| Thursday, December 1, 2022 |
| Starkville Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on new house, neighborhood | |
 | A family in Starkville will soon have a new home in a new neighborhood. Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity broke ground Wednesday on its 14th annual Maroon Edition home. The ceremony also marked the dedication of the organization's new neighborhood, "Kelly Estates." The development will have room for up to 30 houses. The house currently under construction is a joint project with Mississippi State University. It will belong to Angela Nichols and her family. During Wednesday's ceremony, Nichols thanked the MSU community and the volunteers helping to build her home. Kelly Estates is located on 16th Section Road in Starkville. |
| Golden Triangle sales tax collections up over last year | |
 | Sales tax collections continue to show growth year-over-year throughout the Golden Triangle. Sales tax diversions run on a three-month window, where they are collected by retailers one month, sent to MDR the next, and then dispersed to cities and counties the third. Therefore, November diversions generally reflect sales from September. Starkville has also seen continued growth as it ends the second month of its fiscal year. The city received $780,897 from state diversions this month, compared to $754,967 at the same time last year, a 3.3-percent growth. Diversions were up 3.2 percent from October ($756,127). The city's fiscal year-to-date diversions currently total $1,537,025, compared to $1,476,030 in the same period last year, a 4-percent increase. The city budgeted $9.3 million in sales tax revenue for its current fiscal year. Mayor Lynn Spruill said she is satisfied with the current growth in diversions and attributed some of that success to the football season and the city's continued economic growth. "As our retail grows, it brings in people from an extended range," Spruill said. "People from Louisville, people from Winona, people from lots of surrounding areas. And with them comes the opportunity to have lunch while they're shopping. Or just come to eat because we have some unique and excellent restaurants in town." |
| Property owner: Limited operating hours for bar would result in lawsuit against county | |
| The owner of an Oktibbeha County bar and his landlord claim the business' revenues have dropped dramatically due to actions by the county, and one is threatening legal action if the board of supervisors moves forward with a plan to limit operating hours for all resort status establishments. Double Headed Eagle Bar and Grill is located at the former Cowbells location, in the Highland Plantation development near Clayton Village at the intersection of Highway 82 and Highway 182. Cowbells was designated resort status by the Mississippi Department of Revenue when it opened in 2009, allowing it to operate under extended hours. Cowbells closed in 2020, and in October of this year, Nick Plava opened Double Headed Eagle Bar and Grill. Like Cowbells, Plava set the closing time on Friday and Saturday night at 3 a.m. Plava told The Dispatch the bar was shut down the first Saturday he was open after a call was made to the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Department complaining the bar was still open past 1 a.m. While county board of supervisors attorney Rob Roberson has advised OCSD to allow the bar to operate until 3 a.m., he plans to present supervisors with a new resort status ordinance on Monday, which will dictate a closing time of 1 a.m. for all resort status bars and nightclubs. Plava and property owner Larry Mitrenga say such a move will cost the business thousands in lost revenue, and will likely result in the closing of the business and a lawsuit. |
| Third federal class action lawsuit filed against United Furniture | |
 | A third lawsuit has been filed alleging that United Furniture Industries violated the federal WARN Act when it fired all its employees without notice just days before Thanksgiving. Lee County resident Frances Denise Alomari is the plaintiff in the lawsuit filed by Lexington-based attorney Don Barrett. The lawsuit was originally filed Nov. 23 just after noon in the Oxford division of U.S. District Court. Two other class action suits with the same allegations were filed the day before in the Aberdeen division of U.S District Court. On Nov. 29, Senior District Court Judge Glen Davidson signed an order transferring the case to the Aberdeen division. The lawsuits are based on the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires companies with more than 100 employees to give 60 days advance written notice before layoffs or shutting down. Booneville attorney Casey Lott's firm filed the first complaint on behalf of Toria Neal, a Lee County resident who worked for United for more than eight years. Attorney Phillip Hearn filed the second complaint listing 32 plaintiffs but said he had another 150 former United employees already signed up. Hearn later filed an amended complaint listing only Willie Poe, a Chickasaw County resident, as the sole plaintiff. The first two cases have been assigned to District Court Judge Sharion Aycock, and all three seek to be certified as a class action. |
| Ellis opening set next week | |
 | The reopening of the renovated Ellis Theater downtown next week marks the opening of Marty Stuart's Congress of Country Music. Marty Stuart did not win the talent contest under the Pavilion at the 1970 Neshoba County Fair, the CCM website says. He was thwarted by a baton twirler with a dazzling smile. Stuart did, however, go on to win five Grammy Awards, multiple gold and platinum albums, induction into the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame, and most importantly, the heart and hand of Connie Smith. Growing up, Stuart, a Philadelphia native, spent many a Saturday afternoon walking to movies at the Ellis. Now, the Country Music Hall of Famer is back at the Ellis realizing his dream of bringing the Congress of Country Music to downtown Philadelphia. His dream is a proposed $40 million project that one day will house Stuart's vast collection of Country Music memorabilia. The center will also serve as an education center. Renovating the Ellis and creating a venue capable of attracting the top performers in the music industry while also serving the community's Art Council, is the first phase of Stuart's dream. Actual renovation of the Ellis began earlier this year with funding from the Legislature. The theater was stripped to the frame and is being formed into a state-of-the-art facility, proponents say. "It's part of a dream come true," Stuart said. "I have no doubt the rest of it will come true. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication and just staying with it. Everything about the building is world class. It is going to be a magnificent facility for generations to come, to come and enjoy." |
| Mississippi Farm Bureau to celebrate 100th anniversary with Trace Adkins concert | |
| For 100 years now, Farm Bureau Federation has served as Mississippi's largest general farm organization, providing insurance coverage to more than 180,000 member families in all 82 counties. To celebrate its centennial anniversary, Mississippi Farm Bureau (MFBF) will be hosting a concert featuring country music stars Trace Adkins, Clay Walker, and Drake White at the Mississippi Coliseum on Saturday, December 3. "By hosting this concert, we hope to show our appreciation to our member families and bring attention to all the hard work Mississippi farmers and ranchers do every day and have done for 100 years," MFBF President Mike McCormick said. "We are proud to have Trace Adkins, Clay Walker, and Drake White join us in celebrating this milestone." Adkins, who made his debut in 1996 with his Dreamin' Out Loud album, has charted over 20 singles on the Billboard country music charts. Some of his best-known songs include "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing," "Ladies Love Country Boys," "You're Gonna Miss This," and "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." The concert will begin at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at either the coliseum box office or on ticketmaster.com. |
| Mississippi welcomes new terminal for Port of Pascagoula | |
 | Enviva and Port Authority officials celebrated Wednesday after opening a new terminal for the Port of Pascagoula -- a plan that has been in development for 10 years. "It's been a long time coming. That only happens when we think about things like this strategically," said Thomas Meth. This $90 million investment will help ship wood pellets from Mississippi to other places across the world in an effort that Enviva president Thomas Meth says will help ease the usage of fossil fuel usage. "The energy secure element that wasn't much of a discussion a couple years ago is front and center of what we all provide together from Mississippi to places that desperately need alternatives," he said. Thomas says this will provide an economic boost for the state creating over 400 new jobs for Jackson, Harrison and George Counties. The biggest obstacle for terminal shipment, however, is a possible national rail strike. Governor Tate Reeves says the issue isn't as much of a concern due of the state's geographical advantage. "There are ways to move product certainly via truck over interstates, there's ways to move product via water," said Reeves. |
| Jerome Powell Signals Fed Prepared to Slow Rate-Rise Pace in December | |
 | Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell provided a clear signal that the central bank is on track to raise interest rates by a half percentage point at its next meeting, stepping down from an unprecedented series of four 0.75-point rate rises aimed at combating high inflation. Mr. Powell, in a speech Wednesday, said an overheated labor market needed to cool more for the Fed to be confident that inflation would decline toward its 2% goal. Because the Fed has raised rates rapidly and it takes time for those moves to influence the economy, it would make sense for officials to slow rate increases, he said at an event at the Brookings Institution. "The time for moderating the pace of rate increases may come as soon as the December meeting," he said. Fed officials lifted their benchmark rate by 0.75 percentage point on Nov. 2 to a range between 3.75% and 4%, which is up from near zero in early March. Many officials have signaled they are leaning toward approving a 0.5-point increase at their Dec. 13-14 meeting. Investors have been eager for evidence that the central bank would slow its pace of rate rises, and markets rallied after Mr. Powell's remarks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.2%, or about 735 points, enough to put the index back in a bull market, defined as a 20% rise from a recent low. |
| McDaniel blasts Hosemann as too liberal, weighs Lt. Gov. run | |
| Longtime state Sen. Chris McDaniel, once the standard bearer for tea party conservatives in Mississippi who made two unsuccessful U.S. Senate runs, is pondering a challenge of incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann next year. McDaniel says Hosemann isn't conservative enough for Mississippi. "My official answer is, all the cards are on the table and all the options are available and there's time to decide," McDaniel said when questioned about a run for lieutenant governor. "... (Hosemann) is not one of us, and that's causing a tremendous amount of frustrated conservatives." McDaniel called Hosemann, "the best thing that's happened to Democrats in this state in a generation." "... I will be running some type of race one way or the other in 2023, so I have been fundraising, and traveling the state meeting people who share conservative values ... Mississippi deserves fighters in the mold of DeSantis and in the mold of Trump. We are a very red state and we should behave like we are a red state." Hosemann through a spokesperson declined comment on McDaniel's brickbats or potential run. Unseating a popular and well-known Republican like Hosemann would be a tough task in Mississippi, where majority party incumbency typically wins the day. But McDaniel, although he fell short in his U.S. Senate races in 2014 and 2018, should not be taken lightly as a challenger, said Austin Barbour, a longtime state and national GOP strategist. "I think in the political environment in this country right now, to a certain degree all incumbents have vulnerability," Barbour said. "If you don't believe me, go ask (U.S. Rep.) Michael Guest, who got the scare of his life this year in a Republican primary. "I think if Chris McDaniel runs for lieutenant governor, he has to be taken seriously," Barbour said. "... He's got hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, and people like me who do campaigns know how valuable an asset a social media presence like Chris McDaniel's is." |
| Justice Dept. Strikes Deal to Address Struggling Water System in Jackson | |
 | The Justice Department has sharply increased its role in monitoring the antiquated and failing water system in Jackson, Miss., reaching an agreement to help stabilize the drinking water supply in the city after tens of thousands of residents had no access to water over the summer. As part of the agreement, the government's lawyers proposed appointing an outside expert to oversee operations until the system is reorganized and major repairs can be made. Local officials and Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican who has been highly critical of their efforts to deal with the problem, have agreed to the plan, and a federal judge approved the matter late Tuesday. "We are approaching this with the greatest possible urgency and we believe our partners in this are doing so as well, so we will bring this to conclusion as soon as we possibly can," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland told reporters at the Justice Department on Wednesday. The department, acting on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, also filed a civil suit against the city on Tuesday, accusing officials of failing to provide drinking water that reliably complied with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Under the agreement, the interim manager would operate the city's public drinking water system to bring it into compliance with federal and state laws, oversee the city agency responsible for billing and carry out improvements to the system, among other priorities. |
| Jackson water system handed to the 'Elon Musk of the water utility industry' | |
 | The newly appointed man tasked with overseeing the City of Jackson's water crisis has been called a visionary and groundbreaking within the water utility industry. Perhaps a bit of utility world hyperbole, but articles have compared him to Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. Ted Henifin has been appointed as the City of Jackson water system's third-party administrator and takes over a system that has more than a century of mismanaged decisions. According to the interim stipulated order, Henifin will be paid $400,000 a year, which will include his salary, living expenses and travel expenses. The order also notes that other staff will be compensated up to $725,000. Those positions would include a local deputy administrator/senior project manager, project managers/contract inspectors, a contract administrator/invoice processor and an environmental compliance manager. An online profile of Henifin says he is a registered professional engineer who served 15 years as general manager of the Hampton Roads Sanitation District in Virginia. Before that, he served as director of public works for the city of Hampton, Virginia. Henifin's career has spanned nearly 40 years and during that time he's held roles in public works and utilities in federal and local government. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in civil engineering. |
| McCarthy readies for floor showdown in Speakership bid as opponents dig in heels | |
 | House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is expected to go to the House floor to fight for the Speakership as his GOP opponents signal their stance is hardening. McCarthy this week started posturing for a floor showdown and turning up the heat on those withholding support. On Newsmax on Monday, McCarthy warned that House Democrats could pick the Speaker if Republicans "play games" on the House floor on Jan. 3. He shot down a question from CNN on Tuesday on whether he would step down in the race for Speaker if he does not get support from 218 Republicans. And on Fox News Tuesday night, he warned that if he does not get a majority of Speaker votes, GOP investigative priorities cannot go forward. "We can't start investigating [Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro] Mayorkas. We can't secure the border. We can't lower the gasoline price by making us energy independent," McCarthy said. McCarthy won support from more than 80 percent of the House Republican Conference for the Speakership nomination. But 31 Republicans voted against him, and with the GOP winning a slim majority -- around 222 seats to around 212 for Democrats, all of whom are expected to vote for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) for Speaker -- just a handful of GOP defectors on the floor could force multiple Speaker ballots or sink his bid. A Speaker can be elected with fewer than 218 votes, as the nominee only needs support from a majority of those voting for a candidate. Vacancies, such as the seat for the late Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), who died on Monday, absences and "present" votes lower the threshold that a Speaker will have to reach, and potentially give McCarthy some wiggle room. |
| McCarthy says Republicans will investigate Jan. 6 committee's work | |
 | House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says Republicans will probe the work of the House select committee that has been investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, after the GOP takes control of the chamber next year. In a letter sent Wednesday to Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the bipartisan panel, McCarthy instructed the committee's members to preserve all of its records and testimony transcripts, even as he acknowledged that was already required under House rules. McCarthy also vowed that Republicans would launch their own inquiry into "why the Capitol complex was not secure" on the day a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol seeking to stop the certification of Joe Biden's electoral win. Five people died in the insurrection or in its immediate aftermath, and dozens were injured, including at least 140 law enforcement officers, who were harassed, beaten and sprayed with gas substances by the mob. McCarthy's letter echoes the desire of many other Republican lawmakers to aggressively go after the Jan. 6 committee, which they have long criticized as a purely political vehicle to attack former president Donald Trump. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) -- the likely next chairman of the House Judiciary Committee -- and his staff are already preparing to examine any evidence omitted from the final report that is more flattering or at least exculpatory about Trump's actions leading up to the Jan. 6 assault, according to one Republican operative who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe GOP strategy. In his letter to Thompson Wednesday, McCarthy continued to suggest the committee was politically motivated, citing a Washington Post report that indicated more than a dozen committee staffers were upset that the final report could focus too much on Trump, at the expense of revelations about militia and extremist groups, financing behind the attack, and the law enforcement and intelligence community's failure to prepare for the siege. |
| Jeffries elected first Black leader of a congressional caucus | |
 | House Democrats on Wednesday officially elected New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as the next minority leader by unanimous consent, making him the first Black lawmaker to lead a congressional party caucus. Jeffries' new role won't start until January when the new Congress is sworn in and Republicans take control of the House. His No. 1 priority for the next two years is to lead Democrats back to the majority in 2024. Until then, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who announced earlier this month she would step down from leadership after 20 years as the top House Democrat, will continue to lead her caucus through major lame-duck legislative negotiations on government spending, defense policy and other legislation that lawmakers hope to pass before the current Congress ends. Jeffries is the outgoing Democratic Caucus chair, a post he's held for the maximum two-term limit under caucus rules. Before that he served as co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, the caucus messaging arm. California Rep. Pete Aguilar, outgoing caucus vice chair, was elected by unanimous consent to succeed Jeffries as caucus chair, which will be moving up in leadership rankings to become the No. 3 position. Massachusetts Rep. Katherine M. Clark will fill the No. 2 slot after Democrats elected her to be minority whip by unanimous consent. The longtime No. 2 Democrat, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, is stepping down from leadership like Pelosi. Clark is currently assistant speaker and previously served as caucus vice chair. |
| USM 'lights the way' for the 25th time | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi is officially in the holiday spirit. USM's Student Government Association hosted the 'lighting the way' event, where it lit up campus with a 30-foot Christmas tree comprised of more than 17,000 lights. In addition to the tree, the university had a cider bar, hot chocolate, pictures with Santa and a showing of "The Grinch." "It usually is the beginning of their finals week," said USM coordinator of traditions Caroline Carney. "They start finals shortly after. "So, it is a nice reprieve from the hectic studying and cramming for finals." The tree will be lit up throughout the holiday season on the administration building's southside lawn. |
| Jackson Councilman cleans up areas near JSU ahead of SWAC championship | |
| One Jackson City Councilman is cleaning up areas near Jackson State University and encouraging nearby businesses to do the same. It's all in an effort to give a good impression to out-of-town visitors ahead of the SWAC championship. "We want to make sure that we clean up the ward which JSU resides," Ward 5 Jackson City Councilman Vernon Harley said. "We want to have a good impression." Councilman Hartley has specific areas mapped out that need attention ahead of Saturday's big game. "We're focusing on University Blvd, Terry Rd, Highway 80, Lynch Street, Ellis Avenue, Prentiss St, Robinson St," he said. But no matter how much you narrow it down, cleaning up the capital city is a job that's bigger than just one man. "It's harder to clean up if you haven't been doing it on a regular basis." That's why Hartley will have gone to about 40 businesses near JSU by the time the SWAC championship rolls around. All in an effort to get them to put their best face forward. Jackson State will take on Southern University in the SWAC Championship game at The Vet Saturday at 3 p.m. |
| Valley musicians excited to perform in Texas | |
| Mississippi Valley State University choir and band students are scheduled to arrive in Houston, Texas, early Thursday afternoon for their chance to perform alongside artists including Anthony Hamilton. By winning a competition in September, the choir and band were awarded a $75,000 prize and the opportunity to perform at McDonald's 16th annual Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour Holiday Experience on Friday. The show is to be broadcast for Mississippi viewers on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. on the Revolt TV network, which can be found on channels 393 or 126 for Optimum customers or 384 for DirecTV customers. The performance will also be available to stream from Revolt's YouTube channel on Dec. 18. Valley's win was announced the Friday before Thanksgiving. Since then, they've been "running nonstop," choir director Brandon Cash said. Rehearsals have been held in the evenings and afternoons, as well as one on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and one Tuesday afternoon ahead of inclement weather. A rehearsal at New Light Christian Church in Houston is scheduled Thursday. "It's been challenging to juggle everything, but it's all about time management and being dedicated to your craft," said Markeyveon Davis, choir president. "Choir is a privilege to be in." Davis said he's been making sure everyone is mentally and physically prepared for the trip -- which was to begin at 3 a.m. Thursday -- and performance. "I make sure people have the correct parts and are at rehearsal on time," he said. "I've been doing daily check-ups, sharing motivational quotes, just outreach if anyone needs to talk." |
| School principals say misinformation, politics made last year 'rough as hell' | |
 | "Rough as hell." That's how one high school principal in Nevada describes the 2021-'22 school year, when conflicts with parents and community members were all too common. "Something needs to change or else we will all quit," says another principal, in California. Those voices are part of a new, nationally representative survey of 682 public high school principals, many of whom describe a level of tension and division within their broader school communities that is not only high but, in the words of one Utah principal, making the job harder "than any other era in my 20 years of administrative experience." John Rogers, a professor of education at UCLA, helped lead the survey effort and says, while an earlier, 2018 survey of principals revealed conflicts spilling into schools, "what's different in 2022 is that a lot of the political conflict is being targeted at public schools," especially in narrowly divided "purple" districts. More than two-thirds (69%) of principals surveyed report "substantial political conflict" with parents or members of the community last year over several controversial topics. The survey was conducted during the summer of 2022 by the Institute for Democracy, Education and Access at UCLA and the Civic Engagement Research Group at UC Riverside. The resulting report is rich with detail and gut-punch quotes that school leaders offered researchers in exchange for anonymity. |
| U. of Florida food pantry receives $25,000 donation from local business partners | |
 | The University of Florida's food pantry has received a donation of $25,000 from local partners to ensure that no student or faculty goes hungry through the upcoming holiday season. The lump sum of money was donated in a collaboration between PepsiCo and Winn-Dixie who were supporting UF's Alan and Cathy Hitchcock Field and Fork Pantry, located at 520 Newell Drive. "I'm just so grateful," said Roselind Brown, assistant director of Hitchcock Field and Fork Pantry. "It's nice to know we have a little cushion. We are fully donor-operated and donor based so it's wonderful to have these funds, and the in-kind donations, as well." Eddie Daniels, assistant vice president for Business Services, said $5,000 from the donation went towards the food that was pulled off the trucks and $20,000 will go towards vouchers that the food pantry can use to purchase food. Representatives from PepsiCo and Winn Dixie could be seen unloading truckloads of food and stocking shelves with seasonings, ramen, tuna, boxes of mac and cheese, peanut butter and loaves of bread. Daniels said there are students on UF's campus who are struggling with food insecurity sometimes go unnoticed. "Being food insecure doesn't necessarily mean being on the street and not knowing where your next meal is going to come from, it could just mean a student's not having as much as they'd like to eat on a daily basis," Daniels said. |
| Texas A&M University choirs prepare for Holiday Spirit of Aggieland performance | |
 | People of all ages are can hear a chorus of Christmas melodies during the Holiday Spirit of Aggieland -- hosted by the Texas A&M University Choral Activities -- at 3 p.m. Sunday at Rudder Auditorium, where three choirs will sing classic Christmas songs. Texas A&M Choral Activities choirs include the Century Singers, the Singing Cadets and the Women's Chorus; each choir contains a small ensemble within the group. Texas A&M senior Caroline Cordova, president of the Women's Chorus, joined the group as a sophomore and said she has been singing since she was 5 years old. "My first ever choir was my church choir, and I kept participating in choir through high school," she said. "I told myself that I would join one of the choirs at A&M when I came into school, and I was planning on doing it after my first semester and then COVID hit unfortunately. So I forced myself to kind of push myself out there to find a group and I found one, and it is the best group ever and I love it very much." Cordova said she is ready to perform for the fourth time with her group and hopes that people who come to the concert are able to find their holiday spirit. "As you get a little older you kind of don't sense the holiday spirit as much as you did when you were a kid," she said. "I hope that when people come hear us sing it is kind of an opening for the spirit and the holiday coming near, and that it kind of jumpstarts the December month and gives them something to look forward to and be excited about." |
| Artificial intelligence changing the game in U. of Missouri cancer, muscle research | |
 | Artificial intelligence is becoming a bigger part of University of Missouri research. The use of machines to mimic human intelligence and collect data is now a prominent feature in cancer research, the study of muscle movements, treatment of neurological disorders and other disciplines at the university. At MU's Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, a new artificial intelligence -- or AI -- software known as Ethos is being used to provide a more accurate and concise radiotherapy to treat patients. Ethos was developed by Varian, a medical technology company based in California. The technology makes it easier for caregivers to track the area each cancer treatment dose goes to, and modify patient care as needed. "We want to come up with the best possible treatments for our patients in the community," Gregory Biedermann, MU assistant professor of radiation oncology, said in an interview Wednesday. MU began using Ethos Nov. 9, he said. Six patients are now being treated using the technology. "It's been a slower process of making sure we're getting familiar with it and identifying this is not for every patient as well," Biedermann said. While it's too early to determine Ethos' success on MU cancer patients, Biedermann said he's noticed small victories and ultimate success will be measured in the weeks to come. |
| U. of Louisville picks Kim Schatzel of Towson as new president | |
| Towson University President Kim Schatzel will be the next president of the University of Louisville. Schatzel will be the university's 19th president and the second woman to lead the school. U of L's board of trustees voted unanimously to hire her in a special meeting Wednesday morning. Speaking briefly to the board immediately after their vote, Schatzel said the appointment is a "lifetime opportunity." for her. "I'm all in for U of L," Schatzel said, adding she plans on spending at least a decade in Louisville. She is set to start Feb. 1, and interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez is expected to return to her prior post as provost once Schatzel is in place. Gonzalez has led the school since last December after President Neeli Bendapudi left to take the top job at Penn State University. Schatzel, 66, will have a $925,000 yearly salary and receive $200,000 annually for her retirement, according to a draft of her contract. She comes to Louisville with decades of experience in both the private sector and higher education. She was a first generation college student, she said in her remarks, just like one-third of U of L students. "I hope they see themselves in me and that they, too, can -- and should -- aspire to be the president of a premier metropolitan research university," she said. Schatzel has won multiple awards for her focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. |
| Victims' families urge love, kindness as Idaho campus mourns | |
 | As hundreds of students mourned together inside the University of Idaho's stadium Wednesday night, family members of four slain classmates urged them to raise their eyes from grief and focus on love and the future. "The only cure to pain is love -- it's the only thing that's going to to heal us; it's the only thing that's going to heal you," Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, told the crowd gathered at the vigil. "That will make a difference, and that's something they can see where they're at right now: That you changed your life a little bit, that you're a little bit nicer, a little bit kinder." Some in the crowd held each other and wiped their eyes as they remembered Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington. The four were stabbed to death Nov. 13 at a rental home near campus in the quiet university town of Moscow, Idaho, and law enforcement has yet to name a person of interest in the case. Fears that the killer could strike again has prompted many students to finish the semester by taking online classes from the perceived safety of their hometowns. As a result, similar scenes played out across the state as simultaneous candlelight vigils were held in multiple cities. In downtown Boise, several hundred people cupped their hands around candle flames outside a University of Idaho's building. High schools in some cities lit up their athletic fields in a sign of solidarity. Homeowners were urged to leave their porch lights on as a gesture of support. |
| New church office cutting faculty members at Brigham Young | |
 | Two faculty members at Brigham Young University's Idaho campus say they were suddenly told they can't work there anymore. While the reason for the nonrenewals remains obscure, the professors both believe they were rejected for questioning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' stance on homosexuality. Last academic year, BYU's Utah campus let go a longtime professor of writing under similarly mysterious circumstances. The professor said then that the only possible explanation was her own LGBTQ advocacy: wearing a rainbow pin on the first day of class and sometimes mentioning she had gay family members. BYU, which is operated by the Mormon Church, does not permit same-sex relationships. The church itself does not perform same-sex marriages, and leaders sometimes refer to same-sex attraction as a "challenge." BYU Idaho did not respond to a request for comment about the nonrenewals. BYU in Utah referred questions to Idaho. Regarding the writing instructor nonrenewed last year, BYU in Utah has said that contract nonrenewals happen "for many different reasons." Some observers of the Mormon Church and BYU say the institutions have been taking a harder line on faith-based issues over the past few years, including by requiring that all new Mormon employees have a temple "recommend" attesting to their adherence to the church's teachings. Job candidates seeking this recommend must agree their local bishops can share potentially confidential information about them as part of the process. |
| A New Push to Make Financial-Aid Offers More Transparent | |
 | So how much does this cost? It's a simple question people ask all time, whether they're shopping for a winter coat or a Camry. But as many Americans know, it's much more difficult to determine exactly how much money they'll need to cover the costs of attending a particular college. For one thing, financial-aid offers are often downright confusing. A new national initiative intends to change that. On Tuesday the leaders of 10 higher-education associations plan to announce the formation of a task force that aims to enhance the "clarity, accuracy, and consistency" of financial-aid offers, the main tool colleges use to communicate eligibility for federal, state, and institutional financial-aid programs to students. M. Peter McPherson, president emeritus of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and chairman of the task force, told The Chronicle that its members plan to develop a set of standards and principles for colleges. "This is a huge financial decision for families -- they really need to understand what they're getting into," said McPherson, a former president of Michigan State University. "Millions of these aid offers go out every year. So it's a big societal question whether the information is presented with clarity and accuracy, using words that people can understand." In recent years, McPherson has examined financial-aid offers his grandchildren received. "By and large, I thought they did a good job," he said of those offers. "But in some cases, they weren't as complete as they could be. Like, what's the estimated full cost of attendance? And what's included in that? I don't think this is ever going to be perfect for every student, but we can have some common language, definitions, and expectations of what should be included in a way that can make things easier for students to make comparisons." |
| Yale University sued over student mental health policies | |
| Yale University is accused in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday of discriminating against students with mental health disabilities, including pressuring some to withdraw from the prestigious institution and then placing "unreasonable burdens" on those who seek to be reinstated. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut on behalf of current and former students seeks no monetary damages. Rather, it demands changes to Yale's withdrawal policies, including the required forfeiture of health insurance and tuition payments, among other rules. "Yale's withdrawal policies and practices push students with mental health disabilities out of Yale, impose punitive consequences on students who have withdrawn, and place unreasonable burdens on students who, after a withdrawal, seek reinstatement," according to the suit, which contends that the burden is most harsh on students "from less privileged backgrounds." The plaintiffs contend that Yale needs to implement a process for handling students with mental health needs that's more accommodating for individuals. In a Nov. 16 letter to alumni in response to a Washington Post article about student mental health and Yale's withdrawal and readmission policies, President Peter Salovey said colleges and universities in the last few years have seen a surge in demand for mental health services that was exacerbated by the pandemic. He said Yale has since dropped the requirement that students who have withdrawn from Yale must take two courses at another school before they could seek readmission. |
| Have the Anticapitalists Reached Harvard Business School? | |
| At Harvard Business School, inside a seminar room with a smattering of button-down shirts and puffy fall jackets, a group of future corporate managers were talking about capitalism. What makes capitalism truly and purely capitalism? What are its essential components? Property rights. Financial markets. "Maybe this is almost so foundational that it's too much to put on the board -- but scarcity?" said Andrew Gibbs, 32, a second-year student who came to Harvard by way of the military. "Would it be capitalism if people were comfortable?" Prof. Debora Spar, who teaches the widely sought-after course "Capitalism and the State," turned to Mr. Gibbs with the eye glimmer of an instructor who knows the conversation is about to get heated. "Would you go so far as to say a necessary condition for capitalism is scarcity, which is going to drive inequality?" Mr. Gibbs paused, contemplating. "I would say so." On the blackboard it went: Capitalism. Scarcity. Inequality. Every year, some 250,000 young people step off the treadmill of their jobs, many in consulting and private equity, to chase skills and credentials that will turbocharge their future roles in consulting and private equity -- by going to business school. They study accounting and negotiation. They learn about D.C.F.s (discounted cash flows) and the three C's (company, customers and competitors). They emerge with the ability to at least feign intimate knowledge of the godfather of shareholder primacy, referred to in one classroom as "our buddy Milton Friedman." But today's business school students are also learning about corporate social obligations and how to rethink capitalism, a curriculum shift at elite institutions that reflects a change in corporate culture as a whole. |
| Transgender ban, Biden loan program top House GOP's education agenda | |
| Education issues formed a key part of the Republican Party's midterm strategy, from pledging to undo President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program to promoting policies that ban transgender athletes from high school and college sports. Now Republicans plan to use their House majority to escalate oversight of the U.S. Department of Education, launching hearings, investigations and lawsuits in a quest to overturn administration policies. On Nov. 17, the day the House was called for the GOP, Rep. Virginia Foxx, the North Carolina Republican who is in line to chair the Education and Labor Committee, tweeted a single word: "Oversight." On Tuesday, Foxx elaborated on her agenda. "Committee Republicans will work to protect the rights of parents to safeguard their child's education and curb the unchecked power of teachers unions," Foxx said in a statement. "We will also fight to promote free speech on college campuses, defend the integrity of women's sports and implement common-sense reforms to the federal student loan program." ami Taylor, a political scientist at the University of Toledo who has chronicled the transgender rights movement, said she doesn't expect Congress to take much action on the issue, despite the Republicans' heated rhetoric. "There's campaign talk and there's what you can do," Taylor said. She said she expects most of the efforts to limit transgender rights to play out in the courts or in state legislatures, where dozens of states have passed measures restricting transgender athletes and banning gender-affirming care, among other actions. |
| Another appeals court rejects bid to revive Biden student loan relief | |
| A federal appeals court rejected the Education Department's request to put a hold on an order from a federal judge in Texas vacating President Biden's student loan forgiveness program. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit arrives weeks after U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman in Texas declared Biden's policy unlawful, effectively shutting down the program to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student debt for more than 40 million Americans. It upholds Pittman's order while the court considers the merits of the administration's appeal. The court indicated it would expedite the matter. Wednesday's ruling is the latest legal setback for Biden, who is contending with an injunction in a separate lawsuit involving six Republican-led states seeking to overturn the president's program. The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in that case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit and reinstate the program. The legal battles over the debt relief plan have led the administration to extend the pause on federal student loan payments. The pandemic-era freeze, which has been extended multiple times since it was imposed by the Trump administration, had been set to expire on Dec. 31. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State defenders Nathaniel Watson, Jaden Crumedy to return for 2023 season | |
| Two big pieces of Mississippi State's defense will return next season. Middle linebacker Nathaniel Watson was the first, confirming will be back for 2023 in a social media post Wednesday afternoon containing three simple words: "Run it back." Watson, a redshirt senior, will use the NCAA's COVID-19 waiver and will exhaust his eligibility at the end of next season. But before then, he'll have time to make a big impact on an MSU team happy to have him back. Watson has 108 tackles through the Bulldogs' 12 games this season, tied for 22nd-most in the country. He has added 5.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception. On Wednesday evening, defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy joined Watson in posting a "Run it back" message. Crumedy made his season debut Oct. 29 against Auburn after missing nearly two months with an arm injury suffered during preseason training. He has 11 tackles -- 3.5 for loss -- and a sack in his four games this season. The graduate student is also in his fifth year and will return for one final season in Starkville. Mississippi State (8-4) awaits its bowl announcement Sunday. The Gator Bowl in Jacksonville and the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa appear to be the Bulldogs' most likely destinations. |
| Mississippi State football DL Jaden Crumedy announces 2023 decision | |
| Mississippi State football was stripped of a chance to see what graduate defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy could do in what was expected to be a breakout season. Crumedy, dealing with an injury suffered in preseason practice, appeared in just the final four games this year. He'll have another chance to prove his potential next season. Crumedy announced via social media on Wednesday that he'll be returning next year for his final season of eligibility. Crumedy, who redshirted his freshman season in 2018, has a year of eligibility left due to the extra COVID-19 season granted by the NCAA. The Hattiesburg native recorded 11 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss in his shortened stint this season. That came after collecting 20 tackles in 12 games last season. MSU went 8-4 this season and awaits Sunday's bowl game announcement. |
| SEC's leading tackler Nathaniel Watson announces 2023 Mississippi State football decision | |
| It took just three words for Mississippi State football fans and defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to hear what they wanted regarding the status of redshirt senior linebacker Nathaniel Watson for next season. "Run it back," Watson tweeted in a graphic featuring him holding the Golden Egg Trophy. Watson, who redshirted his freshman season in 2018, is returning to use the final year of eligibility he has left after the extra COVID-19 season granted to athletes by the NCAA. Watson, a native of Maplesville, Alabama, led Mississippi State with 108 tackles in 12 games this season, helping lead the Bulldogs to an 8-4 record and the No. 6 total defense in the SEC. He also leads the SEC in tackles. With 11 tackles for loss, Watson barely beat out linebacker Tyrus Wheat (10.5) for the team lead. Watson also collected an interception, a fumble recovery, five sacks and two quarterback hurries. Watson finished second on the team last year in tackles behind fellow linebacker Jett Johnson. Johnson, a Tupelo native, has a similar decision left to make with one year of eligibility remaining. |
| Why fraternity brothers who went to college in Big Ten country go to SEC football game every year | |
| They wear polos and quarter zips, have wives and kids, work as realtors and vice presidents and live in various spots across the country. This is life for Brent Swander, Matt Humberger, Brandon Jirousek and Dan Loar. Plenty has changed since they were fraternity brothers at Alpha Sigma Phi -- graduating from Bowling Green in 2006 -- but they wanted to ensure their friendship never died. They needed a reason to reconnect at least once a year. Sitting at a bar soon after graduating, they came up with a potential solution. Every season, let's organize a trip to an SEC football game. "Sometimes when you have some beers, you can do some good foreshadowing, I guess," Humberger said. It started with a trip to Nashville for Florida at Vanderbilt in 2008. It has continued every year since, except for 2020 because of COVID, with Starkville as the stop this year for Mississippi State vs. East Tennessee State. The SEC trip wasn't their primary get-together originally. Humberger estimates they congregated five times a year immediately after graduation due to weddings, bachelor parties and golf trips. However, as they've spread out due to work, the annual trip just means more. The only stop left is Auburn, or so they thought. They'll visit Jordan-Hare Stadium next season, but they're thankful for expansion. Trips to Oklahoma and Texas will soon be in the works. |
| Capitol Police to provide additional security for SWAC Championship | |
| Security will not be an issue in or outside the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium while fans are enjoying the SWAC Championship game Saturday. Capitol Police Chief Bo Lucky says there will be more boots on the ground stationed in all areas near The Vet. "Anybody that expecting to be able to go out and find an easy target this weekend, is going to run into some problems. We're not going to tolerate that kind of activity," Chief Luckey said. "We are going to add a few extra levels of security measures based on past instances dealing with the auto burglaries and vandalisms." In October, dozens of vehicles had their windows busted out and property stolen while their cars were parked for the Southern Boombox classic at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Riverside Drive. "We plan on beefing up our manpower in these remote parking lot areas and making sure that we have a more visual presence and maintain a good close eye on them as well. Sometimes, you want know that we are there," Luckey said. While Capitol Police will be doing all they can to make sure things runs smoothly, Luckey wants those attending the game to do their part. "Take your valuables and place them in your trunk. Lock them in your glove department and your console. Put them under your seat," he said. One thing for sure Luckey says, if anyone is caught engaging in any criminal activity will be prosecuted. |
| Sources: Rose Bowl to Acquiesce on College Football Playoff Expansion for 2024 | |
| The Granddaddy of Them All is falling in line. The Rose Bowl, after months of delay, has agreed to amend its contract to pave the way for an expansion of the College Football Playoff in two years, sources tell Sports Illustrated. The CFP is expected to soon announce that the Playoff will expand from four to 12 teams starting with the 2024 season. While there are still logistical hurdles to cross, the bowl game's delay represented the biggest obstacle in early expansion. In multiple proposals to CFP officials, the Rose Bowl, the oldest active operating bowl, requested guarantees to keep its traditional date and time in future iterations of the Playoff, something the CFP executive board denied. Few, if any, guarantees can be made for the Playoff beyond 2025 because no contract exists. The decision launches the sport into a historic moment. For the first time in the history of major college football, an extensive Playoff will decide the champion. Future iterations of the Playoff, starting in 2026, will likely have a different look -- not in format but in schedule. There are serious discussions about the entire regular-season calendar moving up a week, turning Week 0 into Week 1 and sliding conference championship weekend from December to Thanksgiving weekend. That would move rivalry weekend up a week, too. It provides more flexibility for such a tight December window while assuring that the sport doesn't get too deep into January. |
| AP source: Rose Bowl clears way for 12-team CFP in 2024 | |
| Rose Bowl game organizers cleared the way for the College Football Playoff to expand to 12 teams starting in the 2024 season, informing CFP officials Wednesday they are willing to alter agreements to accommodate a new format to decide the national champion. A person with knowledge of the discussions between game organizers and CFP officials told The Associated Press the Rose Bowl is prepared to be flexible and wants to continue to be part of the playoff beyond 2025. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the presidents and chancellors who oversee the playoff still needed to give final approval on expansion. ESPN first reported the agreement between the Rose Bowl and the CFP. An announcement from the CFP was expected by Thursday. Eighteen months after a plan to expand the College Football Playoff from four teams to 12 was publicly unveiled, a process that was delayed and seemingly derailed numerous times is ready to cross the finish line. An agreement with the 120-year-old bowl game held in Pasadena, California, and dubbed the Granddaddy of Them All was the last hurdle to clear. |
| Source: Rose Bowl agrees to amended deal allowing for early CFP expansion | |
| The last remaining obstacle to expanding the College Football Playoff to 12 teams in the 2024 and 2025 seasons has been cleared. A source told ESPN on Wednesday night that the Rose Bowl has agreed to terms that will pave the way for the College Football Playoff to expand in the final two seasons of the current contract -- 2024 and 2025. Any more steps toward an expanded playoff are a formality, as the formal announcement of the CFP expansion beginning in 2024 is expected to be imminent. In early September, the College Football Playoff board of managers voted to expand the CFP to 12 teams starting in 2026. With nearly $450 million at stake in the final two years of the current contract, the path toward expanding in those two seasons has been fraught with complications. But after months of haggling, getting the Rose Bowl on board loomed as the final step. The Rose Bowl needed to amend its contract as the other five so-called "contract bowls" needed to do in order to accommodate the new system. Ultimately, the Rose Bowl's cooperation loomed as the final barrier. A source told ESPN's Heather Dinich earlier this week that the Rose Bowl was essentially given an ultimatum this week to agree to terms or risk being shut out of the next television contract, which begins in 2026. |
| College Football Picks: AAC title is glimpse into CFP future | |
| There is one game this championship weekend that truly feels like winner takes all. No. 18 Tulane hosst No. 22 UCF in the American Athletic Conference title game Saturday. The winner is all but guaranteed a spot in a New Year's Six bowl; that would be the Cotton this year. The loser, of course, still goes bowling, but the fall will be steep. How's the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa on Dec. 23 or the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 27 sound as a consolation prize? Green Wave vs. Knights is a bit of glimpse at the future, when conference title games will routinely decided which team gets in a 12-team playoff with the loser left out. There will also be plenty of situations where the ramifications of the conference championship games are similar to what is going to happen this Saturday in some of the Power Five leagues. No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU all enter their title games with CFP spots seemingly secured to various degrees. The teams they are playing (No. 11 LSU vs. Georgia; No. 13 Kansas State vs. TCU; and Purdue vs. Michigan) have no chance to get into the four-team playoff. But in the proposed new system they would be able to earn their way in by winning the conference. Each of the 10 conference championship games this weekend is intriguing in its own way. |
| 'Completely transparent': What was said about Hugh Freeze's past transgressions, hiring backlash | |
 | The subject for much of Auburn football Hugh Freeze's introductory press conference Tuesday was the man's past. Freeze arrived in Auburn this week after a four-season stint at Liberty University, an institution which is currently being investigated by the Department of Education for its handling of sexual assaults. Prior to that, he was last a head coach at Ole Miss, in a five-year tenure that saw the NCAA level 21 infractions against his football program, 15 of which were Level I. Both Freeze and athletics director John Cohen, the latter of whom did not take questions from the media, spoke openly though rather indirectly, about those periods of Freeze's life, his mistakes, the search that landed him at Auburn and any negative response the to hire. Freeze was "completely transparent about his past transgression," Cohen said during his introductions. Later, Freeze was told that there was a time when Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey wouldn't allow conference members to hire him. That was followed with a two-part question: Why does Freeze believe he deserves a second chance? And why does Freeze believe second chances are important? Freeze refuted the opening claim. "I have had a really good, honest relationship with (Sankey) throughout all of it," Freeze said. "He's never done anything but shoot me dead straight and tell me what he thought was best, not only for the conference, but for me. I appreciate a man that treats you like that. I'm thankful for all of his leadership. I think it was the right move for me." |
| Florida QB Jalen Kitna arrested on child porn charges | |
| Backup Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna has been arrested on two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography, according to a Gainesville Police Department release. According to the release, Kitna was interviewed by Gainesville Police detectives regarding the sharing of images on his Discord account. Kitna told them that he believed the two images to be legal since he found them online. Kitna said he realized he should not have shared those two images, based on the reaction from the other Discord user with whom he shared them. Shortly after sharing the images, Kitna said his Discord account was deactivated and that he assumed someone reported him to Discord. Kitna stated that he received an email from Discord stating that his account was deactivated due to a violation of the terms of service. That was later confirmed by an email from Discord. Kitna was booked in the Alachua County Jail at 3:20 p.m. Wednesday. He has been suspended indefinitely by the Gators. "We are shocked and saddened to hear of the news involving Jalen Kitna," UF's athletic department said in a statement. "These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior. Jalen has been suspended indefinitely." Kitna, the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, had moved up from third to second in the depth chart behind Anthony Richardson during the course of the season. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
