| Wednesday, March 8, 2023 |
| Virtual Reality coming to six area districts for skills training | |
 | Students across the Golden Triangle will soon have the opportunity to learn how to properly change oil, use a circular saw and even how to operate a fire extinguisher from the comfort of a traditional classroom. Middle school through adult education students can soon explore new careers and train for them in a safe and controlled environment through virtual reality. Mississippi State University Research and Curriculum Unit received a $1.49 million Appalachian Regional Commission Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative grant to provide virtual reality headsets and education software to prepare students for the workforce. Educators from six public school districts gathered at the East Mississippi Community College Communiversity on Monday afternoon to learn how VR can be used for career exploration and how to operate the headsets and remotes with them. O.P. McCubbins, lead evaluator and assistant professor at MSU, said the project will evaluate and measure impact by number of student participation in target programs, job training completers, number of job training completers accepting job placement, unemployment rate after implementation and number of community college students receiving credentials in career fields after the trainings. |
| MSU RCU introduces VR into education | |
 | The Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU) at Mississippi State University is changing workforce education for students. Through the $1.49 million grant awarded from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the RCU has partnered with Transfr to introduce virtual reality technology into the workforce education realm for students of Clay, Kemper, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties. Transfr is an education software company that provides immersive, hands-on VR training to Fortune 500 companies, to enhance the career and technical education (CTE) infrastructure in Mississippi. VR simulations will introduce students to numerous career pathways, including middle-skill jobs that do not require a four-year degree. In a special kickoff event held at the East Mississippi Community College Communiversity in Columbus on Monday, March 6, students and teachers got their first on-hands experience using Oculus VR systems for workforce training simulations. |
| Careful management helps offset high fertilizer costs | |
 | Farmers hoping for some relief from recent high fertilizer prices are not likely to find it in 2023. Brian Mills, Mississippi State University Extension ag economist at the Delta Research and Extension Center, said fertilizer prices are expected to remain at 2022 levels. "We do have good, high crop prices, and with high crop prices, you usually see input costs stay high and go up," Mills said. The increase fertilizer prices typically result in reduced fertilizer application, said Darrin Dodds of the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. "While this is cost-effective in the short run, in the long run we potentially mine the soil of vital nutrients," Dodds said. "We must keep in mind that investment in soil fertility should be a long-term strategy, and that maintaining adequate levels of soil nutrients is critical to optimize production." Current fertilizer prices are higher than they have been in recent years, but they are not at record levels. Input costs were just as high in 2013 and 2008. An extra challenge is that when fertilizer prices began to inch up in fall 2021, inflation caused a lot of equipment prices to go up, too. There is no single cause for the high input costs, but it is rather the result of a combination of factors, Mills said. “Supply chain issues have been a big thing, delays in imports mean we’ve not been able to get some of these inputs in a timely manner, and high natural gas prices usually correlate to high fertilizer prices,” he said. |
| Kenneth Hood: grower, ginner, innovator, entrepreneur for the ages | |
| The late Kenneth Hood began farming on his own while he was a junior in college, driving home to Gunnison, Miss., from Mississippi State University on weekends to grow cotton on 625 acres rented from a neighbor. That early drive and determination played out again and again during Hood's 62 years of farming in ways that will have an impact on the cotton industry and U.S. agriculture far into the future. Through all those years, Hood refused most attempts to recognize his efforts. Asked several times to accept the A.L. Vandergriff Cotton Pioneer Award, which the Southern Cotton Ginners Association presents annually for pioneering work in advancing cotton ginning and the industry, he declined. Last fall, Hood agreed to accept the award on behalf of H.B. Hood & Sons, a large farming and ginning operation owned by Hood and his brothers, Howard, Curtis and Cary, in Perthshire near Gunnison, Miss. Thus, Hood knew they would be receiving the award when he passed away at 81 last December. The award was presented to Hood's family at the Southern Cotton Ginners Association's annual Awards Banquet on the eve of the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show Feb. 23. |
| 'It's not hard to be a part of a community': Mayor Spruill visits campus, discusses local government | |
| Mayor Lynn Spruill visited campus Thursday to share her local government journey with students. College Democrats at Mississippi State University hosted the town hall. President Justin Childs introduced Spruill to the audience of six students. "Tonight, we're going to hear about progress beginning locally and how to stay engaged with our community and how important local leaders are," said Childs, a senior psychology major. Mayor Spruill said she is a Democrat but pulled out of the local party because city politics should not be either Democratic or Republican. "It is my belief that potholes and water leaks and things of that nature are not even remotely related to what party you belong to," Spruill said. Before Spruill became mayor, the Starkville native and MSU alumna served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and then moved to Addison, Texas. After a city councilman's death, Spruill gained his title. Addison's mayor then died, naming Spruill as its first female mayor. "It's just an odd series of events, tragic, in a lot of ways, but you just don't anticipate some of this," said Spruill. "But, at the same time, you don't turn down a challenge." Spruill said the Starkville, Oktibbeha County and MSU partnership is strongest when the trio is in harmony. "The county, the city, MSU -- we do best when we do together," Spruill said. "We share the costs, we share the designs, we share the effort, and it makes a huge difference. |
| One soup stands above the rest | |
| Shannon Lindell, executive chef at Taste Italian Kitchen in Starkville, stands tall at her station. Aside from her proven experience, she now boasts another accomplishment, one that is perhaps her greatest yet. Taste was named the 2023 Souper Bowl Champion in The Greater Starkville Development Partnership's annual contest. "As the chef, I was so excited to share the news with my kitchen staff," she said. "I lead a young, incredibly talented team, and a little public acknowledgment of their efforts means the world. They were thrilled to hear we won first place." The staff considered themselves a bit of an underdog in the competition because Taste had never competed before. The soup the restaurant chose to enter was its smoked tomato bisque. The main reason for choosing this soup was because it is a constant at the restaurant. "It is our house soup and always available," Lindell said. The contest was structured differently this year as well. Instead of a single-day event, it was spread out over a period of four weeks. The goal was to get more people entering restaurants in Starkville, therefore drumming up additional business. "We think it went really well. Because of this promotion nearly 600 additional people were eating out in restaurants in Starkville to vote for their favorite soups," Director of Main Street for the Partnership Paige Watson said. "The competition definitely accomplished our original goal which is to get more people in restaurants during a time that is typically slower throughout the year." |
| Gov. Reeves breaks ground at site of largest economic development project in Mississippi history | |
| Governor Tate Reeves joined officials with Steel Dynamics to break ground on the "biggest economic development project" in state history, beginning construction on a $2.5 billion Aluminum Dynamics facility in Lowndes County. Steel Dynamics' new state-of-the-art, low-carbon recycled aluminum flat-rolled mill is expected to create 1,000 new jobs in the Golden Triangle with an average salary of $93,000. The company has also stated that it will pay for the college education of each of the employee's children. "That business unit includes all the different functions, whether it's engineering, sales, IT, accounting. All those things would be at the site of the facility... as well as production jobs," said Rick Poinsatte, Vice President of Business Development at Steel Dynamics. "There are entry-level jobs as well. We have the opportunity for someone to take that job and continue to build their skills." The project will nearly double the previous largest corporate capital investment in state history, as the Mississippi legislature approved an up-front investment totaling $246,798,000 last year. At this time, the construction of the facility is anticipated to be complete by 2025. |
| $2B aluminum mill groundbreaking goes off with bang | |
| Representatives from Steel Dynamics Incorporated held an "explosive" groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday on Charleigh D. Ford Drive for its $2 billion aluminum flat-rolled mill, Aluminum Dynamics, which will begin construction later this year. To light the candle, so to speak, SDI CEO Mark Millett and Gov. Tate Reeves pushed down on a detonator, sending a mound of dirt flying high into the air about 100 yards from the celebration tent. Before the big boom, Millett told about 400 attendees, including potential customers, local and state legislators and others construction of ADI and its 2,100-acre mill will likely begin in the next six months as the company waits for approval on its environmental and air permits. The mill is slated to come online in summer 2025 and will produce 650 metric tons of aluminum annually. The facility will also create 850 jobs with an average annual salary of $93,000. ADI Operations Manager Gregg Whigham said the company also is partnering with East Mississippi Community College to help train its employees. The Communiversity, EMCC's workforce development hub in Lowndes County, will play a vital role in that effort. "We're super excited about the quality of those spaces," Whigham said. "We're looking forward to working with them to see what we could develop in job training. I know they have apprenticeship programs and internships for the steel mill for electrical and mechanical. There's lots of other things that we could do with them to expand those programs." |
| Ex-police chief rips city for overlooking Black History Month | |
| Usually, applause is considered a good thing. But when the boardroom at City Hall erupted into clapping Tuesday evening following a presentation from former police chief Frank Nichols, it drew a quiet rebuke from Mayor Lynn Spruill. "Please don't do that," she said under her breath, but loud enough to be heard in the microphone. Nichols, speaking to the mayor and board of aldermen during their regular meeting, had just finished publicly calling out city officials for not formally acknowledging Black History Month in February. "I'm disappointed that the city did not publicly acknowledge Black History Month," Nichols said. "I'm not here to criticize. My purpose here is to work together so we cannot let this happen again." During his speech on behalf of the Starkvegas Juneteenth Committee for Unity, Nichols directed the board to a letter he sent them on Feb. 24, where he first expressed his disappointment. Nichols, who served as the city's police chief from 2014 to 2019, also challenged the audience to take the city's actions concerning Black History Month into account when they vote in future elections. "I'm telling anybody, it doesn't matter what color you are, don't vote for anybody who can't respect you enough to acknowledge who you are," Nichols said. "Do not vote for them if they can't respect you enough to recognize Black History Month." Spruill told The Dispatch after the meeting it was not an intentional slight against the Black community, and she would be happy to work with Nichols in the future to address the issue. |
| Mississippi tax revenues continue upward trend | |
| Lawmakers are down to the final few weeks of the 2023 regular legislative session, and that means finalizing the state's budget for the next fiscal year. The latest revenue report released on Monday by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee is sure to help in those deliberations. According to the February 2023 revenue report, total revenue collections for the month were $22,575,988 or 5.25% above the sine die revenue estimate when the budget was set last year. Fiscal year-to-date revenue collections through February 2023 were over half a billion dollars above estimates for the year. That total sat at $524,631,654 or 12.43% above the sine die revenue estimate with four months left in the current fiscal year. Further, the fiscal year-to-date total revenue collection through February 2023 is $395,810,642 or 9.10% above the previous year's collections. The current fiscal year estimated state revenue collections for 2023 was set at $6,987,400,000. February 2023 General Fund collections were $32,206,204, which is 7.66% above February 2022 actual collections. |
| Lawmakers pass legislation allowing educators to be armed | |
| On Tuesday, the Mississippi House passed Senate Bill 2079 which would allow educators to be armed. The move came after State Representative Nick Bain (R) offered a strike-all amendment to the bill that inserted the House's language from HB 532, the Mississippi School Safety Guardian Act. "This is very similar to what we did with the Church Protection Act years ago," Bain said. "We're allowing for staff members, administrators, and teachers to potentially carry guns if they are properly trained through the Department of Public Safety." Bain explained they would have to go through a certain number of trainings and have to be licensed and certified according to the various statutes when it comes to concealed carry and enhanced carry. The House Judiciary B Chairman said his law firm represents the Prentiss County School District and this has been an issue with them. He explained that some of the school board members wanted teachers or staff members to have access to a firearm. One of the reasons they were advised against doing such was the immunity and the liability that is imposed. "So, what this bill does is creates an immunity statute that if the school district participates in the training as laid out by the Department of Public Safety, the district would be immune if something happens while that employee is acting within the scope of the Guardian Program," Bain said. "They have immunity also through the program if they're designated as a staff member, similarly what we did with the Church Protection Act. They are eligible for a $100 to $500 stipend per month that the staff member could have," Bain continued. The bill passed the House by a vote of 79-35. |
| Mississippi Legislature votes to extend Medicaid benefits for mothers | |
 | After years of legislative roadblocks, both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature have passed legislation that gives low income pregnant people a full year of Medicaid coverage after birth, almost guaranteeing the policy will become law. The House on Tuesday approved of Senate Bill 2212 by a 89-29 vote with virtually no debate. Rep. Steve Hopkins, R-Southaven, attempted to kill the legislation, but his efforts were handily rejected by the chamber. The Senate earlier this year approved of the measure along bipartisan lines. The state Senate for several years has passed postpartum Medicaid extensions in bipartisan votes. But Medicaid Chairman Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, and House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, have, until now, repeatedly blocked the legislation from being considered by the entire House. Gunn in January would not even commit to allowing his other House colleagues the opportunity to vote on postpartum Medicaid. But the speaker's position shifted this year after he received a letter from Division of Medicaid Director Drew Snyder saying that extending postpartum benefits to a full year would be a "suitable approach for Mississippi." The vast majority of House members from Northeast Mississippi approved of the measure. Reps. Chris Brown of Nettleton, Perry Van Bailey of Bruce and Brady Williamson of Oxford were the only lawmakers from Northeast Mississippi who voted against the measure. All three are Republicans. |
| Mississippi backs 1 year of postpartum Medicaid for new moms | |
 | Low-income new mothers in Mississippi will be eligible for a full year of Medicaid health coverage under a bill passed Tuesday by the state Legislature. The bipartisan move is the culmination of a two-year effort to convince a majority of the Republican-controlled House to provide longer postpartum coverage in one of the poorest states in the U.S. Republican proponents said change was a necessary after the U.S. Supreme Court upended abortion rights nationwide by overturning Roe v. Wade last year using the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which arose from Mississippi. Republican Rep. Missy McGee said women's health issues should not be "political chess pieces." "This reflects a policy and legislative effort that has been ongoing for several years now," McGee said. "And this year, as we find ourselves in a post-Dobbs era, the need exists to both strengthen the social safety net and modernize our approach for helping our state's most vulnerable citizens." Gov. Tate Reeves, who announced his support for the policy on Feb. 26 after avoiding taking a public position for months, has promised to sign the bill. The day after Reeves' announcement, House Speaker Philip Gunn said he would allow the House Medicaid Committee to consider the legislation. The bill passed 89-29, with all the opposition coming from Republicans. Gunn, who is serving his final session in the Legislature, voted "no." |
| Mississippi joins rest of the nation, extends postpartum Medicaid coverage to one year | |
 | After three years of debate, Mississippi joined the rest of the United States by extending Medicaid coverage for new mothers beyond 60 days. The proposal, which had passed the Senate multiple times in recent sessions, passed the House 89-29 after reaching the chamber floor for the first time. Gov. Tate Reeves, who had previously opposed extension, announced last week that he supported it and would sign it, citing the need to support mothers following the state's ban on abortions. "The debate surrounding the future of those benefits has been fierce. And, to be perfectly honest, I haven't been swayed by the data that is, at best, incomplete and, at worst, often misconstrued and mischaracterized by the 'more government benefits no matter the cost' crowd," Reeves said. "However, the fact is we live in a post-Dobbs world. We, as Mississippi conservatives, led the charge to end Roe v. Wade and I couldn't be more proud of that victory. If Reeves does sign the bill into law, Mississippi will no longer be the only state to neither extend postpartum coverage past 60 days or expanded Medicaid under the affordable care act. Wyoming had shared that distinction with the Magnolia State until last week, when its governor signed a law extending postpartum coverage to 12 months. House Speaker Philip Gunn, who will step away from the legislature after this term, had long opposed extension bills and prevented them from reaching the chamber floor. Gunn voted against the bill. |
| House sends extended postpartum Medicaid coverage to governor | |
| The House on Tuesday sent Gov. Tate Reeves a bill to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage for new mothers in Mississippi from 60 days to a year. Reeves, who for more than a year refused to endorse the idea, recently announced he would sign it into law. His election year announcement coincided with recent polls that showed widespread, bipartisan support for the extended coverage. This would make Mississippi the last state in the country to provide extended services to new mothers through federal-state Medicaid coverage. The extension of services, pushed by Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Senate leaders, is an effort to ameliorate Mississippi's high rates of infant and maternal mortality and help the state's ailing health care system cope with an expected boom of thousands more births a year from a ban on abortions. But for more than a year the measure, which would cost the state about $7 million a year to draw down more than $30 million a year in federal dollars, was caught up in internecine Republican political feuding. "This is the right thing to do for babies and mothers," Rep. Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, said to her colleagues before Tuesday's vote. "I don't think something involving mothers' or babies' health should ever be a political chess piece." |
| As state-run police expand into Jackson, some welcome the help. Others see racism | |
 | Mississippi's Capitol Police Department, created to protect state buildings, has become Jackson's de facto second police department. During the past year, Capitol Police has doubled in size to almost 120 officers and expanded its reach into an 8.7-square-mile zone of Jackson called the "Capitol Complex Improvement Zone." This is where the former capitol security force now sets up traffic checkpoints, combats street crime and even investigates homicides. Jackson, however, still has its city-run police force, the Jackson Police Department. The expansion of Capitol Police is the response of the Republican, majority-white state legislature to Jackson's stubborn crime problem. The homicide rate in the city, which is predominantly African American, was about 14 times the national rate in 2021, and the under-staffed Jackson Police Department has struggled to keep up with 30 thousand calls for service per month, according to the department. "We're here as a force multiplier," says Capitol Police Chief Bo Luckey, who invites residents of the capitol zone to call his department directly, to take some of the burden off of JPD. But some city leaders are skeptical about the help. Jeff Good, a prominent businessman who co-owns three restaurants in Jackson, thinks state leaders may have become more high-handed about policing after watching the city struggle with its failing water system. "The state came in and fixed it," he says of the water system. "I could see how a legislator would say, 'Well that worked pretty well, so maybe we should go ahead and do the same thing with public safety!' " While he gets why they'd think that, he calls the approach of outside legislators "ham-handed," because it fails to appreciate the city's long-term challenges. |
| Mississippi Senate OKs bill affecting majority-Black city | |
| The majority-white and Republican-led Mississippi Senate voted Tuesday to pass its version of a bill that would allow an expanded role for state police and appointed judges inside the majority-Black capital city of Jackson, which is led by Democrats. "It is vastly improved from where it started, but it is still a snake," Democratic Sen. John Horhn of Jackson said of the bill during Tuesday's debate. Critics say that in a state where older African Americans still remember the struggle to gain access to the ballot decades ago, the bill is a paternalistic attempt to intrude on local decision-making and voting rights in the capital, which has the highest percentage of Black residents of any major U.S. city. The Mississippi House -- which is also majority-white and Republican-led -- passed the first version of the bill last month. The House version would have created two permanent new courts inside Jackson with judges appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court chief justice. The current justice is a conservative white man. Supporters of the bill say they are trying to improve public safety in Jackson, which has had more than 100 homicides during each of the past three years. "We all know the nation is watching. They have been," Republican Sen. Brice Wiggins of Pascagoula said before Tuesday's Senate vote. "And with this bill, we are standing up for the citizens of Jackson and for our state capital." |
| Senate passes House Bill 1020 over opposition from Jackson lawmakers | |
| A reworked version of a controversial House bill that will add a total of five appointed judges to the Hinds County court system and expand Capitol Police presence throughout Jackson passed by a majority vote in the Senate Tuesday. "The Legislature has said it wants to help Jackson," said Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson. "Well, help and don't hurt. If you want to help, sit down and communicate with us." The vote, which fell mostly along party lines, was 34 to 15 after three hours of debate. Every Democrat representing the city of Jackson voted against it after underscoring several times that they and their House counterparts from Jackson have not been at the table for the legislative process. Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, who chairs the Judiciary A Committee and defended the legislation on the floor, called it the "Jackson bill" and said the committee's goal of redoing the bill was to make the city safe. That echoes what bill author Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, has said about HB 1020's intent. "That's all we've been trying to do," Wiggins said. Senators drastically amended the original House bill, removing controversial House provisions including a proposed separate court system within the city, an expanded Capitol Complex Improvement District and permanent appointed judges. |
| Jackson third-party water manager says talks with Mississippi leaders keep him from getting work done | |
 | Ted Henifin, third-party manager for the Jackson Water System, summed up what he thinks of the ongoing battle between the State of Mississippi and the City of Jackson over the control of the water system. "I have had meetings with the governor, the lieutenant governor and the speaker (of the house) about the politics of the water system," Henifin said. "The fact is I don't need to be having those meetings. I need to be getting work done. It is sad that the capital city has such a sour relationship with the state." Henifin made those remarks at a symposium hosted by Millsaps College that included Lamees El Sadeek, who spoke about the public health equity of the Jackson Water Crisis. While much of the symposium dealt the mundane issues of rate structures, width of water pipes and the amount of water that flows into the water system every day, it ended with a rebuke of the governor and the politics surrounding legislation about which entity should control the system. In the question-and-answer session for the public, Peeples Middle School teacher Inez Thomas complained that there is a pipe near her home that has been broken for many years with water running freely. However, she broke from that line of discussion and said, "Jackson doesn't have a water problem, it has a governor problem. He constantly talks about how terrible Jackson is." |
| A Mississippi college hosts a panel on Jackson Water and Public Health | |
 | The federally appointed third-party manager of Jackson's water system is engaging the community about a new billing model. Interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin says that in order to achieve long-term sustainability for the Jackson water system, changes need to be made to how Jacksonians are charged for water. Henifin answered questions about the economic, social, and public health impacts of the financial plan at Millsaps College yesterday. In the first draft of the proposal, residents would be charged by property value rather than usage. When asked about what political processes he would have to go through to finalize this plan, Henifin said the federal court order that brought him here puts him mostly in charge. "It sounds really terrible, but it gives me really, really broad authority, probably more than I'd give myself." he said. "So theoretically there's a process in the order that I could propose this rate structure to the city, and the city would have to consider it, but if they didn't do it, I could just do it anyway." Joining Henifin on the panel was Lamees El-Sadek, a Doctoral Candidate at the Harvard school of Public Health. The Millsaps alumna spoke from the perspective of public health and public interest. She sees Henifin as a much needed "moderator" between the city, state, and its residents, and she hopes he uses feedback from the people of Jackson to make decisions. |
| Michael Guest proposes bipartisan federal bill aimed at fentanyl trafficking, overdoses | |
| Mississippi Republican Rep. Michael Guest, who represents the state's third district in Congress, reintroduced a bipartisan bill Tuesday targeted at fentanyl trafficking. The END FENTANYL Act, which Guest also proposed last year, would require customs and border protection to update its manuals at least every three years on the prevention of drug and human smuggling. It also would require the commissioner of CBP to report any changes to the House and Senate committees on homeland security and the Senate government affairs committee. In 2019, a study from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found that policies had not been updated in 20 years. Fentanyl is "50 to 100 times more potent than morphine," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and fentanyl overdoses have become the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, according to another set of CDC data. Joining Guest as cosponsors of the bill are three other Republicans and four Democrats. Rep. Mike Ezell, a Mississippi Republican from the state's first district, is a cosponsor. Rep. David Trone, D-MD, joined Guest in reintroducing the bill. The bills is similar to one that passed the Senate last year by unanimous consent, but it did not reach the House floor before the end of that Congress. The bill will need approval in the House Homeland Security Committee, on which Guest serves as vice-chair, before it can reach the House floor. |
| South Korea Says U.S. Chips Act Subsidies Have Too Many Requirements | |
 | The U.S. Chips Act is dangling billions of dollars in subsidies in front of the world's biggest semiconductor manufacturers, but South Korea says there are too many strings attached. The conditions for receiving the subsidies unveiled last week are putting two of South Korea's biggest chip makers -- Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. -- a difficult position as they decide whether to apply for the federal funding, government officials and industry analysts said. South Korea's minister of trade, industry and energy described the requirements under the $53 billion chip subsidy program as vast and unconventional. Asking firms to submit information about their management and technology could expose them to business risks, the official, Lee Chang-yang, said Monday. The demand that companies offer child care for employees, together with rising interest rates and inflation, would drive up the already high cost of investing in the U.S., he said. "There are many unusual conditions that are completely different from the subsidies we generally provide for foreign investment," said Mr. Lee. He said South Korean officials were discussing those terms with their U.S. counterparts. The U.S. has said many of the requirements in the program are intended to safeguard taxpayer investments and give awards based on rigorous financial analysis and due diligence. Samsung and SK Hynix are the world's two largest memory chip makers. |
| FBI tested by attacks and politically explosive investigations | |
| Three days after federal agents searched former President Donald Trump's Florida home for classified documents, FBI Director Christopher Wray emailed his workforce urging them to tune out criticism from those who "don't know what we know and don't see what we see." The work was done by the book, the director wrote in his Aug. 11 email. "We don't cut corners. We don't play favorites." The internal message was an acknowledgment of the unprecedented nature of the search and the subsequent pummeling the bureau had been receiving from Trump and his supporters. It also was a recognition that the FBI had been navigating a moment so fraught that the normally taciturn Wray felt compelled to address employees about the ramifications of the investigation. The pressures on Wray and the FBI have grown since then and are only likely to intensify. In its long history, the FBI has rarely been at the center of so many politically sensitive investigations. Agents are simultaneously examining the retention of classified documents by Trump and President Joe Biden. And they're scrutinizing efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol. |
| House GOP faces a new Jan. 6 headache, courtesy of Tucker Carlson | |
 | House Republicans arrived in the Capitol on Tuesday facing a torrent of questions about the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. This time it was a headache of their own making. Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to release thousands of hours of security footage from that day to Fox News has reopened a painful fault line that his party has repeatedly tried to mend. Two years after the violent assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters, with most of its members no longer openly parroting the former president's false claims that Joe Biden's win was illegitimate, the GOP is still stuck reliving Jan. 6. Inside McCarthy's conference, few if any members would say outright on Tuesday night that their speaker made a mistake by sharing the footage with Carlson -- in fact, only a handful admitted to watching the segment at all. One of those is McCarthy himself, who defended the move in the name of transparency when pressed by reporters Tuesday night. But some House Republicans aired their displeasure with being forced to revisit the attack on their workplace. "It's definitely stupid to keep talking about this ... So what is the purpose of continuing to bring it up unless you're trying to feed Democrat narratives even further?" Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said in an interview, noting the videos didn't show "anything we don't already know." "I don't really have a problem with making it all public. But if your message is then to try and convince people that nothing bad happened, then it's just gonna make us look silly." While GOP senators -- and their leader, Mitch McConnell -- more vocally criticized Carlson for falsely portraying the attack as peaceful, House Republicans danced around the issue. |
| Trump spurred 'existential crisis' at Fox News, lawsuit exhibits show | |
 | For years, Fox News executives and hosts cultivated a close relationship with Donald Trump. But after he lost the 2020 presidential election and turned his back on the network -- inspiring many once-loyal viewers to do the same -- the relationship curdled. And the ensuing pressure caused tension, second-guessing and infighting within Fox on the scale of an "existential crisis," as one senior executive called it, a cache of internal communications released Tuesday as part of a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit indicates. "We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights," prime-time host Tucker Carlson texted a colleague on Jan. 4, 2021. "I truly can't wait." Carlson, who had shared private meetings with the president and defended him on-air, added in a text: "I hate him passionately. ... What he's good at is destroying things. He's the undisputed world champion of that. He could easily destroy us if we play it wrong." Carlson's private thoughts are especially striking in light of a new round of criticism this week that he misrepresented exclusive security-camera footage from the U.S. Capitol through a lens of Trumpian misinformation to downplay the severity of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Dominion Voting Systems, an election-technology company, has sued Fox, arguing that the cable-news giant gravely hurt its economic future by allowing allies of Trump to claim falsely on Fox programs that it rigged the election in favor of Joe Biden. The materials unveiled Tuesday included a large selection of exhibits mentioned in past legal motions that have generated headlines and controversy for the network. Internal communications and sworn testimony suggest that top executives and hosts privately doubted the veracity of election fraud claims even as Fox continued to air them -- which Dominion argues was motivated by fear of losing Trump-supporting viewers. |
| Biden administration wants more competition in the seed industry | |
| The Joe Biden administration has been on a mission to boost competition in the American economy. Working under a sweeping executive order to that effect, federal agencies have taken aim at bank overdraft fees and "noncompete" agreements that keep workers from pursuing higher pay. They've also allowed hearing aids to be sold over the counter. All of that is meant to curb the influence of the biggest companies. This week, the White House put the agricultural seed sector on notice by forming a working group to look at market concentration in the industry. You know that meme of a really intense-looking guy in front of a bulletin board with crisscrossed red string outlining his conspiracy theory? That's Phil Howard charting decreasing competition in the seed sector. "Yeah, it's a lot to keep track of," he said, laughing. Howard is a professor at Michigan State University who has been at this since the late '90s. His latest graphic shows that over 60% of global seed sales are controlled by just four firms. "They've made hundreds of acquisitions of formerly independent seed companies. The power of the seed industry is held in fewer and fewer hands," he said. The farmers buying those seeds have fewer choices and pay higher prices, Howard said. |
| Rural communities need help figuring out how to navigate federal programs | |
| Mayor Laura Thomas knows there are a lot of federal programs that could help her small town of Jackson, Ky., recover from a series of recent disasters: two historic floods, a destructive ice storm and the pandemic. The problem is: it's hard to know exactly where to start to go about getting the funding. There are more than 400 federal programs designed for rural communities. And there's a new influx of funding passed in the last Congress from the trillion-dollar infrastructure law and the climate incentives of the Inflation Reduction Act. "This is kind of like our one shot probably in my lifetime of ever getting this much federal money to help us make improvements in the community," Thomas said. But like many small-town mayors, Thomas doesn't have grant writers or experienced staff to help sift through the programs. She says it's "overwhelming" to try to figure out how to navigate them. "We just get a different kind of answer each time you ask," Thomas said. "And then my fear is that I won't make the right decision." The White House knows this is a problem across the country. So a year ago, it created a pilot program called the Rural Partners Network, naming point people to serve as guides to federal funding in select portions of 10 states and Puerto Rico. Run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the network includes 10 communities and involves 60 "rural desk officers" from 20 federal agencies. "I like to say that we're matchmakers when it comes to rural communities and our federal agencies that are at the table," said Rachel Chambers, one of the community liaisons in Kentucky. "We can help move projects forward, whether it's capacity building or technical assistance and different grant programs, or even if it's just making an introduction for a community," she said. |
| It's Time for a Flu Vaccine -- for Birds | |
 | The wave of avian influenza H5N1 -- which so far has hit 76 countries, triggered national emergencies, and created the worst animal-disease outbreak in US history -- keeps roaring through wild birds and commercial poultry. More than 140 million poultry worldwide have died from the virus or were slaughtered to keep it from spreading, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. And though they are harder to count, the die-offs among wild birds have been catastrophic. Something has to put the brakes on. In the US, where losses are close to 60 million, industry experts are talking quietly about taking a step they have long resisted: vaccinating commercial chickens, laying hens, turkeys, and ducks against the flu. That doesn't sound controversial; after all, flu shots for humans are routine, and chickens already receive a handful of vaccinations in the first days of their lives. But only a few countries routinely vaccinate poultry against avian influenza. Introducing a vaccine could trigger trade bans that would crush the enormous US export market, turn sectors of the poultry trade against each other, and possibly provoke consumer uneasiness about food safety. Officially, therefore, the industry opposes what would be a drastic step. But privately -- none would speak on the record -- scientists at poultry companies say they see no other exit strategy. And researchers who work alongside the US industry say there may be little choice but to begin vaccination -- but also that the US cannot embark on vaccination alone. "Vaccination is being discussed on a global scale, because it would be a global decision," says Karen Burns Grogan, a veterinarian and clinical associate professor at the University of Georgia's Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center. (Georgia produces more broilers, or meat chickens, than any other state, about 1.3 billion per year.) "Everyone from the World Organization for Animal Health, to the US federal government, to trading partners, would have to come to a decision." But that decision is by no means guaranteed. |
| U.S., China Plunge Further Into a Spiral of Hostility | |
| Harsh new verbal attacks on the U.S. by Beijing's top leadership demonstrate just how unsteady relations have become between the world's two major powers. Just a few weeks ago, China and the U.S. were tiptoeing toward something akin to a diplomatic cease-fire. President Biden's envoy was due in Beijing to craft a possible framework for high-level government-to-government dialogues and stabilize ties after years of bitterness. Then, a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was detected crossing North America, casting a new shadow over relations. The fence-mending trip was postponed and relations between the two powers have plunged further into a spiral of recrimination and tension. This week, China's leader, Xi Jinping, and his new foreign minister accused Washington of suppressing China's development and driving the two countries toward conflict. "Everything the other side does is seen as negative and done with evil intention," said Suisheng Zhao, a China foreign-policy specialist at the University of Denver. "That is the Cold War mentality." China's leader, Mr. Xi, elevated the rhetorical tension with an accusation straight out of that bygone era, a breakdown both sides insist they don't want. China, Mr. Xi charged, faces "all-around containment, encirclement and suppression" at the hands of Western nations in league with the U.S. A spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, when asked about the rhetoric from Beijing, said the Biden administration policy is unchanged: It seeks competition with China, not conflict. The breadth of discord in U.S.-China ties, however, shows the difficulties in constraining tensions. |
| Women's Day events highlight gaps in gender equality | |
| Demonstrations, conferences and artistic events around the world Wednesday marked International Women's Day, an annual observance established to recognize women and to demand equality for half of the planet's population. While activists in some parts of the planet noted advances, repression in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran -- and the large numbers of women and girls who experience sexual assaults and domestic violence worldwide -- highlighted the ongoing struggle to secure women's rights. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted this week that women's rights were "abused, threatened and violated" around the world and gender equality won't be achieved for 300 years given the current pace of change. Progress won over decades is vanishing because "the patriarchy is fighting back," Guterres said. Even in countries that have pioneered advances for women, there have been recent setbacks for the feminist cause: This is the first International Women's Day since the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion last year and many states adopted restrictions on abortion. The United Nations recognized International Women's Day in 1977, but the occasion has its roots in labor movements of the early 20th century. The day is commemorated in different ways and to varying degrees in different countries. |
| College savings Mississippi art contest submission deadline extended to March 20 | |
| The deadline for students to submit their work to participate in the 10th annual college savings Mississippi art contest has been extended to Monday, March 20. Students from across Mississippi will be competing for over $3,000 in Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) scholarships by submitting an original piece of art based on the theme, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Any Mississippi student from Pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade, whether in a classroom, through an after-school program, or by homeschooling is eligible to participate in the contest. A $500 MACS scholarship will be awarded to the first-place contestant in each of the following age categories: Pre-Kindergarten-Second Grade, Third-Fifth Grades, Sixth-Eighth Grades and Ninth-12th Grades. A second-place prize of a $250 MACS scholarship and a third-place prize of a $100 MACS scholarship will also be awarded in each category. Students in PreK through 2nd Grade should submit their artwork on an official entry form. |
| How MUW is working to keep students in the education field | |
 | Around the nation, schools are struggling to fill teaching positions and keep them filled. The faculty at Mississippi University for Women recognizes that struggle to keep students in the education field and is working to fill that need. For many, teaching is a calling, but when education students become classroom teachers, many find that there are challenges and barriers on the job that make it difficult to stay the course. Professors at The W are gearing up their instruction to be ready for whatever they may face after graduation Dean of Education Martin Hatton has been in higher education for 30 years. Over time he's seen many changes but he said one thing is always for sure. "No two days in education will always be exactly the same," said Hatton. With nationwide teacher shortages, Hatton said the first few years in the profession will often make or break teachers. It often stems from a lack of support. "Statewide, region-wide, nationwide we lose as much as 50% of our new teachers within the first year two to three years so it's a critical time frame. It's one thing again to have that constant support and constant feedback and then going into the profession and you don't have that same degree of support and feedback," said Hatton. |
| Willie Morris Awards Awarded in fiction, nonfiction and poetry | |
| The Willie Morris Awards for Southern Writing will celebrate some of the year's best in contemporary literature in a session concluding the 2023 Oxford Conference for the Book. The awards program celebrates the legacy of Willie Morris, award-winning author and former writer-in-residence at the University of Mississippi, and, by extension, spreads appreciation for contemporary Southern literature. In the spirit of the awards' namesake, winning authors address Southern themes with an air of hope. After considering hundreds of nominations, the national panel of judges has chosen winners in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. "In remarkable works of fiction, poetry and our newest category, nonfiction, our authors continue the relevant consideration of what it means to call the American South home," said Lucy Gaines, production assistant for the Willie Morris Awards and an Ole Miss graduate student in Southern studies. The Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction goes to Destiny Birdsong for her debut novel, "Nobody's Magic" (Grand Central Publishing, 2022). Beverly Lowry wins for "Deer Creek Drive" (Knopf Doubleday) in the new nonfiction category. And the winner of the poetry category is Adam Haver for his single poem "There Are Words That Conjure." All the winners will be celebrated during the Oxford Conference for the Book with a reading at 4 p.m. March 31 at Off Square Books. The session, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a book signing and reception. |
| USM salutes renowned benefactor Oseola McCarty on 115th birthday | |
 | March 7 will forever be recognized as a special day of remembrance and celebration for The University of Southern Mississippi. Tuesday marks the 115th birthday of the University's most renowned benefactor, Oseola McCarty. In 1995, McCarty designated USM as the beneficiary of a $150,000 gift. As an 87-year-old laundress who lived frugally, this gift represented the majority of her life savings. "On what would be Ms. Oseola McCarty's 115th birthday, we celebrate her life, her giving spirit, and her generosity," said Stace Mercier, executive director of the USM Foundation. "If she could only see the life-changing impact her gift has made on the nearly 130 students from South Mississippi who have benefitted from the Oseola McCarty Scholarship Endowment. Her $150,000 gift coupled with the gifts of others who chose to honor her has awarded approximately $600,000 in scholarships." Starting at the age of eight, McCarty worked after school beside her mother, Lucy; grandmother, Julia and aunt, Evelyn. She began stashing away money she earned for safe keeping in her doll buggy. McCarty's childhood dream was to become a nurse, but she left school in the sixth grade to care for her ill aunt and never made it back to the classroom. For 75 years, McCarty took in laundry and ironing work until arthritis forced her to stop. In 1998, McCarty was awarded an honorary degree from USM, the first such degree awarded by the University. |
| JSU student concerns mount during search for alleged rapist | |
| Recent investigations into sexual assaults on and related to the Jackson State campus have students concerned. Some are uneasy and taking extra precautions as an alleged rapist remains on the loose. JSU Junior Kevia Miles is watching where she goes on campus after getting the alert that a female was sexually assaulted in the school library. The Biology Pre-Med major is concerned the attacker could be anyone on the campus hiding in plain sight. "I'm glad that someone had the courage to speak up about it because many Black people or Black women or Black men, just Black children, period, don't know how to actually speak up when something is going on with them. They'd rather just hide behind the shadows and not say anything," said Miles. Meanwhile, the search for the suspect continues. JSU issued a warning about the incident. "It's not something that should be happening on our campus," said JSU Freshman Ontario Linson. "And I find it very upsetting that someone can't go into the library and just with having to look over their shoulder." Linson, a Journalism major from Silver Spring, MD, is now accompanying his female friends to places on campus after dark. |
| Former VP Mike Pence to Speak at U. of Alabama in April | |
| Former Vice President Mike Pence will speak at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa next month during a free event announced Tuesday. The appearance is being hosted by UA's Young Americans for Freedom, a chapter of an organization generally comprised of conservative and libertarian college students on campuses across the U.S. The YAF announced the event Tuesday and said Pence would spend an hour on stage at the University of Alabama Student Center for remarks and a Q&A session on April 11th. Doors will open at 5:30, but tickets will be required for entry. The event is free and open to the public, with tickets available for students, faculty and all others on Eventbrite now. The appearance is being billed as "Saving America from the Woke Left." Pence is widely expected to seek the Republican Party's nomination to run for President in 2024, although he has not yet officially declared his intention to do so. |
| Arkansas scholar honored for rice research | |
| A national body of rice researchers awarded the Distinguished Service Award to Bob Scott, senior associate vice president -- extension for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. In his nominating letter, Jeff Edwards, Division of Agriculture department chair for Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, said Scott "has been a strong supporter of the rice industry throughout his career and is highly deserving of this honor." Scott has been with the Division of Agriculture for more than two decades. From 2018-2020, Scott served as director of the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart. In 2020, he was named senior associate vice president for agriculture -- extension. After completing his doctorate in weed science at Mississippi State University in 1997 and working in the private sector for five years, Scott worked as an extension weed specialist for the Division of Agriculture from 2002-2018, the final five years of which he also served as director of both the Lonoke Extension Center and the Newport Extension Center. Scott received the award during the opening hours of the Rice Technical Working Group's first meeting in three years -- and its first meeting in Arkansas, the nation's No. 1 rice-producing state -- in more than a decade. The meeting brought together more than 300 researchers and rice industry professionals from several states and countries. |
| In dramatic court testimony, Max Gruver's friend describes deadly fraternity hazing | |
 | Brayden Rabalais said a sense of dread immediately flushed over him when he read the text: "Bible study tonight. Be ready." Then a freshman pledging to become a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Rabalais didn't know exactly what Bible Study was. But he was sure he'd have to endure a grueling experience when he reported to the frat house the night of Sept. 13, 2017. It proved to be what authorities called a hazing ritual in which teenage pledges were pressured to chug several bottles of Diesel, a 190-proof grain liquor that federal prosecutors called the "most potent alcohol on the market by far." Rabalais sobbed as he testified in court Tuesday about the hazing experience during a civil hearing in the death of Max Gruver. Gruver, an 18-year-old LSU student from north Fulton County, Georgia, was one of the pledges who went through Bible Study -- but he died of alcohol poisoning and aspiration less than 24 hours later, police said. "It was everything I'd feared it would be," Rabalais said. "I wouldn't wish anyone to go through that." A trial is underway this week in the sweeping lawsuit Gruver's parents, Stephen and Rae Ann Gruver, filed against LSU, the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and several frat members who participated in the fatal hazing incident. |
| Gator Marching Band gears up for performance in Ireland | |
| For the first time in the country's history, Ireland will hear the singing of woodwinds, the buzzing of brass and the booming of drums from the Gator Marching Band as it embodies the spirit of St. Patrick's Day with "We Are the Boys from Old Florida." About 340 out of the roughly 400 students who comprise the Pride of the Sunshine will spend Spring break performing in the Cork St. Patrick's Day Parade, Limerick International Band Championship and Dublin St. Patrick's Day Festival. The band is performing at the invitation of Caroline Conroy, the Lord Mayor of Dublin. John "Jay" Watkins, associate director of bands, said UF will represent the first well-known college band Dublin has seen in a long time, as his students will have the opportunity to perform live in places other than football stadiums. The eight-day trip costs about $3,205 for students, but the Gator Band Alumni Association and the provost's office helped with the funding, Watkins said. He's not sure how much the entire trip will cost the band program because transportation for instruments is still being accounted for. The band has rehearsed its music for Ireland with four Sunday rehearsals lasting two hours since the beginning of February. |
| U.S. News escalates battle over rankings, saying 'elite' colleges don't speak for higher ed | |
| The CEO and executive chair of U.S. News & World Report delivered an impassioned defense of the magazine's rankings last week, arguing the prominent colleges snubbing them "don't want to be held accountable by an independent third party." Eric Gertler's missive in The Wall Street Journal escalates a three-month feud over the rankings as dozens of law and medical schools have withdrawn, accusing U.S. News of valuing prestige ahead of academic quality. The U.S. education secretary also recently took a stand against the rankings, prompting the publication to go on the defensive. Gertler wrote in the Journal last week that U.S. News' rankings represent one of the few sources where students can find "accurate, comprehensive information" on colleges. The rankings do not capture colleges' every nuance, he wrote, and comparing institutions across common data sets can prove challenging. But he rejected criticism that the rankings contribute to a decline in campus diversity or opaqueness in college admissions, as some opponents have suggested. Gertler's essay constitutes one of the magazine's most comprehensive responses to the rankings boycott since the groundswell began in November. |
| Diversity Statements Are Under Fire. Here's What They Are and How They're Used. | |
 | Several states are taking aim at the use of diversity statements in hiring. Recently introduced legislation in Missouri would block their use, and last month the University of North Carolina system's Board of Governors banned "compelled speech" for prospective students and employees. Three public university systems in Texas have grabbed headlines in the past week for banning diversity statements, following a February letter from Gov. Greg Abbott's office barring the consideration of factors "other than merit" in the hiring process. To include diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in hiring decisions, Abbott's office wrote, violates federal and state employment laws. The chancellors of the Texas A&M and Texas State systems on Thursday eliminated the diversity-statement requirement in hiring practices. First popularized in the mid-2010s, diversity statements have become a mainstay of application processes for faculty jobs, required in some searches and requested in others. Candidates are asked to explain in a page or two how they've contributed to diversity, equity, and inclusion work in their academic lives. Critics say forcing candidates to submit diversity statements pressures them to espouse progressive views; a report released last week by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression found that faculty members were split over whether the statements constitute "a justifiable requirement for a job at a university" or "an ideological litmus test that violates academic freedom." |
| Students switch up college plans as states pass anti-LGBTQ laws | |
 | Cody Nobles hopes to study environmental science or marine biology at a college on a shoreline town, where he can observe ocean life firsthand. But after his native Florida adopted legislation restricting LGBTQ rights, Nobles, who is gay, is planning to find a similar environment in a different political climate. The 19-year-old says he wouldn't have to worry as much about discrimination or even physical assault in California. "I came to reality and realized that I might actually have to involve those things into where I go, because you never know where I might be going," Cody said, expressing concern about the possibility of having to attend school in "a place that has a record of hate crimes or a very old-fashioned point of view when it comes to gender." "For me personally, I just naturally assumed I was going to college down here," he said. "But if things got worse, then I suppose I would have no choice." Florida state lawmakers have passed laws that block classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary schools and aim to restrict race-based conversation and analysis in business and education. Another recent bill would let the state board that oversees public universities give direction on removing majors and minors in subjects like critical race theory and gender studies and bar spending on programs or activities that support such curricula. Interviews with students, parents and college counselors suggest LGBTQ young people are striking colleges in states where such legislation is being pushed. |
| Activists prepare next steps for if Biden's student loan forgiveness prevails | |
 | Student loan advocates are planning their next moves as President Biden's student debt relief plan hangs in the balance. During the Supreme Court oral arguments for the proposal last week, the majority-conservative justices seemed skeptical of the administration's case, fueling panic for some borrowers. But activists, who were always going to try to move beyond Biden's up-to-$20,000 forgiveness, say they are "optimistic" about the outcome of the case and already have plans to support borrowers following a potential greenlight ruling from the court. "There's been so much chat about Plan B, and I think that's important. Just as importantly, we need a Plan A," Braxton Brewington, press secretary for the Debt Collective, told The Hill. The most important step if the Supreme Court were in fact to let Biden's plan proceed is to getting borrowers the debt relief as soon as possible, an issue where Brewington said the administration stumbled at the beginning. "The problem with delivering student debt relief wasn't the legal authority. It was the swiftness in which it was carried out, which was not swift at all. And so we've been saying, you know, should the Supreme Court uphold student debt relief, the Biden administration needs to discharge people's debts as soon as possible," he said. And the demands for activists don't stop with just debt cancellation. Their calls also include extending the pandemic-era student loan pause until the end of Biden's presidency, despite the president previously saying he wouldn't extend it again. |
| College politically engages students, but doesn't make them more liberal | |
| People who attend college are slightly less likely to be politically moderate than those that don't -- but higher education affects men and women differently, according to peer-reviewed research published in PLOS One, an open-access journal. Researchers found college politically mobilizes women more than men in general. Colleges were also more likely to have made women more liberal in the past than they do today. While men may become more politically aware in college, higher education doesn't make them more likely to lean liberal or conservative, the research found. Higher education frequently faces accusations of pushing an overly progressive worldview onto students, leading to homogenized thinking. Almost half of adults, 47%, believe that college makes people more politically liberal, compared to only 6% who said it makes people more conservative, according to a 2022 YouGov poll. Politicians often repeat this claim as they work to undo the aspects of higher education they disagree with. In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has lambasted his state's public colleges and is working to remake them to more closely mirror conservative institutions like Michigan's Hillsdale College, a private Christian liberal arts school. But the new research in PLOS One "cautions against viewing college as a uniform and overall equalizing experience." It demonstrates changes in higher education's influence over time. |
| Some States Want to Reshape Tenure. This Time, They Might Succeed. | |
| A proposal in North Dakota would pilot a new vision for tenure at two public colleges -- giving presidents, not faculty members, the power to sign off on performance evaluations of tenured professors. Republican state lawmakers have introduced bills that would undo or amend tenure for years, saying that faculty members shouldn't get lifetime job security with few strings attached. Typically, higher-ed leaders push back against attacks on tenure, saying that it is essential for protecting academic freedom. But there's something unusual about North Dakota's post-tenure review legislation. A college president was involved in writing and strongly promoting the bill. Such an origin story is distinct from historical trends, said John K. Wilson, who was a 2019-20 fellow with the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. "That's something that's really quite radical and new and makes this particular era extraordinarily dangerous for tenure and academic freedom," said Wilson, a scholar who studies academic freedom and tenure. Texas and Florida are also looking at faculty tenure. With powerful Republican politicians leading the charge, these tenure bills could have a higher chance of succeeding than similar proposals in past years. For Wilson, these legislative proposals represent a "new era" in the history of American higher education that is "unprecedented." "We've never seen anything like this before," Wilson said. |
| Three governors are driving the GOP's higher ed agenda | |
 | Though the 2024 presidential election is still more than 600 days away, a couple of well-known Republicans have already entered the primary race. Others -- including Florida governor Ron DeSantis -- have indicated they will likely join the fray. While he hasn't declared his candidacy yet, political observers say DeSantis is clearly seeking to energize the Republican base by throwing them red meat on pressing social issues -- particularly education, at both the K-12 and postsecondary levels. And many experts believe DeSantis's education agenda in Florida is intended more as a preview of his platform for 2024 than as a serious attempt to address policy concerns in his state. He's not the only one; Greg Abbott of Texas and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia are also politicking on hot-button issues, driving the GOP higher education agenda while flirting with White House runs. Both have sought to bend education in their respective states to their political will, and while they have been more circumspect about their presidential prospects than DeSantis, both remain in early conversations about the 2024 election. Political pundits are watching closely as Youngkin and Abbott chase the Florida governor, who is setting the pace early on. And whether or not any of them run---let alone win the nomination---supporters and opponents alike are wondering how their state policies on higher ed will shape the national discourse heading into 2024. |
| Ballot initiative proposal a scam | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: The media does a great disservice to the people of Mississippi when it declares that a concurrent resolution under consideration in the Legislature would "restore the public ballot initiative process." The daft proposal now under consideration in the Legislature restores nothing. Remember, in 2021 the Mississippi Supreme Court threw out the state's ballot initiative process. Adopted in 1992, that process required proponents to gather voter signatures from the five congressional districts then in existence. After Mississippi lost the fifth district in 2003, that requirement became technically unachievable. Since the court decision, the Legislature has been under pressure to restore ballot initiatives. Remember, too, the constitution itself gives the people of this state "the inherent, sole, and exclusive right ... to alter and abolish their constitution and form of government whenever they deem it necessary to their safety and happiness." But it provided no means to do so. The 1992 ballot initiative process provided that means. The new proposal does not restore that means. Rather than allowing citizens to amend their state constitution, it would only allow them to propose, amend or repeal state laws. |
| Remembering Keady: Federal judge dismantled Southern 'plantation' prisons | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: I attended a portion of the Mississippi Historical Society annual meeting on Friday at the "Two Museums" complex near the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in Mississippi's capital city. Jackson has received a significant share of negative national media attention over the last decade for a myriad of problems. But the "Two Museums" -- the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum -- remain modern monuments to what can be in our state. They are also places that are repositories of lessons Mississippians should have learned together over the last century -- lessons about race, poverty, injustice, courage, accomplishment and potential that are at once realized and unrealized. The Mississippi Historical Society is an organization in which conversations and scholarship about Mississippi's bewildering history have continued and flourished. This year's annual meeting focused on women in our state's history, Mississippi's environmental history, and 20th Century Mississippi history. There were several outstanding presentations, including an incredible look at the "Operation Chlorine" episode in which a barge carrying two million pounds of deadly liquid chlorine sank in the Mississippi River near Natchez in 1961. The ensuing and harrowing efforts over the next 18 months to safely raise the chlorine tanks engaged President John F. Kennedy and Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett at a time the pair were actively skirmishing over the admission of James Meredith as the first Black student at Ole Miss and that Kennedy was simultaneously locked in unprecedented nuclear brinksmanship with Russian premier Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis. But as one who spent a significant amount of time covering issues at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman and the politics of corrections at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson -- and as a proud father -- I was particularly interested in a presentation by archivist Kate Salter Gregory on the personal and judicial papers of the late U.S. District Judge William Colbert Keady of Greenville. |
SPORTS
| MSU's bracketology forecast takes backseat to task at hand | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball head coach Chris Jans has been in the postseason plenty of times in his coaching career. Before heading to Starkville, Jans led New Mexico State to the NCAA tournament three times in his five-year stint there, winning the Western Athletic Conference tournament three times and the regular season title four times. Jans has had a taste for the Big Dance, but in his first season with the Bulldogs, he's entered a situation he's yet to encounter: The Bubble. Entering his first Southeastern Conference tournament this week, he and Mississippi State find themselves as part of ESPN insider Joe Lunardi's "Last Four In" for bracketology. With Florida coming up at noon Thursday in the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville, he's finding his way through just like his players. "We know if we win what awaits us, but I don't have a huge routine about it," Jans said. "We'll prepare like we always do, maybe a little more hands-on-deck." As has been the case with Mississippi State (20-11, 8-10 SEC) over the last two weeks or so, every game has been a must-win game to keep the Bulldogs' NCAA tournament hopes alive. |
| Smith basks in accolades from state, conference | |
| By the time Tolu Smith heard his name called at the Pearl River Resort Monday as the Howell Trophy winner – given to the state's best male college basketball player – word had gotten out word got out about him being named First Team All-Southeastern Conference by the coaches. Smith is the fifth Bulldog in the past six years to earn the trophy, named after Mississippi State basketball great and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Bailey Howell. Smith's family, along with MSU head basketball coach Chris Jans, were on hand for the presentation. Later that day, he was also named a media First Team All-SEC selection, fitting for the Bay St. Louis native who has made the most of his time back in the Magnolia State. "Man, it was surreal, just all the hard work paying off," Smith said. "It was a great feeling. ... I think it's more so for not just myself, but for Starkville, my teammates. It was just a great feeling for everybody." For the fifth time in six years, a Bulldog took home the trophy. |
| Shawn Jones Jr. has helped Mississippi State basketball's March Madness push | |
| Missouri's D'moi Hodge caught a pass at midcourt with a clear path to the basket. Looking like a wide receiver in a blown cover, Hodge took two steps in stride of a perfect throw and elevated for an easy dunk. A fan sitting courtside jumped out of his seat and pumped his fist anticipating the slam. Enter Mississippi State guard Shawn Jones Jr. "He makes plays where you go, 'Wow," first-year Bulldogs coach Chris Jans says. Despite being on the other half of the court when the pass was made, Jones caught up to Hodge for a Lebron James-esque chasedown block off the backboard. It sent the ball back beyond the free throw line and forced the courtside fan immediately back into his cushioned seat. On air, SEC Network analyst Joe Kleine provided an iteration of Jans' theory. "Whoa," he said. The block was the start of highlight-filled close to Jones' first collegiate regular season. Four days after the loss at Missouri, Jones stripped Texas A&M's Tyrece Radford with less than six minutes left and led the break for a coast-to-coast two-handed dunk. He scored a career-high 11 points in a win against South Carolina three days later. With each moment and eye-catching performance, it becomes harder to believe Jones was without a team less than a year ago. |
| Everything to know about 2023 SEC Tournament | |
 | The SEC men's basketball tournament returns to Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, beginning an 8-year run that will keep the event in Nashville at least through 2030. It starts with the bottom four seeds -- No. 11 Georgia playing No. 14 LSU and No. 13 Ole Miss playing No. 12 South Carolina on Wednesday. No. 5 Tennessee will face the Ole Miss-USC winner at 2 p.m. CT Thursday, with No. 6 Vanderbilt facing the Georgia-LSU winner at 8 p.m. The quarterfinals are set for Friday, the semifinals for Saturday and the championship for Sunday at noon. All-session tickets and individual session tickets are available on Ticketmaster. All-session tickets were going for $261 on Monday, before fees and taxes. Session 1 on Wednesday will be general admission seating, first-come, first-served. Those ticket purchasers receive a general admission ticket for Wednesday and a reserved ticket for all other sessions Thursday through Sunday. General admission tickets for only Wednesday were priced at $15. Single-session Thursday tickets were going for as cheap as $10 in the upper decks for the noon window and $22 for the 6 p.m. window. Closer seats were much more expensive, and anything from Friday through the end of the tournament came with an exponentially steeper price tag -- especially close to the court. |
| Bats come alive in middle innings as Mississippi State baseball blows out Valparaiso | |
| Getting off to a slow start offensively, Mississippi State baseball needed a jolt in the middle innings on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs trailed Valparaiso, 2-0, heading to the bottom of the fourth, with just four hits to that point and a number of hard-hit balls going right to Beacons infielders early on. Mississippi State's start might have been unlucky, but the Bulldogs found some two-out magic in the fourth after getting on the board from an Amani Larry RBI sacrifice fly. From that point on, they scored five two-out runs and 12 unanswered, taking a commanding 6-2 lead after the fourth as the Bulldogs run-ruled Valparaiso, 12-2. I felt like we needed the one big hit," Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis said. "A couple of them, we hit hard right at people. Shoot, I think Dakota probably has a homer tonight if the wind's not blowing, him and Bryce. "It all evens out...We put together a lot of two-out hits which we needed." It wasn't just the hitting that was on point on Tuesday as freshman left-hander Bradley Loftin took the mound for Mississippi State, throwing a gem. |
| QB Will Rogers on Mississippi State football's new offensive scheme | |
| Within minutes of the start of Mississippi State football's first spring practice on Tuesday, quarterback Will Rogers was sprinting to the line of scrimmage, flashing hand signals to his receivers and shouting at his offensive line to get set. In the first look at a fresh season under head coach Zach Arnett and offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay, there was little time wasted. The new regime wants to move with pace and purpose. "We started practice really, really fast with some up-tempo plays -- good on go," Rogers said. "It was good to be out flying around with the guys and learning a new scheme." Barbay has wasted little time in throwing the playbook at his new roster. He had running back Jo'quavious Marks tossing reverses to receiver Lideatrick Griffin. He had defensive players slotting in at tight end. He had Vanderbilt transfer quarterback Mike Wright coming off the edge and burning defenders. Though certain schemes are still incorporated, the true Air Raid run by former coach Mike Leach has been replaced by a system players such as Marks haven't seen since high school. It also has created an external challenge for Rogers. The Brandon, Mississippi, native came to Mississippi State to play in the Air Raid, and it's resulted in him putting up impressive numbers and breaking records. It's also placed the label of a system quarterback on him by many, which has given Rogers something to prove even with the regular season six months away. "At the end of the day, you can play football or you can't," Rogers said. "It's football. I don't care what system you're in. You can throw and catch the ball, or you can't." |
| Mississippi State Announces Fan Information For Bulldog Invitational | |
| With a busy weekend on campus ahead, Mississippi State has announced important fan information for the upcoming Bulldog Invitational at Nusz Park on March 9-12. The included parking and shuttle information also applies for fans attending baseball and men's tennis this weekend. Softball is a non-ticketed sport at MSU and tickets are not required to attend the Bulldog Invitational. However, a limited number of seats will be reserved behind each dugout for that team's parents and fans that are included on their pass list. These seats will be cleared between each game to allow the next team's fans to use them. Tickets are required and remain available for baseball's series with Lipscomb on March 10-12. Admission to all home tennis matches, including the men's matches on March 9 and March 11, is free. The baseball parking map will be in effect on March 10-11 with some modifications to accommodate the Bulldog Invitational and men's tennis. Additional parking for softball is available in the Zacharias Village lot with a shuttle available. The new North Garage will be available for fans of all three events on March 10-11 only. Fans can purchase parking in advance for $5 or can pay upon arrival if spaces remain. The fourth and fifth level of the garage will be reserved for ADA parking only, with a shuttle to the ballparks provided. Shuttle service begins at 4 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday. The buses will run for 30 minutes following the final game of the day across all three sports. |
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.
