnson are on the ballot. DuPree is a former Hattiesburg mayor and was the 2011 Democratic nominee for governor. Ezell is the sheriff of coastal Jackson County, and he defeated Rep. Steven Palazzo for the GOP nomination. Ezell criticized Palazzo for proxy voting -- not showing up in person to vote in the House but allowing another member to vote in his place. The Office of Congressional Ethics said in 2021 it found "substantial reason to believe" Palazzo abused his office by misspending campaign funds, doing favors for his brother and enlisting staff for political and personal errands. His spokesperson at the time, Colleen Kennedy, said the investigation was based on politically motivated "false allegations." |
| Election Day: Mississippi votes Tuesday on U.S. House, judicial posts | |
| Four congressional races and a bevy of local judicial elections throughout the state will be on the ballot Tuesday for Mississippi voters. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. The 2022 mid-term elections have been closely watched nationally as Republicans try to wrestle control of the U.S. House and Senate from Democrats. In many states, early voting turnout has been high. But that is not the case in Mississippi, where no U.S. Senate race will occur and where all four U.S. House races are expected to be won by incumbents or major party favorites. According to data from Secretary of State Michael Watson's office, the number of absentee ballots requested and returned in Mississippi has been low compared to past elections. As of Monday morning, according to Watson's office, 51,849 absentee ballots had been requested and 46,120 had been completed and returned. During the same period in 2020, 248,335 absentee ballots had been requested and 231,031 had been returned to local election officials. The incumbents in the four congressional races are all heavy favorites to win re-election. The ballot also will include judicial races. Four Mississippi Court of Appeals races are on the ballot. In the only contested Court of Appeals race, incumbent 4th District Judge Virginia Carlton is being challenged by Bruce Burton. |
| Sen. Wicker: Feds will have to get involved in Jackson water crisis, UMMC-BlueCross rift | |
 | Federal assistance in Jackson's water crisis is imminent, one U.S. senator says. Health care is another crisis that could require federal intervention before the end of the year. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, talked with the Hattiesburg American about pressing issues facing many Mississippians during a tour of Forrest General Hospital's intensive care and neonatal intensive care units Friday. "The same inflation that is hitting households and the grocery and gasoline budgets of average Americans is really taking its toll on healthcare facilities like this," Wicker said. "So something is going to have to be done when the reimbursement rate from the insurers, including the federal insurance, is coming in at 2% to 3% and inflation is 8.9%. That can't be sustained." The measure most likely will have to be addressed in an omnibus spending bill, since the Senate probably won't have time to go over individual lawmakers' bills. "It's something we're going to have to address, probably earlier rather than later," he said. "To me, there's a short-term need that needs to be handled before the end of the year. A difference in the reimbursement rate that affects rural hospitals -- and we're still rural, even in a nice medium-sized city like Hattiesburg -- that fixes the problem for those of us in our region I think is a target that needs to be met before the end of calendar year 2022." Wicker said the federal government may also have to get involved in the dispute between the University of Mississippi Medical Center and BlueCross BlueShield of Mississippi, one of the state's largest healthcare insurance providers, although he feels it would be better for the two entities to resolve it themselves. |
| Mississippi governor responds to probe of Jackson water woes | |
| Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves Monday released his response to a congressional investigation of the crisis that left 150,000 people in the state's capital city without running water for several days in late summer. Reeves said Jackson has received a disproportionate amount of funding for its water system based on the city's size. He also said local officials only have themselves to blame for the water woes. "(M)y administration is deeply committed to ensuring that all federal funds received by Mississippi for drinking water systems upgrades have been in the past and will continue to be in the future made available and distributed among Mississippi's more than 1,100 water systems on an objective and race-neutral basis," Republican Reeves said in a letter dated Oct. 31 and addressed to Reps. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Carolyn Maloney of New York. The two Democrats sent Reeves an Oct. 17 letter requesting details of where Mississippi sent money from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including "the racial demographics and population sizes of each" community that received aid. They also requested information on whether Jackson, which is 80% Black, has faced "burdensome hurdles" to receive additional federal funds. Comparing census data against the recipients of state water loans, Reeves wrote "there is no factual basis whatsoever to suggest that there has been an 'underinvestment' in the city or that it has received disproportionately less than any other area of the state." In 2021, Jackson accounted for 68% of all loans dispersed, Reeves wrote. |
| Reeves tells Congress that state hasn't blocked funding to Jackson | |
| Gov. Tate Reeves, in a letter he released to the public Monday, disputed the notion that the state government had put up "roadblocks" to funding for Jackson's water system, as both Congress members and the NAACP have alleged. Those claims are now the focus of an active investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency into the state's spending. In the letter, responding to a request for information from U.S. Reps. Bennie Thompson and Carolyn Maloney, Reeves again shifted blame for Jackson's ongoing water crisis onto the city's mismanagement. The letter details the city's long list of federal drinking water violations, which include staffing shortages, contaminant violations, and failing to install corrosion control to ensure the absence of lead in the distribution system. The governor also blamed Jackson for its inability to collect water revenue after a failed water meter contract with Siemens. "Of the more than 1,100 water systems in Mississippi, only the system operated by (Jackson) is unable to set and collect rates sufficient to cover its costs of operations, maintenance and debt service," Reeves wrote. Reeves countered the argument from the U.S. representatives that the state had provided a disproportionate amount of federal funding to Jackson. With money from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, the primary avenue for federal funding of water infrastructure improvements, Jackson received $28 million in FY 2021, or about two-thirds of the state's total allotment. "There is no factual basis whatsoever to suggest that there has been an 'underinvestment' in (Jackson) or that it received disproportionately less than any other area of the state," the letter reads. |
| Election scrutiny high, but no big hitches as voting begins | |
| Final voting began without major hitches Tuesday in midterm elections under intense scrutiny after two years of false claims and conspiracy theories about how ballots are cast and counted. With polls open across most of the country, no big problems were reported early in the day, though there were hiccups in some places, which is typical on any Election Day. For example, vote tabulators were not working in a county in New Jersey and one in Arizona -- potentially requiring hand-counting instead -- and some voting sites in Pennsylvania were delayed in opening because workers showed up late. "These are things we see in every election cycle," said Susannah Goodman, director of election security at Common Cause, a group that advocates for voting access. "There's nothing majorly concerning this morning." Since the last nationwide election in 2020, former President Donald Trump and his allies have succeeded in sowing wide distrust about voting by promoting false claims of extensive fraud. The effort has eroded public confidence in elections and democracy, led to restrictions on mail voting and new ID requirements in some GOP-led states and prompted death threats against election officials. Election Day this year is marked by concerns about further harassment and the potential for disruptions at polling places and at election offices where ballots will be tallied. Election officials say they are prepared to handle any issues that arise, urging voters not to be deterred. Election officials have promised they will not hesitate to contact law enforcement to protect voters and poll workers. A coalition of voting rights groups has volunteers available to assist any voters who run into problems on Election Day, staffing the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline. |
| Chatter grows over potential Rick Scott GOP leadership challenge to Mitch McConnell | |
 | The prospect of Senate Republicans picking up as many as two to five seats in the midterms is fueling chatter of a showdown between Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Rick Scott (Fla.) in a race to serve as Senate majority leader. Scott stoked speculation about his leadership ambitions on Sunday, when he refused to rule out challenging McConnell, who says he has the votes to win. "He might do it. I hope he doesn't," said a Senate Republican strategist, when asked if Scott could challenge McConnell. Scott declined to endorse McConnell as majority leader Sunday during an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press." Asked by host Chuck Todd if he planned to run for leader if Republicans win the Senate majority, Scott said, "I'm not focused on anything except getting a majority Tuesday night." Todd then interrupted him midsentence to interject: "That's a nonanswer." "It's a possibility," the television host concluded, which Scott didn't dispute. Senate Republican insiders say Scott's silence on the question of whether he might challenge his colleague is puzzling, because he told CBS News in mid-February that he would "absolutely" vote for McConnell to serve another term as leader. "I can't imagine there will be a leader besides Mitch McConnell," Scott said at the time. Since then, their relationship has become strained over differences on political and fundraising strategy. McConnell pointedly told reporters on March 1 that he, not Scott, would be majority leader if Republicans captured the Senate. McConnell wasn't happy that Scott released his own 11-point plan, which called for sunsetting all federal legislation after five years. |
| Biden, Trump rally on safe turf on election eve | |
 | President Joe Biden stayed away from the toughest races on Election Day eve, opting to campaign in safe Democratic territory before what's expected to be a difficult night for his party. Mired in low approval ratings, Biden spent Monday night in Columbia, Maryland, stumping for the state's likely first Black governor, Wes Moore. Throughout the weekend, Biden hit the road for candidates in California, Illinois and New York, a trio of deep-blue states where some races, particularly the New York governor's race, narrowed significantly in recent weeks. "It's going to shape what the next couple decades look like," Biden said of Tuesday's results, to the crowd at Bowie State University. "For real." Biden's not the only one playing on what should be friendly turf as voting nears. First lady Jill Biden headed to Northern Virginia, where she campaigned with Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) in a congressional district the president won by nearly 20 points in 2020. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump rallied alongside Republican J.D. Vance on Monday evening in Dayton, Ohio, a deep-red state where Democrat Tim Ryan has forced a tighter contest for the open Senate seat. "Tomorrow, you must vote Republican in a giant red wave that we've all been hearing about," Trump said, after walking straight from a Trump-branded plane onto the rally stage in Dayton. Projecting confidence to Vance and the crowd, Trump said, "J.D., you have some real good polls, I saw today. What the hell am I doing here? Goodnight everyone" and feigned an exit. The late campaign swings underscored how Tuesday's midterm election could dramatically reshape the makeup of Congress and statehouses across the country. |
| 'Rampant disinformation' seen undermining safe voting technology | |
 | As Americans cast votes for congressional and gubernatorial candidates Tuesday, security experts are most concerned about the spread of misinformation and disinformation that threatens to undermine the integrity of the election process. The election technology itself has receded as a concern. State and local officials have addressed cybersecurity weaknesses and threats of hacking, the key threats seen in previous election cycles going back to 2016. Experts say Congress, federal agencies and private security firms aided those efforts. "I think the biggest new challenge we're seeing is the disinformation challenge," said Derek Tisler, counsel in the Brennan Center's Elections & Government Program. "While not actually threatening the security of elections, it is affecting how people view the security of elections, and many of the challenges can end up having the same effect." Congress approved more than $1 billion in federal grants to be administered by the Election Assistance Commission since the 2016 elections to help states and local jurisdictions upgrade equipment and boost cybersecurity. The funding boost was driven by evidence showing widespread attempts by Russian spy agencies to tamper with U.S. voter rolls and voting equipment in the 2016 presidential race, although those attempts didn't succeed. Federal funding and work by government agencies such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and private companies have helped raise awareness among election administrators about cybersecurity threats to election systems, said Robert Sheldon, director of public policy and strategy at the cybersecurity research firm CrowdStrike. While voting machines and election computers may be less vulnerable to an outright cyberattack, the spread of disinformation about voting machines and systems, combined with physical threats of violence to poll workers and election administrators is concerning, Sheldon and other experts said. |
| Millennials Are Changing What It Takes to Succeed in Sales | |
| Drop the hard sell. Try texting prospective buyers. And know that it might take dozens of meetings to close a deal. Such were some of the lessons shared at the Women in Sales Summit here this fall, where about 250 saleswomen networked, traded tactics and considered one of the biggest questions consuming the sales profession: how to sell to millennial buyers. The cohort born between 1981 and 1996 is the biggest in the U.S. workforce, and now holds the largest number of decision-making roles in corporate buying, according to Forrester Research. A decade ago, workers in this age range flooded into workplaces and agitated bosses with their demands for more feedback and a sense of higher purpose in their work. As consumers, they transformed retail sales by buying even big-ticket items such as furniture online, relying on the internet to research and review purchases. Now that millennials control the purse strings at many businesses, sales professionals are carving out new ways of closing deals on everything from business software to chemicals and office equipment. Those tactics, some say, involve fewer trips to the golf course and more time corralling large buying teams that include senior managers, finance officials and end users at target companies. Cold calls are ceding ground to millennials' preference to communicate via text or direct message. And just as they do as consumers, many millennial corporate buyers like to research business products online and on their own before ever talking to a salesperson. |
| Alzheimer's research links mind health to cardiovascular health | |
 | In The MIND Center at the University Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson there are resources for the fifty-seven-thousand Mississippians who are living with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. It's also a place where clinicians and researchers come together to find a cure. Dr. Kim Tarver is chief of Geriatrics and Director of Clinical Services for the center. They treat and educate the public, but they are also a research institution. Tarver said that recent drug research for Alzheimer's disease has brought into question the longstanding theory behind its cause. "We basically have been going on the Amyloid hypothesis that there are abnormal amyloids and tau proteins that accumulate in the brain and in the neurons, but but there is evidence now that goes against that hypothesis," Tarver explains. "Some of the drugs that have come along that target those proteins -- in actually getting them out of the brain -- have failed to produce any clinical benefit," she said. There is evidence that the risk factors for cardiovascular disease are the same as those for having dementia and Alzheimer's. Here is where Tarver adds that mitigating cardiovascular disease with exercise and diet equates to mitigating the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. "We already know this," Tarver says, "daily aerobic exercise is protective. Keeping your cholesterol low, keeping high blood pressure controlled, and if you have diabetes -- keeping that under control. These things make a big difference in how you do in the long run." |
| IHL names search team for DSU, Campus Listening Sessions set | |
| Members of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning will hear from the Delta State University (DSU) campus community in Campus Listening Sessions on Wednesday, Nov. 9, on the DSU campus in Cleveland. The discussions will center on the qualities and qualifications stakeholders believe the next president of the university should possess. The DSU Listening Sessions will begin at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the campus located on Highway 8 West in Cleveland. The sessions will be held in E.R. Jobe Hall and last for 90 minutes each. Visitors should park in the Walter Sillers Coliseum parking lot. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning has selected 15 members, representing a cross-section of the Delta State University campus community, to serve as Search Advisory Constituents. |
| Dr. Butch Caston: Interim President is DSU Through and Through | |
| Dr. E. E. "Butch" Caston began serving as the interim President of Delta State University on July 1, 2022. It was a natural progression for a man who has dedicated his career and life to education and to the University he obviously loves very much. "Even though this is an 'interim' position, I certainly don't see my role as a stop gap, or simply a figurehead," Caston says of his presidency. "And that was spelled out to me when I met with, and was appointed by, the Institute Of Higher Learning board. I was expected to function as a active leader and president and that's what I'm doing to the best of my ability. This job is all about looking to the future and improving the school as best as we all can, starting with this office. I've come out of retirement several times to serve in various capacities," he continues, "but my serving now as Interim President is my proudest accomplishment." A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Caston first came to Delta State in the Fall of 1962 where he played running back for the Statesmen under legendary Coach Horace L. McCool who had recruited him ("one of the funniest, most charismatic guys I've ever been around!" laughs Caston). He says the first person he met when he arrived on campus was the legendary "Boo" Ferris, "and I didn't even know who the man was at our initial meeting. He was the most unassuming, normal person in the world. When I later found out what an actual legend he was, I could hardly speak around him," he says. Caston graduated from Delta State with a Bachelor of Science degree in English, with a minor in education, in 1966 and a Master of Education degree in Guidance and Counseling in 1968, coaching high school football and English at Cleveland High School while obtaining his degrees. Caston completed his Doctorate of Education degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1974. |
| Overnight fires near Jackson State University cause damage to 7 buildings, churches | |
| The Jackson Fire Department is investigating seven fires that happened overnight just a few miles from Jackson State University. Patrick Armon, assistant Jackson Fire chief, said he received the news about the fires around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. "The fires that caused the most damage were located on Dalton Street and Isaiah Montgomery Road," Armon said. "Fires were set on Robinson Road, Pascagoula Street, Briggs Street, Isaiah Montgomery Street, Lynch Street, Dalton Street and Terry Road. "Since the incident, we have put out all fires as we continue the investigation." Officials said they believe the fires were intentionally set and a suspect has not been identified in connection to the fires. According to media reports, the fires that occurred on Election Day, include several buildings including churches in the Jackson State neighborhood and a building on the Jackson State University baseball complex. No polling places were affected, Armon said. Democratic congressional candidate Shuwaski Young of District 3 released a statement on Tuesday morning, calling the fires acts of "terrorism." "This morning several churches were burned in Jackson, Mississippi on Election Day," the statement read. "These cowardly actions invoke historical acts of terrorism when people are fighting for their right to vote and live peacefully as Americans and Missisippians. We will not be deterred and will not be intimidated. We will not allow domestic terrorists to suppress our right to vote. I ask all Mississippians to go vote regardless of this decades old intimidation tactic to suppress our votes today. Just go vote." |
| Family of drowned U. of Alabama student file wrongful death lawsuit against Tuscaloosa bar | |
 | The family of a University of Alabama junior who drowned in the Black Warrior River last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a Tuscaloosa bar that served Garrett Walker shortly before his death, alleging the establishment illegally serves minors and continued to serve Walker when he was already intoxicated. The 20-year-old Maryland native's body was found 36 feet below the surface of the Black Warrior River on Nov. 9, 2021. His cause of death was determined to be accidental drowning, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court, and toxicology reports found his blood alcohol content to be .212, or nearly three times the legal limit. Walker's parents, Andrew and Debbie Walker, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against The Gray Lady, accusing the bar of negligence and wantonness, specifically violating the law by serving alcohol to minors including their son, and continuing to serve him even when he was already drunk. The Gray Lady was also accused of not being forthcoming about security camera footage the bar had from the night Walker, an aerospace engineering major, disappeared. |
| U. of Kentucky student accused of assault, racial slurs | |
| A white University of Kentucky student is accused of physically assaulting a Black student worker while repeatedly using racial slurs, officials said. The student was arrested Sunday at a residence hall and charged with assault, alcohol intoxication in a public place and disorderly conduct, according to the Fayette County jail. She pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Monday afternoon. The university said in a statement Sunday that a "disturbing incident" was captured on video in a residence hall. In the video, the female student worker says the other woman hit her multiple times and kicked her in the stomach. An arrest citation filled out by campus police said the suspect repeated a racial slur to a group of Black females and kept repeating the slur after she was detained, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. The student employee was working an overnight shift at the front desk of Boyd Hall, the university said. At one point in the video she says, "I don't get paid enough for this." University President Eli Capiluto said he has reached out to offer support to the victims while officials conduct an immediate review. "From my view of a video of the incident, the student worker acted with professionalism, restraint and discretion," his statement said. |
| 'You will not break my spirit.' UK student attacked in dorm speaks out during march on campus | |
 | Chanting "Protect Black women" and "Speak up, UK," hundreds of University of Kentucky students gathered on campus Monday night after video showing a reported assault and racist incident against a student over the weekend went viral. Organized by the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, a Black fraternity on campus, students marched from the William T. Young library to the Bowman statue near the Gatton Student Center. Students called for unity and for the university to quickly address the events from the weekend. An intoxicated UK student physically assaulted and spouted racial slurs at a Black student desk clerk, Kylah Spring, and a UK police officer early Sunday. The incident took place at Boyd Residence Hall where Sophia Rosing, a white student, entered and began taunting, using racial slurs and making derogatory comments toward Spring, a Black student. After police arrived, Rosing continued using slurs, resisted arrest and bit a police officer, according to the arrest report. Speaking to the marchers on Monday night, Spring said she was grateful for the support she had received since speaking out about the incident. At times speaking through tears, she thanked her family, friends and other UK students for supporting her. "This is a recurring issue in and across American school systems, no matter what age," Spring said. "I am deeply sad about the events that took place. But I am grateful for justice that is to come." Jaaliyah Biggers, a freshman, said she hopes Rosing will be expelled and that the university will conduct its investigation quickly and thoroughly. "It should be an immediate reaction, and immediately resolved," Biggers said. |
| U. of Arkansas board of trustees plans chancellor vote | |
| The chairman of the University of Arkansas board of trustees has called a special meeting at 11 a.m. Nov. 18 to have a public vote on the selection of a new chancellor for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The board is split over who should run the university -- interim Chancellor Charles F. Robinson or Daniel A. Reed of the University of Utah. Robinson, interim chancellor since August 2021, is the first Black person to be chancellor of UA-Fayetteville in even an interim capacity. Reed, presidential professor of computational science at the University of Utah, used to be his university's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. "While the possibility remains that the issue could be earlier resolved by the Board, it does seem appropriate that, if left unresolved, a public vote of the Trustees be held on the campus that will most be [affected] by a decision," said board Chairman C.C. "Cliff" Gibson III of Monticello. The meeting of the 10-member board will be held in person and via Zoom, originating at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House on the UA-Fayetteville campus. Zoom registration for the Nov. 18 special meeting will be posted before the meeting, the UA System office said. |
| Athens movie and television studio opens soundstage and learning center for UGA students | |
 | A group of visitors on Friday took their first steps inside Athena Studios for a dedication ceremony inside a 14,600-square-foot sound stage located on the campus of the studio's 45-acre site at 900 Athena Dr. The stage is housed by a building exclusively designed for use by University of Georgia and Georgia Film Academy students, and includes learning center space. The facility will serve as the front office for Athena Studios, which plans to be fully open for productions beginning in January 2023. Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony along with Athena Studios CEO Joel Harber, UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication Dean Dr. Charles N. Davis and Lee Thomas, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office. The UGA facility is fitted with the same state-of-the-art features as the other sound stages at the Athena Studios campus, including Insul-Quilt soundproofing and a "silent air" system that allows heat and air conditioning to be pumped directly into the stage while filming is underway without creating any extra noise. Just past the office are classrooms and a mirrored dressing room with sinks and a makeup table. The sound stage also has oversized concrete acoustic "elephant doors" and a large adjacent room that can be used for set construction or storage for props and equipment. |
| UF student body president Lauren Lemasters faces impeachment for Sasse vote | |
| Lauren Lemasters' presidency may come to a premature end thanks to one vote. Lemasters, the student body president, voted in favor of U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse for UF president, eliciting backlash from other Student Government leaders who disapproved of her decision and have called for her impeachment. Senate President Olivia Green (Gator-District A) expressed her disappointment in Lemasters' vote during the Nov. 1 Senate meeting. Vice President Daniel Badell and Treasurer Sierra Kantamneni -- who work with Lemasters in the executive branch -- echoed Green's sentiments in Instagram statements Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, respectively. The Student Senate Change Caucus submitted a resolution to impeach Lemasters under the charge of malfeasance Nov. 3. The resolution must be approved in a two-thirds vote of the Spring senators -- which is majority Gator -- before an impeachment trial occurs. As of Sunday, it's unclear when the vote will take place. Minority Caucus Leader Faith Corbett, an author of the impeachment resolution, said she wishes Gator Party leadership would have released statements before Lemasters' vote rather than after. "Change Caucus hopes Gator-affiliated Spring senators make their minds up between accountability and party lines," she said. Though Lemasters hasn't responded to requests for comment regarding the impeachment resolution, she defended her vote saying she expects Sasse to fulfill his promise to put aside his political affiliations and work with the LGBTQ community on campus. |
| Texas A&M Forest Service plants tree for Greens Prairie Elementary second graders | |
 | Second grade students at Greens Prairie Elementary were not the only ones blooming Friday morning. Following a presentation from the Texas A&M Forest Service, second graders had the opportunity to witness their very own American sycamore tree being planted on school grounds. To celebrate Texas Arbor Day, the A&M Forest Service sent more than 90 foresters to 50 schools across the state to educate students about the importance of trees, including how to plant and take care of them. Greens Prairie Elementary was one of the 50. With the theme "It Takes All Kinds," program specialists Ian Scadden and Amber Creppon led an interactive discussion about all things trees. Scadden began with a presentation about the history of Texas Arbor Day, why Texans celebrate the holiday in November and why trees are worth celebrating. Celebrating Texas Arbor Day in November originated from the idea that young trees need time to develop their root systems and support structures to survive the extreme levels of heat during Texas summers; thus, planting the trees in November gives them ample time to do so, he said. Creppon discussed the relationship and similarities between people and trees before she and Scadden dove into what helps trees survive, their parts and their life cycle. To demonstrate the parts of a tree, Scadden selected two students to dress up second grade teacher Jessica McMurray like a tree, much to the students' excitement. |
| Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging UW-Madison's practice of hiding some negative comments from social media | |
| The University of Wisconsin-Madison was within its right to hide some negative comments from its social media platforms because the criticisms were off topic to the posts at hand, a federal judge ruled this month. The dismissal of the case is a win for UW-Madison, which was sued last year by an alumna alleging censorship by the public university for scrubbing her critical comments about animal research from two of the school's social media platforms. Madeline Krasno, who graduated in 2013, worked in a UW-Madison research lab as an undergraduate animal caretaker where she said she encountered animal abuse firsthand, according to her complaint. The work led her to advocate for animal rights, including by posting about her job experience on the university's social media. But in 2020, she noticed that her negative comments weren't appearing on UW-Madison's Instagram account or Facebook page, which are followed by hundreds of thousands of users. It turns out that UW-Madison imposed an account restriction on Krasno's Instagram account, preventing any of her comments from appearing publicly. By the time she sued in February 2021, the university had lifted the account restriction, but some of her comments were still hidden because they contained keywords that UW-Madison had blocked. Among the banned keywords were several related to animal research, including animal testing, lab, torture, primate and monkeys. UW-Madison argued that its social media pages are public forums limited to discussing the topics of underlying posts, according to court filings. The university's social media policy said it has the right to remove comments considered off topic, and officials updated the policy after the lawsuit was filed to clarify how moderators address off-topic comments. |
| Cornell Halts Fraternity Parties After Alleged Sex Assault and Druggings | |
 | Cornell University announced the temporary suspension of all fraternity parties and social events in a statement on Monday, following alerts from the school's Police Department over the weekend that one student was sexually assaulted and at least four others were drugged at off-campus residences affiliated with fraternities registered with the school. The move came after the Interfraternity Council, which oversees fraternities at Cornell, held an emergency meeting with staff on Sunday, according to the statement. The Cornell police said they were made aware on Nov. 4 of at least four students who said they drank little or no alcohol at off-campus parties in recent weeks but became incapacitated. The students told the officers they had been "exposed to Rohypnol," the so-called date-rape drug. And on Sunday at around 4:45 a.m., another student reported that they had been sexually assaulted at another residence in the city, the police said. Cornell did not identify the gender of any of the victims. "Police and Cornell administrative investigations are underway," said the statement, signed by the university's president, Martha E. Pollack, and the vice president of student and campus life, Ryan Lombardi. "All found responsible will be held accountable." Cornell's fraternities also have a long history of hazing. The first documented fraternity hazing death in the United States, in 1873, was reported at the university. Twenty years later New York passed what is believed to be the nation's first state anti-hazing law. |
| Endowment returns drop across higher education | |
 | After booming returns from a red-hot market last year, endowments across higher education have taken a hit this year, with declines seen across the sector. As many colleges begin to make their endowment results available, the numbers coming out show a tale of two years -- one up, the other down -- which experts attribute to market volatility. Higher education endowments had a median return of 30.1 percent in fiscal year 2021. But analysis from this year shows declines; Wilshire Trust Universe Comparison Service reported earlier this year that college endowments fell by a median of 10.2 percent in fiscal year 2022, which closed on June 30, according to data provided to Inside Higher Ed. A more recent estimate from Cambridge Associates puts those losses at 7.8 percent. Among the country's other richest institutions, Stanford University's endowment fell by 4.2 percent; Princeton University saw a decline of 1.5 percent; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology experienced a loss of 5.3 percent; and the University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company saw a decline of 6.2 percent. Returns for the University of Pennsylvania were flat, and the University of Michigan saw returns grow by 2.2 percent for FY 2022. While the results of FY 2022 may look ugly for many institutions, financial experts say there's no reason for colleges and universities to panic given the long-term nature of endowments. The latest fiscal year is just one of many in the life of an endowment, said Tim Yates, president and CEO of the asset management company Commonfund. He said no one should get too excited or dismayed about a single year's performance and that ups and downs are inherent in managing an endowment. He also cautioned institutions against getting hung up on peer comparisons, noting that every endowment is different in terms of risk profile, liquidity, giving trends, operating budgets and more. |
| Campus voting drives aim to boost student turnout | |
| On the eve of today's midterm elections, a crack team of political organizers assembled in a "war room" at the Washington Marriott in Georgetown in D.C. from which they spoke to the press, monitored election disinformation and suppression, and helped thousands of on-the-ground volunteers coordinate get-out-the-vote efforts. They weren't Democratic or Republican Party strategists. They were college students from all over the country, members of a student-led organization called Voters of Tomorrow, whose goal is to promote voter turnout among college-age youth. Some were so young they had never cast a ballot before; they planned to do so today, amid another full schedule of mobilizing student voters. Jack Lobel, the organization's 18-year-old deputy communications director, said he believes that as a voting bloc, college students are more important than ever and are poised to be a major factor in the outcome of today's elections. "There's this narrative that young people don't vote, and it's pretty harmful," Lobel, a freshman at Columbia University, told Inside Higher Ed from the Marriott, where he said over a dozen student leaders were gathered. "We're trying to show young people that we have a real opportunity to make our voices count." Politicians, it seems, are taking notice of students' growing electoral influence and doing their best to keep them coming to the polls. President Biden even made a tour of college campuses as he traveled the country supporting candidates in recent days; in the past week alone he spoke at Florida Memorial University, Sarah Lawrence College in New York, Central New Mexico Community College, Mira Costa College in Oceanside, Calif., and Bowie State University in Maryland. |
| 'We are the future': Meet first-time voters supporting Republicans this cycle | |
 | Katelyn Diaz thinks it's time for the GOP to take notice of its young members. "There's people who don't want to pass on the microphone or the torch," said Diaz, a sophomore at University of California Irvine. "But I see young people in the Republican Party rising up more and more." In 2018 and 2020, young people turned out to vote in historically high numbers, helping Democrats cement a power trifecta in Washington. Diaz hopes her cohort turns out to vote this cycle in numbers that will enable Republicans to retake control of Congress. Still, Diaz has found people often assume she supports Democrats. "When people find out I'm pro-life, they're very shocked," she said. "I've had people dumbfounded, because I'm a woman of color, disabled -- they expect me to have certain political views and I don't have those political views." Abby Kiesa, Deputy Director at CIRCLE, a Tufts University research group focused on youth political engagement, says that misconception is common. "It's important to bust a myth that all young people under 30 are liberal," she explained, noting that in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, more than a third of young people voted for Donald Trump. "One of the things that is important when we think about electoral participation is that young people who are Republicans are less likely to be contacted by a campaign or by their party than young people who are Democrats," Kiesa said. |
| College Is a Dividing Line in Politics. Here's What You Need to Know. | |
 | The idea of college as a fundamental political division in the U.S. has prompted a great deal of handwringing in the academic world over the past six years. On Tuesday, a high-stakes midterm election will play out with college in the backdrop once again. On its surface, the divide is simple: People with college degrees increasingly vote for Democrats, while people who didn't go to college increasingly vote for Republicans. In a similar vein, there's a widening gap on opinions of college itself: Republicans tend to question the value of higher ed, while Democrats tend to support it. In 2020, 56 percent of college-educated voters supported Democrats, a share that grew slightly from 2016. And 56 percent of voters with a high-school education or less supported Republicans. Before 2016, a majority of people from both political parties had positive perceptions of colleges. Starting that year, 72 percent of Democrats maintained this view, but only 43 percent of Republicans did. What's behind the divide, however, is more complicated -- as The Chronicle wrote in 2020. Here's what the most recent data tell us. A 2022 survey by New America found that 73 percent of Democrats believe that colleges have a positive effect on the nation. Only 37 percent of Republicans said the same. Among all Americans, the proportion who believe higher ed is leading the country in a positive direction has dropped by 14 percentage points, to 55 percent, since 2020. Americans across the political spectrum agree that a college degree is valuable to an individual, and both Democrats and Republicans have expressed concerns about the rising cost of higher education. But they remain divided on who should pay for it. |
| Can common sense win again? | |
 | Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: So it comes to a head once again. Earlier this year, common sense won over nonsense when the Legislature chose not to fully eliminate personal income taxes. Instead, it moved to phase out the 4% tax bracket plus a few other changes. Now comes nonsense champion Gov. Tate Reeves once again pushing to eliminate the final 5% bracket. "Last session the fiscal and the financial environment was right to do exactly that, but unfortunately, the political environment was not," Reeves said at the MEC's annual Hobnob event. "This session I hope that's not the case." The main change to the political environment is that 2023 will be election year. That's traditionally when a governor, lieutenant governor, and legislators love to hand out perks and stake out popular positions so voters will keep them in office for four more years. By anchoring his own re-election prospects to the tax cut, Reeves hopes to pressure common sense champion Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann to back his proposal in the upcoming 2023 session. This year it was Hosemann's Senate that forced the compromise to eliminate only the 4% bracket. Hosemann still may not go for it. While he touts the state's excellent financial condition at this time, "inflation is scaring me," he said. "The possibility of a recession is scaring me." No one can predict the consequences surging inflation, the Federal Reserve's 400% increase in interest rates, and a looming recessing can have on Mississippi tax revenues. |
SPORTS
| Jans wins in debut; Mississippi St. beats Texas A&M-CC 63-44 | |
| Tolu Smith scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and coach Chris Jans won in his Mississippi State debut, a 63-44 season-opening victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Monday night. Jans previously coached at New Mexico State, where he led the Aggies from 2017-2022. Smith shot 8 of 10 from the floor and added three assists. It was the 14th career double-double for the senior forward. Shakeel Moore added 11 points for the Bulldogs. Terrion Murdix scored 10 points to lead Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. De'Lazarus Keys and Isaac Mushila each added eight points. The Islanders built a 30-25 halftime lead behind Murdix's 10 points. The game was tied 34-34 before Smith converted a three-point play and Moore's layup gave the Bulldogs a 39-34 lead. Trevian Tennyson hit a 3-pointer to get the Islanders within 39-37 with 12:34 remaining, but then the Islanders went cold, missing 14 of their last 17 shots from the field and shot just 21% overall in the second half. Smith scored six points and three others each made a 3-pointer in the final 10 minutes for the Bulldogs. |
| 'A sigh of relief': Mississippi State men's basketball wakes up in second half, wins Chris Jans' debut | |
| Dashawn Davis collected the steal and immediately turned upcourt, finding Mississippi State teammate Eric Reed, Jr. on the right wing. Reed tossed the basketball into the paint, where big man Tolu Smith stood waiting under the basket. Amid a crowd of defenders, Smith laid the ball up and in. For the first time Monday, the Bulldogs were operating as intended. It took more than a half of basketball, but Mississippi State (1-0) eventually got things going in a 63-44 win over Texas A&M–Corpus Christi (0-1) on Monday at Humphrey Coliseum. "We won by 19, and we didn't even play good, so I feel like our ceiling's high," Smith said. Like the arena they are playing in this season, the Bulldogs are a work in progress, but that was to be expected in their first game under new coach Chris Jans. Also to be expected were the growing pains MSU experienced in the first half, when it faced a deficit as big as 12 points midway through the period. The Islanders jumped out to a 20-8 lead before the Bulldogs gradually chipped away, going into halftime trailing by just five points and evening the score on Smith's layup less than two minutes into the second half. And it didn't take Mississippi State long to pull away from there. Up next, Mississippi State will face Akron (1-0) at 6 p.m. Friday in the Barstool Sports Invitational in Philadelphia. |
| D.J. Jeffries sparks Mississippi State basketball to win in Chris Jans' debut | |
| The Chris Jans era for Mississippi State basketball opened with a twist before Tuesday's 63-44 win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi tipped off. Fans appeared confused as the Bulldogs were introduced onto the court. Cheerleaders emerged from a tunnel with flags, but players didn't follow. That's because the players were coming from behind the fans. Mississippi State, opening its season at Humphrey Coliseum amid construction in and around the arena, emerged from the concourse. The Bulldogs walked onto the court in their all-white tracksuits, ringing in a fresh start for a program in desperate need of a rejuvenation. Instead, the on-court product to open the game resembled much of the same from last season's disappointment that resulted in Ben Howland's firing. The Bulldogs, behind 10 turnovers and 2-for-10 shooting from 3-point range, trailed 30-25 at the break. Forward Tolu Smith, scoring eight points in the opening half, provided the post presence expected. However, with guard Iverson Molinar now gone, preseason concerns about MSU lacking a guard or wing players to get a bucket when needed proved valid. .J. Jeffries offered a potential solution, scoring seven points in the opening four minutes of the second half and igniting a 19-7 run to give MSU an edge it didn't squander. "We ran that first play of the second half for him," Jans said of the 3-pointer Jeffries made to open the half. "Regardless if he made it or missed it, we wanted to give him an opportunity to get going." |
| 'Don't get too caught up in it': Mississippi State coach Mike Leach knows how to beat No. 1 | |
| Mike Leach is one of few people with experience beating the No. 1 team in the country. In 2008, Leach led Texas Tech to a 39-33 win over top-ranked Texas (the same score, incidentally, as Mississippi State's overtime win against Auburn on Saturday). Now, with No. 1 Georgia (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) visiting Starkville at 6 p.m. Saturday, Leach at least knows the general blueprint for dethroning college football's best. "Don't get too caught up in it," he said Monday. "Just focus on what you do." It's one thing to preach that message and another thing to make sure players believe it. Leach has found that out before with this batch of Bulldogs, saying after Mississippi State's 30-6 loss Oct. 15 at Kentucky that the coaches' message wasn't taken to heart. The new directive against the defending national champion will be a little different. "Just worry about what you do," Leach said. "Just worry about your job. Be the best football player you can be." That formula worked like a charm when the sixth-ranked Red Raiders lashed the Longhorns in Lubbock nearly 15 years ago. Texas Tech went into that game at 8-0; MSU is 6-3 (3-3 in SEC play) through its first nine games this season. Mississippi State has been unbeatable at home this year, but Georgia is a cut above any of MSU's opponents so far. |
| How will Mike Leach's hands-off approach line up with Mississippi State football's NIL push? | |
| Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach has plenty he'd rather entertain himself with than NIL. For starters, MSU (6-3, 3-3 SEC) hosts the nation's top team and reigning champion Georgia (9-0, 6-0) on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN). Creating a plan, ideally one with improved wide receiver play, against an elite defense is on the forefront of his mind. But Leach, considered one of the most intriguing personalities in college football, has interests outside of football. Those include pirates, warfare and most anything in southern Florida. However, the importance of NIL can't be ignored. He, along with those around him, do their best in keeping a pulse on the situation while balancing other matters. "Staff people keep an eye on (NIL)," Leach said Monday. "If something important surfaces, then they tell you. Chasing that around every day is like an unworkable deal." As Mississippi State battles with massive programs such as Georgia in creating lucrative collectives, Leach plays a crucial role. His program plays a crucial role. Saturday's 39-33 win against Auburn proved why. In the week that followed John Cohen's departure as MSU athletic director for the same role at Auburn, The Bulldog Initiative more than tripled its membership. A graphic was shown on the video boards during the game, encouraging fans to keep the membership growing. With a QR code attached, the graphic gave fans an opportunity to help the team from their seats. "That's outstanding," Leach said of the collective's growth. "Charlie (Winfield) does a great job. He's a smart guy, knows a little about everything and is good at organizing things. It really took off in a huge fashion. I think there's a lot of energy around Mississippi State and our program. The biggest thing is to harness it. That's a pretty good initial step." |
| Time, broadcast information announced for Mississippi State football game vs. East Tennessee State | |
| Mississippi State's lone FCS game of 2022 will have an early kickoff. The Bulldogs (6-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) will face East Tennessee State (3-6, 1-6 Southern Conference) at 11 a.m. Nov. 19, the SEC announced. Prior to the season, the SEC announced that the game against the Buccaneers would be televised on SEC Network Plus and ESPN+. Mississippi State comes off a 39-33 overtime win against Auburn on Saturday in Starkville. This week, the Bulldogs will host No. 1 Georgia (9-0, 6-0 SEC) at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN. The game against ETSU will be MSU's final home game of 2022. The Bulldogs will close out the regular season at 6 p.m. Nov. 24, Thanksgiving Day, in Oxford for their annual Egg Bowl rivalry game against Ole Miss. |
| Dawgs to Host New Mexico State in NCAA Tournament | |
| For the second time in program history, and the first under head coach James Armstrong, the Mississippi State soccer program will play in the NCAA Tournament. State will host New Mexico State on Friday, Nov. 11, at 3 p.m. CT. It will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Aggies. MSU reached its highest ranking in the United Soccer Coaches' Poll in program history this season when the team checked in at No. 21. The 11 wins so far mark the fourth time State has recorded 11 or more wins in a season. "This is a very proud day for our program," Armstrong said. "The girls made a commitment last year to do whatever it took to be a part of the selection show the following year, so we will enjoy this moment. I am so proud of the players and staff for the effort they have put in to making this a historical season so far. We will get back to work to prepare for another game on our home field in front of the loudest fans in the country. We can't wait to see everyone on Friday. Hail State!" Ticket information for the general public will be made available later this week. Mississippi State students will be able to attend the match for free. |
| Mississippi State soccer to host New Mexico State in first round of NCAA tournament on Friday | |
| The feeling inside the auditorium of the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex was tense on Monday afternoon as Mississippi State soccer awaited its place in the NCAA tournament. Luckily, the Bulldogs didn't have to wait long as their name appeared early into the selection show as a No. 7 seed, taking on New Mexico State at 3 p.m. Friday. "This is a very proud day for our program," Mississippi State head coach James Armstrong said. "The girls made a commitment last year to do whatever it took to be a part of the selection show the following year, so we will enjoy this moment." Mississippi State (11-5-4) will be playing in Florida State's quarter of the bracket. The Seminoles are the No. 1 national seed in this year's tournament. No one knew if the Bulldogs had the résumé to be able to host in this year's NCAA tournament with how the season ended as Mississippi State lost five of its last eight matches, including a second-round Southeastern Conference tournament loss to Alabama. However, Mississippi State's résumé this season speaks for itself, beginning with a 12-game unbeaten run to start the season and a 9-0-3 record over that span and the highest United Soccer coaches poll ranking in program history at No. 21. |
| JSU and Vicksburg mayor team up to push for help in funding new stadium | |
| Mayor George Flaggs is promoting a resolution titled, "Resolution in Support of a New Stadium for Jackson State University." JSU is the fourth largest university in the state of Mississippi and is located in the capital city. It is also an HBCU, Historically Black College and University. Flaggs and JSU officials are calling on all JSU alumni as well as lawmakers and the State of Mississippi as a whole to join in the effort. He urged those in support to request funding assistance from Governor Tate Reeves, Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann, and Mississippi Speaker of the House Philip Gunn. The new stadium would be located on JSU's current college campus. "Jackson State is securing world-wide recognition for our State. College GameDay was held in Jackson, MS. Coach Deion Sanders is bringing positive attention to our state and growing our state's economy by doing so," declared Mayor Flaggs in a press release. "At the very least, our State leadership could assist in helping construct and fund a stadium worthy for this University, the players, the students, and the visitors." |
| Georgia football offensive line faring well despite recent injuries | |
| The last time Georgia played a true road game, Kirby Smart has a rather succinct response when asked about the issues running the football in the first half of what turned out to be a 26-22 win at Missouri. "Gettin' yo ass whipped up front," he said. "You know, we ran some gap plays, and that really helped us. But, when you're not running the ball well, you're usually getting whipped." Georgia (9-0, 6-0 SEC) has gone from 46th in the nation at 178.6 rushing yards per game after that Oct. 1 game to 30th at 194.0 yards entering Saturday's 7 p.m. game at Mississippi State (6-3, 3-3). More impressively perhaps, the Bulldogs are tied for fourth in the nation in fewest sacks allowed at 0.78 with 7 total in 9 games. That's despite Georgia throwing the ball 36.1 times per game -- second most in the SEC. Georgia held Tennessee without a sack in a 27-13 win over the then College Football Playoff No. 1 ranked Volunteers and kept Florida without one in a 42-20 win a week earlier. The Bulldogs are giving up a sack every 46.4 pass attempts, which ranks fourth in the nation, according to figures compiled by Oregon athletics' Rob Moseley. The Ducks lead the nation in that category. "It all starts with the O-line," Georgia starting left tackle Broderick Jones said before the Florida game. "We're trying to uphold that standard of being physical and coming off the ball and striking and attack." |
| Will Tennessee's last home game have beer? Aramark responds after Neyland Stadium busts | |
 | Beer sales at Neyland Stadium generated $2.67 million last season, but the city of Knoxville isn't ignoring three recorded underage sales that have happened so far this season. Aramark, the vending company that handles Neyland Stadium beer sales, doesn't believe the city's law department is being fair in its complaint, which seeks a 60-day suspension or total revocation of Aramark's beer permits at Neyland. The complaint includes allegations that extend beyond the three reported incidents, citing general "disorderly" conduct on game days and incidents that happened under previous Aramark permits. Those things are out of Aramark's control, its lawyers argue. As the Vols prepare to take on Missouri this weekend, fans are wondering whether alcohol will be available for the team's final home game and whether Aramark has a case to keep the beer flowing for seasons to come. Aramark still holds permits for Neyland Stadium and will be able to sell beer for Tennessee's final home game against Missouri on Saturday. Tennessee has hosted six games at Neyland Stadium so far this season. The underage incidents happened at games against Akron, Florida and Alabama. An attorney for Aramark filed a motion with the city Friday to strike portions of the complaint. "Aramark does not control the premises, does not provide security, does not control who may or may not enter University property, and is not authorized to remove or eject patrons from the premises," reads the motion, which cites the Knoxville Police Department as one entity responsible for preventing disorderly conduct. |
| 'More like Greatfellow': Kentucky football fans are Venmoing punter Colin Goodfellow | |
| Colin Goodfellow's game-saving play Saturday against Missouri turned some Kentucky fans into good fellows. Goodfellow, a fifth-year senior punter, was able to track down an errant snap in the shadow of his own end zone and still kick the ball away late in the fourth quarter of Saturday's contest, with the Wildcats clinging to a 21-17 lead. Not only did he manage a punt, but more importantly, he drew a roughing the kicker penalty that gave the Wildcats a fresh set of downs -- and an opportunity to run more time off the clock. But it came at a cost: Goodfellow had to be taken off the field on a cart following a hit from Missouri linebacker Will Norris. After the game, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said Goodfellow was "in severe pain." The team, Stoops added, hopes the injury is "nothing major." Goodfellow's sacrifice for the team led members of the fan base to donate money to what appears to be his personal Venmo account. The friendly gestures -- mostly just a few bucks with comments saying the cash is for things like beer, ice and wings -- appears to have started when a Twitter account named Mark Stoops Burner shared a screenshot of Goodfellow's Venmo account shortly after the punter's game-saving punt. But in all likelihood, the generosity of the Wildcats' fan base won't help Goodfellow's bank account. Because his on-field feat is not related to his name, image and likeness, Goodfellow likely will have to return the money, stemming from NCAA rules on compensation. |
| Vanderbilt football assistant Dan Jackson to 'step back' from program after controversy | |
 | Vanderbilt football defensive backs coach Dan Jackson will step back from the program while the university's Equal Opportunity and Access office reviews a comment defending Kanye West on Facebook, athletics director Candice Lee said in a statement Monday. "To be clear, Vanderbilt rejects antisemitism, racism and discrimination in all its forms," the statement read in part. "Consistent with Vanderbilt's process for addressing reports of discrimination, the matter has now been referred to our Equal Opportunity and Access office for review. It is important the university follow its standard process and conduct a thorough review of the complexities of this incident. "Coach Jackson and I have agreed that he will step back from his responsibilities with the team during the Equal Opportunity and Access office's review." Jackson's comment stated that Kanye West is "two steps ahead of everyone else" after West had been heavily criticized and dropped by sponsors for espousing antisemitic conspiracy theories, and it led to criticism by the group Stop Antisemitism on Twitter. After the incident, Jackson coached in Saturday's loss to South Carolina. |
| New Endorsements for College Athletes Resurface an Old Concern: Sex Sells | |
| Olivia Dunne is a gymnast on Louisiana State's women's team. She was an all-American in her freshman year and made the Southeastern Conference's honor roll as a sophomore majoring in interdisciplinary studies. Ahead of the start of her junior season, Dunne is also at the leading edge of a movement shaking the old foundations of college sports: a female student athlete raking in cash thanks to the passage in 2021 of new rules allowing college athletes to sign name, image and likeness, or N.I.L., deals. Dunne, 20, won't give specifics on her earnings, which at least one industry analyst projects will top $2 million over the next year. "Seven figures," she said. "That is something I'm proud of. Especially since I'm a woman in college sports." She added: "There are no professional leagues for most women's sports after college." Dunne, a petite blond with a bright smile and a gymnast's toned physique, earns a staggering amount by posting to her eight-million strong internet following on Instagram and TikTok, platforms on which she intersperses sponsored content modeling American Eagle Outfitters jeans and Vuori activewear alongside videos of her lip syncing popular songs or performing trending dances. To Dunne, and many other athletes of her generation, being candid and flirty and showing off their bodies in ways that emphasize traditional notions of female beauty on social media are all empowering. "It's just about showing as much or as little as you want," Dunne said of her online persona. But the new flood of money -- and the way many female athletes are attaining it -- troubles some who have fought for equitable treatment in women's sports and say that it rewards traditional feminine desirability over athletic excellence. |
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