| Wednesday, March 22, 2023 |
| McAdory answers gardening questions | |
 | With gardening season just around the corner, it is always best to be prepared so you can have a successful garden. As someone who is all about a thriving garden, Jim McAdory of the Mississippi State University Extension Service was on hand at Tuesday's weekly program for the Kiwanis Club of Starkville and answered their questions about gardening. There are many good reasons for having your own garden in Mississippi. A garden offers the opportunity to enjoy vegetables at their freshest, usually only minutes between harvest, preparation, and eating. On the other hand, most fresh vegetables available at grocery stores travel over 1,000 miles from producer to consumer, and that's a travel that takes several days. When deciding to have your own garden, careful planning reduces work and troubles, and makes the garden more productive. |
| Plant bug battle lasts all season in cotton | |
 | The tarnished plant bug is Mississippi's No. 1 most economically damaging insect in cotton, costing an estimated $42 million in yield losses plus millions more spent to control the pest. Whitney Crow, entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said these insects also can be found in corn and soybeans, but they are the most economically important pests in cotton. Yield losses to tarnished plant bugs can happen even with the proper use of pesticides. "Losses can range from 400 pounds to 1,000 pounds an acre depending on the year," Crow said. "The biggest issue in cotton is that they like the squares -- the flower buds -- in cotton's earlier stages. When they feed on those squares, they have the potential to fall off, causing direct yield loss to that plant." The boll weevil was once the most economically important cotton pest in the state. Boll weevil eradication efforts that sprayed broad-spectrum insecticides on a scheduled basis also controlled tarnished plant bugs. "When we eradicated the boll weevil, it left the opportunity open for another insect to fill that void and become the most problematic," Crow said. |
| USDA grant funds rice resiliency research | |
| Four universities are participating in an effort through the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve the sustainability and profitability of rice farming as the staple grain grapples with extreme weather and climate challenges. Scientists at Louisiana State University (LSU), the University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University (MSU) and Texas A&M University are part of a team awarded a four-year $10 million grant by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The grant is part of an overall $70 million investment from the USDA to establish robust, resilient and climate-smart food and agricultural systems. "Because of our interdisciplinary expertise and MSU's facilities, we are developing genetic mapping tools to identify the genes associated with stress tolerance, including projected changes in climate," said Raja Reddy, an agronomist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES). "Being able to identify these genes will help rice breeders develop climate-resilient cultivars, or plant varieties." Reddy, a research professor in MSU's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, is working with assistant research professors Raju Bheemanahalli Rangappa and Hunter Bowman, also MAFES agronomists, on MSU's part of the project, which is funded by a $970,000 grant. |
| Fewer Than 10% of Levees in the Greater Bay Area Have a Federal Flood Risk Rating | |
| Atmospheric river-fueled storms have hammered the network of hundreds of levees in coastal counties near the San Francisco Bay -- from the agricultural fields of Monterey County to urban places like San Leandro, Walnut Creek and Richmond to more rural parts of the North Bay. At least two major levees, in Salinas and Pajaro, have failed since New Year's Eve. The levee breach along the Pajaro River, which divides Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, left the entire town of Pajaro in a deluge of water. More than 3,000 residents could be displaced for several weeks. The disastrous flood submerged a significant acreage of agricultural land there, and the mostly lower-income Latino community now faces overwhelming economic and housing uncertainty. Levees are designed with a certain level of flood risk, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rates how safe each levee is as part of the National Levee Database. But federal risk records are available for less than 10% of the coastal region surrounding the Bay Area. The state of federal levee records "is an extensive problem that we have been aware of and there won't be overnight magic to solve this," said Farshid Vahedifard, professor of civil engineering at Mississippi State University. |
| Cutting edge equipment upgrades coming to Okt. sheriff's dept. | |
 | City and county law enforcement agencies are in for some technological upgrades. The Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency received approval to purchase an almost $850,000 public safety equipment update from 365Labs at the board of supervisors meeting on Monday night. EMA Director Kristin Campanella said this update would be a huge change for the county's sheriff's office. "This will be the latest and greatest technology in Mississippi," Campanella said. "No one has this technology right now. We will be the only ones in the state, which is a first." Campanella said the package includes computer-aided dispatch mobile systems for sheriff's department cars, a digital record management system, in-car cameras, body-worn cameras, fire station alerting, and an e-citation system for the sheriff's department to digitally file warrants, evidence, and other case management information. Originally, the package from 365Labs was quoted as a $2 million upgrade. Campanella negotiated with the company and removed some items to lower costs, but the amount was still over the county's $600,000 budget. Captain Brett Watson of the Sheriff's Office encouraged the board to take the leap and find ways to absorb the additional cost. |
| Mississippi leaders highlight state's farmers on National Agriculture Day | |
 | Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson highlighted Mississippi's top farm exports during a friendly competition on Tuesday. Agriculture is one of the top producing economic avenues for the state of Mississippi. In recognition of National Agriculture Day, Gipson asked Mississippians to appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing abundant and affordable products. "The reality that our food, all of it, comes from the farm. Our food comes from the farm, and we're here today in support of our farmers. There are fewer farmers now than there ever have been, but our farmers are feeding everybody, everybody who enjoys a meal. You can rest assured that meal came from a farm somewhere," said Gipson. Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) also signed a proclamation marking March 21st as Ag Day in Mississippi. |
| LINK CEO delivers progress update on Aluminum Dynamics | |
 | With the state's largest economic development plan signed off on and breaking ground, the Golden Triangle Development Link is looking ahead to the next challenge. LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins delivered an update on progress at Aluminum Dynamics and what could be happening in the future. Higgins laid out a proposed timeline for the construction of the plant. He also said that since the plant will be occupying the latest industrial mega site, the LINK is now faced with finding enough available land to prepare a new one. Higgins reiterated that Aluminum Dynamics plans to hire locally as much as possible; although they will be bringing about 10% of the start-up staff from existing operations. In fact, some of those people have already bought homes or property to build on in the Golden Triangle. He expects the expansion to bring more people to the area -- if they can find the things they're looking for. "If you've got kids, you're looking at schools -- okay? If you're not, if you don't have kids, you're looking at safety. Those of us that are married and got wives, they're going to want a place to shop and do retail," said Higgins. |
| South Beach Casino goes to Gaming Commission for site approval. It's not in Biloxi | |
 | South Mississippi could have another contender to become the 13th casino on the Coast. On Thursday, South Beach Casino & Resort goes before the Mississippi Gaming Commission for site approval. This proposed casino site at 6081 South Beach Blvd. in the Clermont Harbor development and Lakeshore area of Hancock County is just shy of 4 acres. If approved, this would be the third casino site in about two miles of the beach. The 3.93 acre property is east of Silver Slipper Casino and adjacent to a 98.5-acre site owned by Cure Land Co. that got site approval but hasn't yet been built. The sites are just west of Buccaneer State Park. Another South Beach Casino was proposed in 2008 at Veterans Avenue and U.S. 90 in Biloxi and went before the Gaming Commission several times for site approval. Kirk Ladner of Diamondhead and Russell Elliott of Bay St. Louis are requesting site approval of this Hancock County property. "They've met all the regulations to get on the agenda," said Jay McDaniel, executive director of the Gaming Commission. The required legal advertisement in the Sea Coast Echo says South Beach Casino & Resort LLC anticipates the resort will have 40,000 square feet of casino space, 1,100 slot machines, 25 table games and 6 poker tables. |
| Milwaukee Tool to close Mississippi plant that opened in 2021 | |
| In late 2021, Milwaukee Tool embarked on expanding its footprint in Mississippi including a new plant in a suburb of Jackson, but the company has decided to close the facility by the fourth quarter of this year, citing a need to "maximize efficiencies." The Brookfield-based tool manufacturer in August 2021 announced plans to invest more than $7 million in the plant to accommodate ongoing sales growth. The company leased a 357,000-square-foot facility in the Jackson suburb of Clinton. The Clinton site was part of Milwaukee Tool's April 2021 announcement that it would create 1,200 jobs in Mississippi including a new plant in Grenada County. The Clinton plant has 150 employees who will be impacted by a "rolling close" that will take until this year's fourth quarter, said company spokeswoman Heather McGee. "We had to make the difficult decision to transition operations out of our Clinton facility," McGee said Tuesday via email. "By transitioning activities out of this facility, we'll create more efficiencies across our other plants which will improve the overall performance of our supply chain." Clinton employees will have the option of taking positions at other Milwaukee Tool locations, McGee said. The plant-closing decision does not impact Milwaukee Tool's Grenada, Mississippi, facility that is currently being built and proceeding as planned, McGee said. Milwaukee Tool announced in April 2021 plans for the $60 million Grenada plant that the company said would create 800 jobs backed by a $26 million grant from the state of Mississippi. |
| Mississippians are being reminded to get colorectal screenings at 45 | |
 | March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and medical experts are urging Mississippians to get screened for the disease. Mississippi has the highest mortality rate of Colorectal Cancer in the nation. At St. Dominic's Hospital in Jackson, a pop-up demonstration is helping educate Mississippians about colorectal screenings. Jimmie Wells is a nurse at the hospital who specializes in helping patients diagnosed with cancer. She's walking through an inflatable tunnel that looks like a colon to help visualize the various stages of colon cancer. "It's nice and smooth, this is what a totally healthy colon looks like. There's nothing here and this is actually what you want. But unfortunately, as we age there are times where you will develop these things that look like pimples. These are polyps," says Wells. "Hopefully you'll just have one or two, and you can get those out. But if you leave them alone, eventually they will turn into something else and turn into a cancer." More than one-third of Mississippians over the age of 45 have not been screened for colorectal cancer according to a 2020 report from the Mississippi Department of Health. And while the disease is easily preventable, the state maintains the nation's highest colorectal cancer mortality rate. Wells says minorities are often at a higher risk for colon disease because they are less likely to be screened early enough to use preventative measures "...which should not happen, because if we do our colonoscopies, if we do the appropriate screening, we can actually impact and change what colorectal cancer looks like in Mississippi." |
| Conference weekend looms with a variety of issues up for debate | |
| The 2023 Mississippi Legislative session is coming to a close, and lawmakers are preparing for conference weekend. This time is used to finalize details on legislation that may differ in each chamber. It's also the time when the state's budget for the next fiscal year is set. Three conferees from each chamber are named and will hammer out the details of the bills, considering changes made in the House and Senate, and then offer those agreements to the whole body for a vote. There are over 230 bills that have been sent to conference, which includes appropriation and revenue bills. The approved estimated revenue for FY2024 is currently set at $7,523,800,000. This is a 7.7% increase over last year's budget estimate. With the increase, lawmakers look to set the budget roughly $55.7 million higher at $6,989,435,095 for FY2024. If budget bills do not amount to that number, leadership will be required to meet and set a new number before sine die, or end of session. One sticking point could be the new proposed funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP), which would increase the state funding for the public education system by $181 million this year. HB 1369, the vehicle for this increase and formula change to fully fund the program, is still sitting on the House calendar. Conference has only been invited for the appropriation bill -- SB 1316. |
| 'Transformative' mental health bill awaits governor's signature, funding | |
| A bill passed unanimously by the Legislature is expected to bring some reform to Mississippi's long-troubled mental health care system, which often strands people with mental health issues in jail with long delays in treatment and has been under scrutiny from federal authorities for years. "House Bill 1222 provides solid solutions to national mental health issues and is so transformative that it could be a really strong model for other states to implement," said Dr. Katherine Pannel, a psychiatrist, president elect of the Mississippi Psychiatric Association and longtime Mississippi mental health advocate. The measure, authored by Rep. Sam Creekmore, R-New Albany, would provide mental health training for Mississippi's law enforcement, often the first point of contact for those suffering illness. It would also expand a court-liaison program, helping families dealing with the court system. It also seeks to improve cooperation between county governments and regional commissions that oversee community mental health centers. The bill faced some realpolitik setbacks as it made its way through the Legislature. The initial version would have created a tax on vaping products that was expected to bring in $6.5 million a year, more than half of which would go to help counties house people people needed mental health services. But the GOP supermajority in the Legislature would not go for any new tax, so now the measure awaits lawmakers approval of a general appropriation. Creekmore expects the Legislature to provide about $4 million a year for the program. |
| Legislature passes Mississippi Fully Autonomous Vehicle Enabling Act of 2023 | |
| On Tuesday, the Mississippi House concurred with the Senate's amendments to the Mississippi Fully Autonomous Vehicle Enabling Act of 2023 (H.B. 1003), sending it on to the desk of Governor Tate Reeves (R). When implemented, the bill would regulate the operation of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on public roads. H.B. 1003 defines "fully autonomous vehicle" as a motor vehicle equipped with an automated driving system designed to function without a human driver as a Level 4 or Level 5 automation system under the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Standard J3016. On the House floor, State Representative Charles Busby (R), Chairman of the House Transportation Committee and candidate for Southern District Transportation Commissioner, explained what was amended by the Senate. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is our autonomous vehicle bill," Busby said. "The only thing that changed in the law enforcement interaction plan, we're allowing [Department of Public Safety] to set the parameters of that plan. That's the only change." According to the legislation, prior to operating a fully autonomous vehicle on the public roads of this state without a human driver, a person will be required to submit a law enforcement interaction plan to the Department of Public Safety. |
| Legislature split over attempt to limit Holly Springs Utility Department's customer base | |
 | Mississippi lawmakers are divided over a plan to strip Holly Springs of the power to provide electricity to customers outside of its city limits, creating a rift at the Capitol during the final stretch of the legislative session. Republican lawmakers who represent Marshall and Benton counties are pushing their colleagues to support a plan that takes customers located outside of the city limits off the municipal company and make them customers of electric co-operatives. "This is about our constituents," Republican Sen. Kathy Chism of New Albany told the Daily Journal. "And it's really about life or death." The impetus for the proposal is years of concerns about the reliability of the municipal-owned electric department, which left some customers without power for weeks during an April 2022 tornado and a February ice storm. The worries over power outages are coupled with Holly Springs' unique situation. The city serves thousands of customers outside its city limits, yet county residents disappointed with the quality of service have no direct way to hold the local leaders' accountable. "It's basically taxation without any representation," said Republican Sen. Neil Whaley of Potts Camp, who is the leader of the plan. The snag in Whaley's proposal, though, is Mississippi's legislative session is governed by deadlines, and the date already passed for lawmakers to consider new legislation. |
| Only 1 Black rep gets role in talks on Mississippi policing | |
 | One Black lawmaker and nine white ones have been chosen to negotiate final versions of bills that could expand the territory of a state-run police department inside Mississippi's majority-Black capital city. Critics say the bills are a way for the Republican-controlled state government to exert control over Jackson, which is 83% Black and is governed by Democrats. The Black lawmaker chosen as a negotiator, Democratic Rep. Earle Banks of Jackson, said Tuesday that his goal is to have a safer city. With just under 150,000 residents, Jackson has had more than 100 homicides for each of the past three years. "I think there is a desire by citizens in the city of Jackson for additional police protection, and Capitol Police may be the answer to that," Banks told The Associated Press. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Philip Gunn, both Republicans, on Tuesday finished selecting the senators and representatives to work on the final versions of two bills. The negotiators face a deadline to finish their work by next week. Banks said he is not surprised eight of the negotiators are white Republicans, one is a white independent and one is a Black Democrat because the GOP holds a wide majority in the state House and Senate. "It's the reality of the political world we live in," Banks said. |
| Rep. Thompson, NAACP call for federal racial equity investigation at call center | |
| Mississippi call center workers and the NAACP are calling on the Biden administration to investigate equity and racial disparities at one of the country's leading federal contractors, Maximus, which employs nearly 800 people in Hattiesburg. The bulk of those frontline employees in Mississippi are Black women who handle customer service calls about Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. The heads of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and union Communication Workers of America (CWA) delivered a letter Thursday on behalf of workers to the federal office charged with investigating discriminatory practices at federally contracted companies. NAACP Director Derrick Johnson and CWA President Chris Shelton, who signed the letter, wrote that women of color at the company face barriers to move beyond the company's lowest rungs, according to a copy obtained by Mississippi Today. The letter, addressed to Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Director Jenny R. Yang, says Maximus has failed to "address systematic racial disparities within its workforce." Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson, who attended Thursday's virtual press conference, said he's met with women who work at Maximus office in Hattiesburg. He, too, called on the Biden administration to investigate Maximus, adding "if this contractor is in violation of the intended spirit of this whole issue around equity and inclusion, to hold them accountable. Either fix it, or find us another contractor who will." |
| Chicken-or-egg game is on as Congress barrels toward debt limit | |
 | A House budget resolution will be delayed in part to allow for negotiations with President Joe Biden on a debt limit increase paired with some sort of concessions on spending and other policies acceptable to Republicans, according to House Budget Chairman Jodey C. Arrington. But that raises an interesting chicken-or-egg question for the two parties. Biden says he won't negotiate at all over the debt ceiling, and even if he were to agree to talk about fiscal policy, it won't be until Republicans produce their own budget blueprint. There are several months left to figure something out. The Congressional Budget Office and other analysts say lawmakers and the White House have until sometime between June and September to figure out a debt limit resolution or the economy could tip right over into recession. But if neither side blinks first, there's a real risk talks could get dangerously close to going past the "x date" when the Treasury Department could miss payments on U.S. obligations. House Republicans need more time for drafting a fiscal 2024 budget resolution partly because Biden was a month late in submitting his budget request, which was not delivered until March 9, Arrington said in an interview Monday at the House GOP's annual policy conference in Orlando, Fla. |
| Yellen says bank situation stabilizing, different from 2008 | |
| Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen projected calm on Tuesday after recent regional bank collapses but told a gathering of bankers that additional rescue arrangements "could be warranted" if any new failures at smaller institutions jeopardize financial stability. Yellen, who made her remarks at the American Bankers Association, said that overall "the situation is stabilizing." "And the U.S. banking system remains sound," Yellen said, drawing clear differences between recent events and the 2008 financial meltdown, which triggered trillions of dollars of financial losses globally. "This is different from 2008," she said. "2008 was a solvency crisis, rather what we're seeing now is contagious bank runs." Yellen's remarks come after a series of troubling bank developments this month. The government is now determined to restore public confidence in the banking system and to prevent any more turmoil. The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission have launched investigations into the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, and President Joe Biden has called on Congress to strengthen rules on regional banks and to impose tougher penalties on executives of failed banks. She will appear in front of congressional panels twice more this week, in the Senate and the House, and will inevitably face more questions about the nature of the bank failures and the government’s effort to quell them. |
| MAGA protesters in Manhattan crowded out by anti-Trump rivals | |
 | Demonstrators who want a Donald Trump indictment far outnumbered MAGA supporters Tuesday morning outside the Manhattan Criminal Court, where the former president is expected to be charged as early as Wednesday. The pro-indictment protesters gathered in front of the building where Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating Trump over a hush-money payment made to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. "No one is above the law, " the group of about 20 demonstrators chanted. "Alvin Bragg do your job!" they yelled. Despite Trump's prediction Saturday that he would be arrested Tuesday and his call for supporters to "protest," the courthouse was relatively quiet Tuesday as the grand jury on the probe only sits on Mondays and Wednesdays. Jurors heard what was believed to be the final witness Monday before they vote on an indictment. Across the street from the anti-Trump rally, five supporters of the former president walked around holding signs including one that highlighted liberal billionaire George Soros support for Bragg, a common right-wing talking point. Trump has seized on a $500,000 donation to Bragg from a political action committee funded by Soros that was part of a nationwide effort to help elect progressive district attorneys. By the afternoon, a few more pro-Trump protesters arrived outside the courthouse including one man dressed like the 'QAnon Shaman' who was riding a bicycle. The newcomers engaged in shouting matches with pro-indictment demonstrators, but the tension quickly died down. It was not clear if the pro-Trump supporters were sincere or performance artists. |
| What is xylazine? DEA warns of veterinary tranquilizer linked to overdose deaths | |
 | Federal authorities are warning Americans about an emerging public safety threat: fentanyl mixed with xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that's been linked to a growing number of overdose deaths across the country. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued an alert Monday warning of a "sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine," which is also known as "tranq" or "tranq dope." "Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier," said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, adding that the DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 out of 50 states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 107,735 Americans died from drug poisonings between August 2021 and August 2022, and 66% of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA in 2022 contained xylazine, according to Milgram. The non-opioid tranquilizer is approved for animals but not for humans. The National Institutes of Health says studies show that people exposed to xylazine often used it in combination with other drugs -- both unknowingly and intentionally, since some people report using fentanyl with xylazine "to lengthen its euphoric effects." Because the tranquilizer isn't an opioid, its effects can't be reversed by the opioid overdose antidote naloxone (aka Narcan). |
| New liver transplant rules yield winners, losers as wasted organs reach record high | |
 | New rules requiring donated livers to be offered for transplant hundreds of miles away have benefited patients in New York, California and more than a dozen other states at the expense of patients in mostly poorer states with higher death rates from liver disease, a data analysis by The Washington Post and the Markup has found. The shift was implemented in 2020 to prioritize the sickest patients on waitlists no matter where they live. While it has succeeded in that goal, it also has borne out the fears of critics who warned the change would reduce the number of surgeries and increase deaths in areas that already lagged behind the nation overall in health-care access. The analysis of data from federal health authorities found sharp declines in lifesaving surgeries in Puerto Rico and seven states, all but one Southern and Midwestern: Alabama, Louisiana, and Kansas, North Carolina, South Dakota, Iowa and Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, New York and California, whose transplant industry officials lobbied for the new policy, logged their highest numbers of liver transplants in more than a decade in 2021 -- 603 and 959, respectively. "You're reforming an organ allocation policy so that it rewards the wealthy areas and wealthy states by providing resources from poor areas of the country," said Seth Karp, director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center in Nashville. "I just find that really troubling." |
| Kansas Hunts for Water as Aquifer Levels Fall | |
 | Southwest Kansas officials have long pushed a moonshot aqueduct project to send Missouri River water across the state to their region, where a $12.5 billion agricultural economy relies on a dwindling underground aquifer. While the effort has been dismissed as legally impossible and expensive, the persistence of the idea demonstrates how drought and a steadily shrinking water supply have created broad consensus that water policies need to be overhauled. In Kansas, where federal data shows that nearly every county was experiencing some level of drought at the end of 2022, water is among the most urgent issues facing the state legislature this year. "Water has a certain value," said Clay Scott, a Ulysses, Kan., farmer and one of the aqueduct's proponents. "Every year it just continues to climb." Projects that move water have been used to fuel development or to irrigate crops in Western states such as Arizona and California. The Kansas aqueduct would be farther east -- reflecting spreading concern about the scarcity of water amid a changing climate and growing population centers. The Ogallala Aquifer lies under parts of eight central U.S. states, running from South Dakota to Texas. It adds $3.8 billion to the value of the land in western Kansas, one 2022 study found. |
| Ole Miss panel to discuss Jackson water crisis | |
| For many, it is unfathomable to think of going without access to water. It is a basic necessity and, arguably, a human right. For more than 150,000 Jackson residents, however, the unfathomable became reality last summer when the city's water system failed. University of Mississippi students, staff and faculty will gather on March 22 to discuss Jackson's water crisis at the second annual Water Day Panel. The panel will feature students from Jackson State University and Millsaps College who will give firsthand accounts of their experiences going without clean drinking water for nearly a month. "I think we take water for granted," said Avery McNeece, assistant director for community partnerships in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement's Center for Community Engagement. "For the most part, we are fortunate to live in a part of the world where it's normally not something we have to get up in the morning and worry about. "I hope this panel helps our students learn from someone who has been in a water crisis – what it means to not have water and how that impacts lives." |
| Mississippi College prepares for influx of students because of Leland Speed Scholarship | |
| If you were offered full tuition through a scholarship to attend a university, you'd probably apply in a heartbeat. That's exactly what's happening at Mississippi College. Mississippi College announced last fall that incoming students could attend the school absolutely free. Since then, many high school seniors and transfer students are getting online and taking them up on that offer. "Normal applications are around 2,500 every cycle. We're up about 1,000 applications of the year. We're at about 3,600, as opposed to 2,500," Dean of Enrollment Management Michael Wright explained. The Leland Speed Scholarship will provide full tuition to those from Mississippi who will live on campus for the next four years. As a result, some major changes are being made to accommodate the influx. "Have to deal with living conditions, right. So making sure we have the dorms for all of our students. Currently, we're around 1,350, and we're estimated to be much more than that," Associate Vice President for the Student Experience & Dean of Students, Johnathan Ambrose, said. In addition to updating residence halls, campus dining facilities, student life events, and more are being checked to make sure they can withstand 1,000 additional students. But what about class sizes? Administrators say small class sizes are what often draw students to the campus. Ambrose and Wright say staff is working to make sure that remains the case. |
| Spring breakers gather near Mexico border seemingly oblivious to crime threat, US warnings | |
| Spring breakers have gathered near the southern border, seemingly unaware of safety concerns for both travel and crime happening nearby in Mexico. The U.S. Mission to Mexico posted a fresh warning last week, noting that "Each year, thousands of U.S. citizens visit Mexico during spring break." Among the various concerns ongoing in the country, the mission listed violent crime, drugs, unregulated alcohol and sexual assault. The mission also pointed to a travel advisory from October 2022 in which the U.S. State Department warned against travel to the states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas, while suggesting that Americans reconsider travel to another half-dozen states. But spring breakers continue to gather near the border, some of them seemed aware of the dangers ongoing in Mexico while others appeared to not know or even care. Fox News Digital spoke with some of the vacationing college students in South Padre Island, Texas, which ranks as the fourth-most popular spring break destination after Cancun, Miami Beach and Jamaica, according to U.S. News. Nicole from McAllen, Texas, told Fox News Digital that she doesn't currently plan to visit Mexico but that she does go over the border from time to time to get cheaper products, saying it's "just business." |
| Beloved U. of Alabama Prof Announces Retirement with Mock Draft Declaration | |
| After 14 years of teaching at the University of Alabama, beloved English professor Brian Oliu is moving on with his life and pursuing new opportunities. On Tuesday, Oliu took to Twitter to announce his retirement at the end of the semester with a spoof of the traditional NFL Draft declaration graphics Tide football fans have grown so accustomed to seeing. Known affectionately as the "poet laureate of Gump Twitter," Oliu has received multiple awards during his time at the Capstone and published five anthologies of essays. He has garnered a 5/5 rating on the popular website "Rate My Professors," with 98% of students saying they would take a class with him again. "When I first stepped into the hallowed halls of the English building I knew that this place was special. What I did not know is how much it would change me. Who knew that a mediocre web blogger would go on to publish five full-length essay collections in the shadow of Bryant-Denny stadium, take home multiple teaching awards, and eat so many left-over mail room Krispy Kreme donuts," said Oliu. |
| Alabama university studying if microdosing fights feelings of hopelessness | |
 | Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are launching a study of low-dose psychedelics as a treatment for demoralization in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company, according to a press release. Diamond Therapeutics is a drug company based in Canada that is trying to develop treatments for mental health disorders using psychedelic compounds. The UAB trial will study the effects of psilocybin, a hallucinogenic chemical derived from magic mushrooms. Diamond Therapeutics has already completed a phase one trial of low-dose psilocybin that established its safety. The phase two trial at UAB will explore whether the drug can help those suffering from demoralization, which is defined as feeling helpless, hopeless or lacking purpose. Principal investigator Peter Hendricks, a professor in the UAB School of Public Health, said other studies have shown that larger doses of psychedelics can help people with late-stage cancer and HIV who suffer from demoralization. "This study aims to see if lower doses of psilocybin might treat demoralization in a broader population, that is, among those who might be experiencing demoralization for a variety of reasons, not just due to a medical condition," Hendricks said in the press release. |
| What is U. of Kentucky's Webb Museum? What to know about return process for Native American remains | |
 | Following a report about the large number of Native American remains and artifacts stored at the University of Kentucky, the school says it has been making progress toward repatriation and creating new positions to increase the ease of returning objects. Native American remains and cultural items at UK are stored in the Webb Museum of Anthropology. Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, federal agencies and institutions are required to return Native American remains and cultural items to tribes. The law was passed in 1990 by Congress, but most remains located at museums and universities across the country still have not been returned, a report from ProPublica in January showed. The repatriation efforts are underway at UK. Following a ProPublica investigation published earlier this year, UK announced it was investing nearly $900,000 to return remains to Native Americans in Kentucky, with the goal of returning all remains and cultural items held by the museum in a "transparent, respectful and legal manner following meaningful collaborative consultations with official Tribal representation," UK said in a news release. That investment will allow for more staff to begin working on repatriation efforts. Two new full-time employees will be hired to work on efforts, and the funding will also allow for current employees to devote more of their time to repatriation, said Celise Chilcote-Fricker, NAGPRA coordinator at UK. Remains and objects held by UK are stored at the Webb Museum of Anthropology, although the name is slightly misleading. The museum doesn't maintain many exhibits, with just a small exhibition area in Lafferty Hall on campus. Most of the museum is dedicated to storage of historical items in a climate-controlled environment, Chilcote-Fricker said. |
| U. of South Carolina is adding more than 1,500 parking spaces near downtown Columbia | |
 | On any given day, state politicians, business owners and local residents in downtown Columbia are joined by more than 35,000 students and thousands of faculty and staff members who flock to the University of South Carolina's campus. Of these, the majority live off-campus. The university estimates about 70% of students live in the surrounding community, and many drive to get to campus. The daily car invasion creates a demand for parking services, leaving some to drive for blocks to find a vacant space. The university says it's planning some relief -- about 1,500 spaces will be added by the end of this summer. Reedy Newton, USC's student body president, explained to the school's board of trustees on March 17 that students have to "hunt and fight" for a parking spot before walking across campus to their classes. She shared the story of a senior nursing student who pays to park in the Bull Street garage. On her way to class, she went there to park. It was full. She drove to the Pendleton Street garage. It was full. She drove around campus for an hour before she missed her class. "This is not an unusual testimony for our students," Newton said. "I am concerned that these pressures will continue to get worse." In the coming months, residential parking will be added to the Horizon garage on the corner of Assembly and Wheat streets. Commuter student parking will be added at the Discovery garage on the corner of College and Park streets. |
| University Police Department investigates targeted letter sent to UF Chief Diversity Office | |
| The University Police Department investigated a "concerning" letter sent to UF's Office of the Chief Diversity Officer Feb. 6, in an case that has since been suspended due to a lack of evidence and information, according to the incident report. The letter, postmarked from the Umi Sake House Restaurant in Spokane, Washington, was entitled, "A Bloody Communist Revolution is coming to this Nation and many don't see it. How we got here." It spanned topics such as Christianity, Islam and the U.S. government and contained a number of racist and antisemitic remarks, according to the report. A handwritten note attached to the letter read, "This diversity agenda will affect you in ways you might not like in the end." The report notes there was no direct threat made against UF or its administration, but UPD was still compelled to investigate the matter. The same letter was sent to multiple universities in the Southeastern Conference, according to the report. In response to a request made Feb. 10, UF released a version of the report that was entirely redacted. UF didn't release the full incident report in its entirety to The Alligator until Tuesday, following a review by UF's Office of General Counsel. |
| Public-University President Faces Backlash for Canceling Student Group's Drag Show | |
 | A public-university president in Texas has drawn fierce criticism and accusations of censorship for canceling a student organization's planned drag show because he found it offensive. Walter Wendler, president of West Texas A&M University, made the announcement in a strongly worded email to the campus community on Monday with the subject line "A Harmless Drag Show? No Such Thing." In the message, Wendler described drag shows as "derisive, divisive, and demoralizing misogyny" and said he doesn't think such events "preserve a single thread of human dignity." Wendler's decision and justification have drawn criticism from First Amendment lawyers and others who say students at a public college have a legal right to perform in drag and attend the event. Students plan to hold protests on campus throughout this week. An online petition calling for the university to reinstate the drag performance has over 5,500 signatures as of Tuesday evening. The now-canceled event, called "A Fool's Drag Race," was scheduled to feature student drag performers from across the campus "stomping it out to see who's the fiercest of them all." It was organized by student groups, including the gay-straight alliance at West Texas A&M. Proceeds and tips were to benefit the Trevor Project, a suicide-prevention organization for LGBTQ youth. |
| Five U. of Missouri professors win prestigious $15,000 Kemper awards | |
 | Too stunned to speak, Beth Whitaker tearfully mustered up the words "Do I have to talk?" after she was surprised with the prestigious Kemper award Tuesday. Whitaker is among five MU educators awarded each year a William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence. Nominated by their peers, honorees each receive a $15,000 stipend. University administrators and executives from Commerce Bank surprised all five honorees with the award Tuesday, according to an MU news release. The award was established in 1991 in honor of the late William T. Kemper. |
| Garbology is the study of trash. This is why students love it | |
| What makes humans different from other species? To environmental engineer and Santa Clara University professor Stephanie Hughes, it's the fact that we produce things that can't be used again in nature. We break the cycle. Professor Hughes doesn't even like to use the word, "waste." "I'm not very pleased with that terminology because really, humans are the only ones that have waste streams," Hughes says. "In the rest of the world, this planet operates cyclically: waste from one animal becomes nutrients for another." For many Americans, throwing something away means that it's gone forever. But Professor Hughes wants students to learn that this is not always the case. Hughes has taken her students to tour a paper recycling plant, sewage treatment plant and household hazardous waste facility. By training, Hughes is a chemical and environmental engineer with a particular love for sewage. She's known for cruising around campus on her bike and lending her worms to students she's inspired to start composting. For Farrer, studying environmental science came with a side of deep existential dread. After spending the first few post-grad months applying for jobs, she now works at the California Academy of Sciences. Each day, she thinks about the future of the planet. She tries her best to live sustainably, but doesn't think we can compost our way out of this. |
| Survey: Faculty teaching style impedes academic success, students say | |
 | James Walsh, an education major at the University of South Carolina at Aiken who's been recognized for his ability to creatively teach middle schoolers math, has some strong opinions about college teaching: "The notion that everyone learns the same way is ridiculous, but professors tend to stick to what they know and what they have always done." Outside of the education program at USC Aiken, nearly all of Walsh's professors lecture nearly all the time, he says. With one exception -- a professor of biology who facilitated lively lab discussions prompted by images -- Walsh, a senior, can't name a single professor who's used "different teaching styles to engage us as learners." Lectures are a "great tool for college courses, but they are just used way too often," he says. And while the idea that "learning can be fun is thrown out the window once in college," it can be "just as exciting for us." Walsh's credentials aside, it apparently doesn't take a teacher in training to critique faculty teaching styles, or to want more from the college classroom experience: more than half of respondents to the recent Inside Higher Ed/College Pulse survey of 3,004 students at 128 four- and two-year institutions say teaching style has made it hard to succeed in a class since starting college. This makes a "teaching style that didn't work for me" the No. 1 barrier to academic success cited by students in the survey over all. |
| GPT-4 is here. But most faculty lack AI policies. | |
| "No." "Nope." "Not at this time." "Not yet!" "Just discussing it now." "I have not." "I will do this in the future." "Yes." "No way." "Not yet, but I have a lot of ideas ..." This is a representative sample of faculty responses to the question "If you have successfully integrated use of ChatGPT into your classes, how have you done so?" in a 2023 Primary Research Group survey of instructors on views and use of the AI writing tools. A few other responses of note were "It's a little scary," "Desperately interested!" and "I'm thinking of quitting!" A few short months after OpenAI released ChatGPT -- a large language model with an unusual ability to mimic human language and thought -- the company released an upgrade known as GPT-4. Unlike the earlier product, which relied on an older generation of the tech, the latest product relies on cutting-edge research and "exhibits human-level performance," according to the company. GPT-4 is a large multimodal model, which means that it produces natural language in response not only to words but to visuals such as charts and images. This latest version largely outperforms the earlier model. As the pace of artificial intelligence accelerates, administrators and faculty members continue to grapple with the disruption to teaching and learning. Though many are at work updating their understanding of AI tools like ChatGPT, few have developed guidelines for its use. But by OpenAI's own admission, humans are susceptible to overrelying on the tools, which could have unintended outcomes. |
| Surveys on Free Expression on Campus Have Zeroed In on a Common Worry. It's Not Professors. | |
| When Ray Rodrigues, a longtime Republican lawmaker in Florida, sponsored legislation to conduct an annual intellectual-diversity survey of public-university students and staff members across the state, he expressed a common refrain among those in his party. "We have a responsibility to teach students how to think for themselves rather than indoctrinating them on what to think," Rodrigues, now chancellor of the state's public-university system, said in June 2021. "Without a measurement of intellectual diversity, it is impossible to know if Florida taxpayers are providing an education or an indoctrination." The Florida effort became the second major institution-specific survey of free expression on college campuses, joining a project in the University of North Carolina system that began in 2019. Next to arrive on the scene was the University of Wisconsin, which released results from its own survey in January. On Wednesday a national survey from Heterodox Academy, a nonprofit membership organization that promotes viewpoint diversity in higher education, became the latest piece of research to shed light on the state of campus discourse, which is typically the stuff of newsmaking incidents or opinion pieces. The results of the surveys are consistent. Contrary to the fears expressed by Rodrigues, which implicitly affix blame to a liberal professoriate, students are more concerned with their peers' judgment than with their professors'. In other words, experts say, the surveys don't necessarily reveal a worsening crisis of free expression. Rather, they could be evidence of a phenomenon that has long existed on college campuses: Students are working to figure out what they think and why, and how to talk through tough subjects. The findings may not be surprising in the context of student-development research; they've acquired a politicized valence only in this sharply partisan time. |
| FAFSA redesign delayed by two months, says Education Dept. | |
| The Education Department said Tuesday it will launch the redesign of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid in December, missing the annual Oct. 1 release of the form that millions of students rely on to determine their eligibility for grants and federal loans to pay for college. In an announcement to higher education professionals, the department confirmed what many had suspected after a senior official told members of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators in February the agency could not commit to the form's traditional launch date. The department's Federal Student Aid office has been working to carry out a bipartisan law simplifying and easing requirements for the FAFSA, but it said the unprecedented complexity of the new form demanded more time and effort than anticipated. "FSA has been working -- and will continue to work -- to launch a 2024-25 FAFSA form as early as possible and will provide updates if and when there are any timing developments," the department wrote Tuesday citing a "launch of the FAFSA form in December." On Tuesday, the department published a guide, dubbed the Better FAFSA Better Future Roadmap, offering resources, guidance and training materials for students, parents, schools, counselors and financial aid officers. The agency will host Q&A sessions with financial aid administrators and field FAFSA-related questions through a single portal. |
| French pension reform protests offer lessons to Americans about Social Security's future | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: François-Marie Arouet -- known by his literary nom de plume Voltaire -- was a French writer, historian, and philosopher who died two years after the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Voltaire's most famous work was the satire novella "Candide: The Optimist" in which the author engaged in social commentary while his protagonist Candide's early privileged life transitioned to disillusionment and hardship. In the novella, Voltaire offered this observation in French: "Le travail éloigne de nous trois grands maux: l'ennui, le vice et le besoin." In English: "Work delivers us from three great evils: boredom, vice and want." Given the riots and civil unrest that grips France today over pension reform, one can only wonder what Voltaire would make of modern French society's growing pension crisis and the generational divide over the issue that it engenders. A more germane question for Americans is just what lessons can we learn from this episode when considering our own looming national crisis over the future of Social Security? |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs power past Red Wolves in midweek matchup | |
| Mississippi State began to put their difficult start to Southeastern Conference play behind them on Tuesday night with a dominant 16-2 win over Arkansas State. The Bulldogs (14-8, 0-3 SEC) scored in each of the first five innings to build a 16-0 lead, including nine runs in the first two innings combined. Head coach Chris Lemonis was able to get plenty of playing time for his rotation guys, and got some decent work from the bullpen as well. The Red Wolves (7-12) got a couple runs back in the seventh, but had nothing going early against MSU freshman Bradley Loftin, who struck out nine and gave up three hits in five scoreless innings of work. "Nice and calm, he just pitched," Lemonis said of Loftin. "He's in a learning process, learning how to pitch at this level, but he's really good. And when he pitches, which I thought he did tonight instead of just throwing, he's really tough to hit." Loftin was as calm postgame as he was on the mound, getting straight to the point about Tuesday night's start at Dudy Noble Field. "So far my best outing," Loftin said. "I still wasn't 100% today, but I went out there and battled. Mechanics were good, and a lot of strikes. Cut down on the walks since the previous outing, so I'd say it's a good improvement." |
| Bulldogs make statement in SEC opening series | |
| A loss to North Dakota State at home was not the start to the week that Mississippi State softball was looking for. Following a 2-2 showing at the Bulldog Invitational that included two losses to No. 1 Oklahoma, the Bulldogs needed to regroup after recording just one hit against the Bison. Regroup they did, taking care of Purdue before the start of Southeastern Conference play against South Carolina. The series began with fireworks, literally and figuratively, on Friday night and ended with a flourish as Mississippi State swept the Gamecocks, sending a message to the rest of the conference in the process. "Don't count us out," senior Paige Cook said on Sunday. Cook went off at the plate against the Gamecocks, hitting two homers. She already has six on the season. The long ball took the Bulldogs (22-8, 3-0 SEC) a long way in the final two games of the series. Her two-run blast in the fourth inning on Saturday got the scoring started for Mississippi State, and three homers on Sunday accounted for eight of nine runs in a 9-1 mercy rule victory. From one hit in a loss to a mercy rule victory, a series sweep and a perfect 3-0 start in conference play, the Bulldogs quickly righted the ship and showcased the force they want to be in the SEC this season. |
| Beuerlein Named SEC Freshman of the Week | |
| Mississippi State's Reis Beuerlein has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week, the league office announced on Tuesday. It is her first career weekly honor. The Cave Creek, Arizona, native had a record-breaking week in her introduction to SEC play. Her stellar play began in the Bulldogs' midweek matchup with Purdue where she broke the MSU freshman record with 14 strikeouts in a game. That mark ranks fifth overall in MSU history. It was her first career complete game and her third win of the year, as she boasts a 3-0 record. The freshman allowed just two hits to the Boilermakers. That was just the start, however, as she made two appearances in State's sweep of South Carolina while pitching to a 1.40 ERA. On Friday night, she was one of three Bulldog pitchers that combined to strike out 12 Gamecocks. She came on in relief in Sunday's finale, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball before her outing was cut short by State's walk-off, run-rule victory in the fifth. Mississippi State heads to Athens, Georgia, this weekend for its second SEC series at No. 17/16 Georgia. The battles of the Bulldogs are set for March 24-26. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT. Saturday's game will be played at 11 a.m. and broadcast on SEC Network. Sunday's finale is set for 1 p.m. The Friday and Sunday games will stream on SEC Network+. |
| Deion Sanders offers a new take on why he left Jackson State football for Colorado | |
 | Colorado football coach Deion Sanders told "The Pivot Podcast" that resources wasn't the only the reason he left Jackson State. "It was the ideology, the thought process, the forward thinking," Sanders told hosts Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor and Ryan Clark on March 7. "It was meeting me at the crossroad. That's what was involved in that." Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback coached Jackson State for three years. He became a hot coaching commodity last season after leading JSU to an undefeated regular season. The Tigers won the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship again and played in the Cricket Celebration Bowl losing to North Carolina Central 41-34 in overtime. Sanders' main concern during his tenure at Jackson State was the stability of his assistant coaches and support staff. Sanders was concerned about the business model of HBCUs and how they operated. That was one of the reasons he felt going to a Power Five school would benefit not only him but his staff. "And sooner or later you have to look in the mirror and say, are they going to get there?" said Sanders. "Do they even want to get there? And I had to ask those questions and really be honest with them, with me and myself as well as my staff. The Bible says, 'Thy rod and thy staff comfort me.' They can't be comforted making $60,000 the rest of their lives, or $70,000. Not that that is bad. For everybody making $50,000-$60,000, I apologize. I don't mean to demean you. But as a college football coach, that's not good and we have to do better than that." |
| March Madness allows Vols to showcase SEC's rugged style | |
| Tennessee coach Rick Barnes once took a team to watch a rugby match in Australia and loved what he saw. Despite what Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May says, that sport isn't the Tennessee coach's guide for the rugged style his Volunteers bring to the basketball court. "I think playing good, hard basketball, it's something nice to look at," Barnes said Monday when asked about a comment from the coach of Tennessee's opponent Thursday night at New York 's Madison Square Garden in a East Region semifinal. May took a swipe at the brawny Volunteers after ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic knocked off Farleigh Dickinson on Sunday night to advance to the first Sweet 16 in the Conference USA program's history. "We're going to study Australian rugby rules and get ready for the Vols," May said when asked about preparing for Tennessee. Well, the fourth-seeded Vols (25-10) do play in the physically punishing Southeastern Conference. They advanced to their ninth Sweet 16 all time by leaving one of college basketball's bluebloods just black and blue and yes, even a little bloodied beating up No. 5 seed Duke 65-52. This wasn't a case of March badness on the part of the Volunteers. It's simply the difference of being an SEC team where size really does mean more. |
| College hoops staffs specialize to meet roster, NIL demands | |
| Kelvin Sampson has been around college basketball long enough to remember when preseason practices started in October following a true offseason, teams remained largely intact for multiple seasons and players weren't permitted to pursue endorsement deals. It might as well be a different planet now. The way Houston's coach sees it, the top-tier programs must evolve to better manage recruiting, the transfer portal and roster demands, and athlete compensation deals. "Absolutely, you have to," the 67-year-old Sampson said as March Madness headed to Sweet 16 weekend. "To (manage) those kinds of things, you've got to have specialization on your staff." That means bolstering support staffs, much like how analysts and quality control staffers have become common across college football. Specialized roles for recruiting, scouting or analytics. Adding special assistants to aid head coaches, general managers to navigate the new era of players profiting from use their name, image and likeness (NIL), even creative-content staffers to pump out videos or social media to promote the program's brand. If anything, staffs are starting to resemble their counterparts in the pros. |
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