| Friday, March 31, 2023 |
| MSU president reaffirms commitment to MSU-Meridian | |
 | Mississippi State University plans to continue investing in its Meridian campus to add and expand programs to better serve the community's needs, MSU President Mark E. Keenum said during a visit to the Queen City on Thursday. "All of the exciting great things that you've got going on in this community is because of your leadership and your passion and your commitment to making your community a better place," Keenum told those in attendance at a morning gathering at the MSU Riley Center. "We are certainly proud to be part of the tradition of what's happening here in downtown Meridian, the coolest downtown in the state of Mississippi." A crowd of supporters were on hand to greet Keenum, all of them decked out in white MSU T-shirts with the saying "Meridian Coolest Downtown in Mississippi" across the back. Maroon and white balloon displays filled the room. Keenum credited the generous support and funding from The Riley Foundation, the Paul and Sherry Broadhead Foundation and the Phil Hardin Foundation for their continued support of the Meridian campus and its programs. |
| MSU announces expanded medical programs for Meridian campus | |
 | Mississippi State University is expanding medical degree programs at the Meridian campus. The huge announcement was made by MSU President Dr. Mark Keenum at the Riley Center Thursday morning. MSU Meridian's downtown campus is expanding more into the medical field offering a wider variety of medical degrees. These new offerings will hopefully bring more students to the university. Keenum said MSU wants to be a part of the medical field that exists in east Mississippi, and is excited for what's to come. "The IHL Board of Trustees this last week approved us bringing a new Master's of Nursing degree to our campus here, the Riley campus in downtown Meridian, to support and augment what we're already doing here with our wonderful physician assistant program. And then other programs that we're looking to bring, a new Doctor of Psychology program, that we'll be offering here. And then other mental health counseling programs, that will be coming," Keenum said. Meridian Mayor Jimmie Smith presented Keenum the key to the city, to show appreciation for the investments the university has made here. |
| Dak is back: MSU welcomes new live bulldog mascot | |
 | A new team member will be prowling the sidelines at Mississippi State football games this year, but this guy won't be suiting up. The Bulldogs have a new bulldog. Dak, the latest four-legged mascot joined the team earlier this month. Mississippi State fans are used to seeing Jak the live bulldog mascot at sporting events or around campus, but after nine years, Jak is enjoying retirement. Now, there's a new face with a familiar name taking over the job. Dak, a two-year-old English Bulldog, recently made his way to Starkvegas, and he's already drawing crowds. Dak will take over as the official mascot on April 15, 2023, during the spring game during super bulldog weekend he's a friendly guy even to his rivals. Julie Martin is Dak's owner; she got him from Pennington, Alabama, after he turned one last March. After about six months, Martin and the athletic department feel that Dak is game ready. Martin said that Dak is 50 pounds full of love and bulldog spirit. Dak lives on a farm in Meridian with his puppy sister, Belle. |
| America's Levees Have a Dangerous Data Gap | |
 | Two things are true: 1. Levees are critical flood-control infrastructure. 2. We don't really know what shape they're in. A glance at the website for the National Levee Database -- which was developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the National Levee Safety Program in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and does what it says on the can -- shows nearly 25,000 miles of levees across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam, hemming waterways on the edges of communities that 17 million Americans call home. Look a little further out and you'll find that almost two-thirds of all Americans live in counties with levees in them, even if their homes aren't directly protected by those levees. But the database is full of gaps. Despite the ubiquity of levees, there's still much we don't know about them, starting with where they all are. "You have to know what you have in your pocket," said Farshid Vahedifard, a professor of civil engineering at Mississippi State University who studies levees. "The first step to risk governance is awareness." "Once we know the status, we can use some sort of a screening process to identify more vulnerable locations, like the hotspots," Vahedifard said. "Then we can allocate existing resources and prioritize those areas." |
| MSU Horticulture Club holding annual plant sale Friday and Saturday | |
 | Mississippi State's Horticulture Club presents its annual spring plant sale with something for every garden. Taking place this Friday [March 31] at the Dorman Hall Greenhouses from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday [April 1] from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the event raises funds for the organization's yearly activities. The building is located at 32 Creelman Street at the intersection of Stone Blvd. and Creelman. Featuring annuals, perennials, house plants, vegetables, herbs, succulents and other selections available for purchase, some of the more popular varieties offered include begonias, geraniums, marigolds and impatiens. Professor Richard Harkess in MSU's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, who serves as the club's faculty advisor, said the plant sale provides a chance for club members to gain hands-on growing experience while connecting with the community. "Students in the club are able to learn about the production of horticultural crops," said Harkess. "The plant sales are a culmination of the students' learning experience. When customers line up to purchase the plants that they've grown, it is an affirmation of their efforts and provides funding for scholarships and club activities." |
| Suicide prevention walk planned for Junction on Saturday | |
 | Ashley Pate was an undergraduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi, where her friends would talk to her about suicidal thoughts, not knowing where else to go for help. Saturday morning, she is leading an Out of the Darkness Walk for suicide prevention through the Junction. "I've known a lot of people who have experienced suicidal thoughts, and I remember trying to figure out how to help these people -- help my friends," Pate said. "And I remember not really knowing what to do, especially as an undergrad. ... I think it's really important to start these conversations with undergrads." Pate is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Mississippi State. She said working as a therapist on campus as part of her program made her want to do more to help with suicide awareness and prevention. "There are a lot of mental health concerns in my undergraduate students," Pate said. "The idea is to kind of open the door for that conversation, to bring this walk to the campus, to let people know it's OK to talk about it and to bring some light to the resources that are available on campus to students." MSU's walk will start at 10 a.m. The walk does not have a set end distance. Pate said this was not a competitive walk, but an "intimate" time for conversation and sharing personal experiences with students and members of the community. |
| Car crash simulation aims to deter drunk driving after prom | |
| A horrified scream pierces the air as a teen rushes toward two cars smashed against each other as if they just collided head-on. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and swiftly punches in three digits before tapping the green call button. "Hello, there's been an accident," she yells into her phone. Another teen stumbles out of the driver's seat of the vehicle, covered in red made to look like blood. The two teens were some of the four students from Starkville High School acting in a scenario put together by emergency responders from Starkville and Oktibbeha County. After lunch on Thursday, juniors and seniors at SHS attended a program in the high school gymnasium warning them of the dangers of driving under the influence, distracted driving and driving without a seatbelt. The program targeted the upperclassmen just two days before their prom Saturday evening. Throughout the day SHS students listened about the dangers of bad driving habits. The final program -- the traffic accident simulation complete with first responders -- awaited them behind the softball field. |
| Area unemployment rates see marginal improvements | |
| Unemployment rates in Noxubee and Clay county dropped by about 0.5 percent in February, while Lowndes and Oktibbeha county saw nominal improvements, coinciding with both state and national rates. Noxubee and Clay rates fell 0.5 and 0.6 percent respectively as compared to January, while Lowndes and Oktibbeha fell 0.3 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively. Compared to a year ago, Noxubee county had the largest improvement, from 6.1 percent to 4.7 percent. Lowndes and Clay tied with a 1.1 percent drop from February 2022, both currently sitting at 3.3 percent, while Oktibbeha fell 0.8 percent from last year. On the state and national level, Mississippi fell 0.3 percent from 3.5 percent in January while the national rate remained the same. The state rate also fell 1 percent from February 2022 and the nation fell 0.2 percent. The number of unemployed people in Lowndes and Oktibbeha fell to 820 and 790, respectively. In contrast, Clay and Noxubee fell to 290 and 150, bringing the total number of people unemployed in the Golden Triangle down by 140 compared to January. Across all four counties, there are 2,050 people unemployed, marking a 24 percent improvement from February 2022. |
| Shloop using algae-based products in shoe manufacturing startup in Meridian | |
 | Algae such as that found in Delta catfish ponds grows 100 times faster than trees. It is the fastest growing plant on the planet. And it is unwelcome in catfish ponds. But entrepreneurs Rachel and Ryan Hunt are turning a problem into a solution by using the algae into a green material called BLOOM that was developed by Ryan's company, Algix, to help make footwear more sustainable. Shloop, The Shoe Loop, is investing about $9 million in renovating a 30,000-square-foot historic bakery in downtown Meridian into a footwear design studio and factory that will employ 56 people. Shloop is working to create comfortable, stylish shoes made with natural, recycled materials and local manufacturing processes. The shoes will also be able to be repaired or recycled providing a closed loop for shoes made by Shloop. Rachel said a big part of their mission is providing stable jobs and education to local residents. "There are people here who want to better themselves and learn these skills that have almost been wiped out," she said. "It is a proud thing to be able to put a 'Made in America' label on our products. We can't produce the billions of shoes made in China, but we can manufacture a local product people can feel proud of." Remodeling and opening the downtown building are part of plans to help revitalize downtown Meridian. |
| Biden heads to Mississippi town ravaged by deadly tornado | |
 | President Joe Biden on Friday will visit a Mississippi town ravaged by a deadly tornado even as a new series of severe storms threatens to rip across the Midwest and the South. Last week's twister destroyed roughly 300 homes and businesses in Rolling Fork and the nearby town of Silver City, leaving mounds of wreckage full of lumber, bricks and twisted metal. Hundreds of additional structures were badly damaged. The death toll in Mississippi stood at 21, based on deaths confirmed by coroners. One person died in Alabama, as well. Biden is expected to announce that the federal government will cover the total cost of the state's emergency measures for the next 30 days, including overtime for first responders and debris cleanup. The president and first lady Jill Biden will survey the damage, meet with homeowners impacted by the storms and first responders and get an operational briefing from federal and state officials. They're expected to be joined by Gov. Tate Reeves, Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Rep. Bennie Thompson. Biden has spoken in separate phone calls with Reeves, Sen. Roger Wicker, Hyde-Smith and Thompson. |
| Biden to announce 30-day coverage of Mississippi emergency costs after deadly storms | |
 | President Biden will travel to Mississippi on Friday to tour damage from deadly tornadoes and announce that the federal government will cover the full cost of the state's emergency measures for the next month, a White House official said. The president and first lady Jill Biden will visit Rolling Fork, Miss., where they will meet with state and local officials, as well as first responders and residents of the area. Tornadoes ripped through the area last week, killing more than 20 people and destroying buildings. The federal funds will cover the full cost of the state's efforts to remove debris, operate shelters and pay overtime to first responders for the next 30 days. He will also announce that FEMA will open disaster recovery centers in four counties that were affected by the storm, a White House official said. The president on Sunday declared an emergency to aid recovery and clean-up efforts in Mississippi, making federal funds available for a number of counties that were ravaged in the state. Multiple tornadoes ripped through Mississippi on Friday, with one of the more devastating ones striking 60 miles northeast of Jackson. |
| Dangerous storms, tornadoes forecast for US Midwest, South | |
| Meteorologists are urging people in parts of the Midwest and southern U.S. to be ready Friday for dangerous weather including tornadoes, saying the conditions are similar to those a week ago that unleashed a devastating twister that killed at least 21 people in Mississippi. An outbreak of severe thunderstorms has the potential to cause hail, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes that could be strong and move on the ground over long distances, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. The major population centers at greatest risk for storms starting Friday afternoon include Memphis, Tennessee; Little Rock and Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. But people throughout eastern Iowa, western and northern Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas should also be prepared, said Northern Illinois meteorology professor and tornado expert Victor Gensini. "There will be lots of thunderstorms ... tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail," he said. The bad weather could also extend into Chicago, where forecasters warned of a "relatively rare, significant severe weather threat" that includes powerful winds, tornadoes and large hail. In Iowa City, the University of Iowa canceled Friday's watch party for fans who planned to gather for the women's basketball Final Four game against South Carolina. Deputy Director of Athletics Matt Henderson said in a statement the decision was made "due to the unpredictable timing of possible severe weather and potential storm impact." |
| Research, development centers take big leap in Vicksburg | |
| The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Information Technology Lab has been in Vicksburg 40 years conducting research and development in various areas related to the engineering, environmental, and military sciences. With the opening of two new state-of-the-art Supercomputing Research Center (SRC) facilities the Information Technology Lab (ITL) it's a giant leap forward. ITL has gone from trailers to a state-of-the-art research center that will provide world-class high-performance computing to help the Department of Defense solve its most challenging and complex problems. "The ERDC Information Technology Lab has played a critical role in providing scientific and technical solutions to support the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Defense missions," said Bobby Hunter, chief of the ITL Supercomputing Research Center. "With the new facilities, ERDC aims to expand its capabilities, accelerate research and development efforts, and enhance collaboration with partners and stakeholders." He said the new facilities will enable ERDC to conduct cutting-edge research and development in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data analytics. Additionally, the new facility will support the development of advanced computational models to address complex engineering and environmental challenges. |
| Ag commish shares state's success with Rotary Club | |
| Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson was in town last week and appeared as a guest speaker at the Canton Rotary Club to talk about the his accomplishments over the last few years. Gipson grew up in Rankin County on a farm and has served as Mississippi's eighth Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce since April 2018 and is a lawyer, minister and former State Representative. He currently lives in Simpson County on his farm. Gipson says on his website that agriculture is Mississippi's number one industry and his main goal is to continue sowing the seeds of opportunity in the areas of workforce development, expansion of trade opportunities, and investment here locally. Since taking office in 2018, Gipson has visited each of Mississippi's 82 counties on a Mississippi Farm Tour, and Madison County is his most recent stop. "Agriculture is the backbone of Mississippi," he said. "It is the backbone of America and the world. Less people are farming today than ever in the history of our country. The statistics are shocking. In the 1940s, about 60 percent of Americans were either living on a farm or living in a town operating a farm." Next month Gipson plans to travel to the Netherlands to sell food due to the increasing difficulty to farm in Europe. He said he wants people to understand food comes from a farm, not a grocery store. |
| It works in Louisiana. Will this new law save the oyster industry on the Mississippi Coast? | |
 | Hoping to revive Mississippi oyster reefs, the state Legislature has opened for private leasing a majority of Mississippi Sound water bottoms where oysters grow. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources currently manages and maintains most of those water bottoms, opening them to the public when enough oysters are available for harvest. Under the new law, Marine Resources will maintain only about 20% of permitted reef acreage for public harvest. The shift comes after a series of natural disasters, beginning with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, decimated Mississippi Sound reefs where oysters settle as larvae and grow to adulthood. The reefs are ecologically important to the Mississippi Sound and once generated millions a year in revenue. There's been no harvest on public reefs that Marine Resources maintains since 2018 because oysters are too scarce. Fishermen say the state's recovery efforts, with more than $55 million spent since 2005, have fallen short. A recent investigation by ProPublica and the Sun Herald showed that the state rebuilt reefs in ways that did not respond to changing conditions. "My hope is that water quality and habitat issues in the Sound will start getting right," said Sen. Mike Thompson, of Pass Christian, who authored the bill. He also hopes "private industry is able to replenish those reefs in a commercially viable way for them, but for the rest of us in a way that will improve the overall health of the Mississippi Sound." |
| Gunasekara asks state Supreme Court to place her back on PSC primary ballot | |
| Mandy Gunasekara, a Republican hoping to become the next Northern District Public Service Commissioner, is asking the state's highest court to reinstate her on the August primary ballot. Gunasekara is appealing a special circuit judge's order that determined she is not a qualified candidate for the PSC because she cannot meet a five-year residency requirement. "I'm taking this fight against my candidacy all the way to the Mississippi Supreme Court," Gunasekara said in a social media video. "I'm going to finish this fight, and I hope you have my back." The nine-member Mississippi Supreme Court will consider the appeal on an expedited basis, though it's unclear when exactly it will rule on the matter. The key question at the heart of the case is whether Gunasekara, who had worked in Washington D.C. for several years, established citizenship in Mississippi by Nov. 7, 2018. Public records show that Gunasekara voted in Washington on Nov. 6, 2018. Mississippi's general election this year is on Nov. 7. If the state Supreme Court allows Gunasekara to remain on the primary ballot, then she will compete with Tupelo administrator Tanner Newman and state Rep. Chris Brown of Nettleton. There is no Democrat in the race, so the winner of the GOP primary will win outright. |
| Lawmakers appropriate extra $620M for roads | |
| Mississippians over the next two years could see a boom in new major road projects after lawmakers agreed to give the Mississippi Department of Transportation an extra $620 million Thursday as legislators worked to finish budget work and end the 2023 session. For two decades, lack of funding and rising repair costs have forced MDOT to focus mostly on maintenance instead of new projects or major expansions. But under a measure originally offered by the Senate, $450 million over the next two years will go to traffic "capacity" projects to build or expand major thoroughfares that have been on MDOT's planning list for years. The agreement also earmarks $100 million for the state's Emergency Road and Bridge Repair program to help local governments with roads and bridges that have fallen into disrepair. It provides $40 million to MDOT to match federal dollars and provides $30 million for "multi-modal" projects, including $10 million for work at state ports. Senate Transportation Chairwoman Jennifer Branning, R-Philadelphia, noted that even more road funding is included in other bills passed in the final hours of the legislative session. She said the long-deferred capacity expansion projects are crucial. "I am really pleased with this focus on infrastructure," Branning said. "Expansion with these projects is critical. Moving freight and goods is so critical to the success of our state." |
| Mississippi pushes more state policing in mostly Black city | |
| The majority-white and Republican-led Mississippi Legislature is taking final steps to expand the the territory of a state-run police department inside the capital city of Jackson, which is majority-Black and governed by Democrats. Critics say the proposal would stomp on local self-governance and create unequal systems of justice in different parts Jackson, which has the highest percentage of Black residents of any major U.S. city. Supporters say they are trying to reduce crime in a city of about 150,000 residents, which had more than 100 homicides for each of the past three years. Senators on Thursday passed the final version of a bill that Democratic Sen. John Horhn of Jackson called "toxic," with 31 Republicans voting yes and 15 Democrats voting no. The House is expected to pass the bill Friday and send it to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves. He has not said whether he will sign it, but he has often said Jackson has a crime problem. Democratic Sen. Barbara Blackmon of Canton, who is Black, compared the proposal to laws that racist white people enacted to suppress Black people after Reconstruction. Republican Sen. Brice Wiggins of Pascagoula, who is white, said moments later that Blackmon is good at making headline-grabbing statements that unfairly portray Mississippi as hostile. "This is not about race," Wiggins said. "This has truly been about helping the citizens of Jackson in a time of need." |
| Department of Health will choose state's next burn center, Legislature says | |
| Finally, the Legislature has come to a conclusion about the state's next burn center -- and they've decided not to make a decision at all. House Bill 1626, which details how much is appropriated to the Mississippi State Department of Health, passed both chambers on Thursday. The bill allocates $4 million toward the state's next burn center and gives the state health department the responsibility of choosing the burn center's home. The move comes amid months of speculation about whether the state's next accredited burn center would be housed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center or Baptist Medical Center. Both institutions are vying for public support to open their own. The bill also includes an additional $1 million to the state's burn care fund, which pays for uncompensated care for burn victims who receive care at Mississippi's next burn center, as well as travel expenses to out-of-state burn facilities. It's the latest move in a series of approvals and reversals, months after the state's last burn center shuttered. Merit Health Central in south Jackson closed the state's only accredited burn center in October, citing challenges related to the pandemic and staffing. |
| Mississippi Black Legislative Caucus hopes to get more relief for tornado victims | |
| The 2023 legislative session is wrapping up, but some law makers are hoping to make a few adjustments to the budget in order to get resources to those in Rolling Fork, Silver City, Winona, and Amory. "We are calling on the legislative leaders to provide help right now. We don't need to leave here this week, we don't need to leave until we know how we're gonna help provide the funding that we need to make those cities and towns hold," District 22, Senator Joseph Thomas, said Senator Thomas said he and other democrats offered two resolutions that would direct more money to recovery efforts in both the House and Senate, but neither of those have gained any traction. Even without those resolutions, Democrats believe there are still other ways funds could be distributed for relief before the session ends. "I don't think no one does not want to do anything. I just think the difference is about the amount of money money that needs to go in place to ensure we don't have any pause in the cause of them rehabilitating their lives," District 50 Representative John Hines said. Democrats said the state has given $5 million to MEMA for the disaster, but many don't believe that will be enough to bridge the gaps between federal help and a full recovery. "I like to see a pot about of $80 million to $100 million set aside. So when something happens, people can draw from it. If we don't use all the money, which I don't believe we will use all of it, the money can go right back to the general fund," Rep. Hines said. |
| Mississippi picks education head after Black nominee nixed | |
| A day after Mississippi's Republican-led Senate voted against confirming veteran educator Robert P. Taylor as state superintendent of education, the Mississippi State Board of Education named Mike Kent to fill the role on an interim basis Thursday. The move to kill Taylor's nomination angered some Black Democrats who said the rejection was at least partly because Taylor is Black and wrote years ago about the state's racist history. Kent is white. Senate Education Committee Chair Dennis DeBar, a white Republican, said he wanted to see a superintendent "with a better resume on improving low-performing schools." A news release published by the state Board of Education said Kent, who has served as its interim deputy superintendent since 2012, has 40 years of experience working in public education. In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday evening after the Senate vote, Taylor said senators in the past have confirmed all previous nominees for state superintendent and that he is disappointed this group of senators did not confirm him. "The fact that they didn't, that is what I have to live with," Taylor said. "I will always respect the process." |
| Grand Jury Votes to Indict Donald Trump | |
 | Donald Trump was indicted for his role in paying hush money to a porn star on the eve of the 2016 election, marking the first time in American history that a former president has faced criminal charges. The grand jury returned the indictment of Mr. Trump after a vote on Thursday, kicking off a process in which the former president is expected to come to New York to face the charges. The indictment, sought by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, isn't public. "This evening we contacted Mr. Trump's attorney to coordinate his surrender," a Bragg spokeswoman said. In New York, judges routinely keep charges under wraps until defendants make their initial appearance in court. Mr. Trump is likely to surrender and appear for his arraignment on Tuesday, said Susan Necheles, one of his lawyers. The case brought by Mr. Bragg, a Democrat, is far from a sure bet. Mr. Bragg's predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., and federal prosecutors each passed on charging Mr. Trump in a stand-alone case related to the hush money. If the case goes to trial, a conviction would almost certainly require a jury to credit the testimony of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who has faced his own legal troubles and pleaded guilty to an array of federal felonies in 2018. Among them was a campaign-finance offense for the porn-star payment, as well as charges of lying to a bank and to Congress. |
| At Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Camp Is Caught Off Guard | |
 | At Mar-a-Lago on Thursday evening, former President Donald J. Trump was still absorbing the news of his indictment, according to several people close to him. Mr. Trump and his aides were caught off guard by the timing, believing that any action by the grand jury was still weeks away and might not occur at all. Some advisers had become confident that there would be no movement until the end of April at the earliest and were looking at the political implications for Mr. Trump's closest potential rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. The specifics of the Manhattan indictment are not yet known, but the charges are expected to center on Mr. Trump's role in a hush-money payment to a porn star in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. At Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate, Mr. Trump's mood has ranged in recent weeks from optimism and bravado to anxiety about his future. On Thursday evening, after the grand jury indicted him, Mr. Trump was angry but mainly focused on the political implications of the charges, not the legal consequences, according to people familiar with his thinking. He seemed eager to project confidence and calm and was seen having a very public dinner with his wife, Melania, and her parents at the club at Mar-a-Lago. For all of Mr. Trump's outward confidence, the reality is that he has feared and avoided an indictment for more than four decades, after first being criminally investigated in the 1970s. |
| Trump can still run for president in 2024 after being indicted | |
 | Donald Trump became the first former president Thursday evening to be charged with a crime after leaving office -- a historic indictment that arrives as he is in the midst of a 2024 presidential election bid. A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump, his lawyers said Thursday, in a case involving hush money paid to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The indictment has not yet been unsealed, so the charges are not yet known. In a statement released on Twitter on Thursday night, a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, "This evening we contacted Mr. Trump's attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal." The charges, however, do not prevent Trump from running for president. Even a potential conviction would not disqualify his bid for the White House, according to according to Anna G. Cominsky, a professor at New York Law School. "There are actually not that many constitutional requirements to run for president," Cominsky said. "There is not an explicit prohibition in the Constitution in respects to having a pending indictment or even being convicted." But the indictment and subsequent legal proceedings could affect Trump's candidacy in both positive and negative ways. Some of his advisers, according to a recent Washington Post article, said legal controversy is favorable terrain for Trump: back in the center of attention as the dominant figure in his party. |
| Among 160 years of presidential scandals, Trump stands alone | |
| Though far from the only U.S. president dogged by legal and ethical scandals, Donald Trump now occupies a unique place in history as the first indicted on criminal charges. Two others, like Trump, found themselves impeached by Congress -- Bill Clinton for lying under oath about his affair with a White House intern, and Andrew Johnson for pushing the limits of his executive authority in a bitter power struggle following the Civil War. Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace over his role in the infamous Watergate break-in. And Ronald Reagan and Ulysses S. Grant both became forever tied to scandals in which close aides got prosecuted, though neither president was ever charged. Clinton spent more than half his presidency under scrutiny in investigations that ranged from failed real estate deals to the Democratic president's affair with a White House intern. Investigators took a lengthy look into Bill and Hillary Clinton's investments in the troubled Whitewater real estate venture. Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, appointed to oversee the investigation in 1994, turned up no evidence of wrongdoing by the Clintons. Starr's 1998 report packed with lurid details of Clinton's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky proved far more damaging. While being questioned in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones, Clinton had denied having "sexual relations" with Lewinsky. |
| Feds target alcohol pricing in new antitrust probe | |
 | The Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into the largest U.S. alcohol distributor, Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, over practices related to how wine and liquor are priced and sold around the country, according to three people with knowledge of the probe. The FTC is investigating Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits for possible violations of the Robinson-Patman Act, a 1936 law prohibiting suppliers from offering better prices to large retailers at the expense of their smaller competitors, according to the people. The agency is also investigating the company under Section 5 of the FTC Act, to determine whether the company has engaged in a wide array of conduct including any unfair, deceptive or anti-competitive business practices, according to the people. While Southern Glazer is the only known target of the probe, the agency is seeking wide-ranging information on wine and alcohol sales by distributors and retailers around the U.S., according to the people. The alcohol investigation is yet another sign that the Biden administration is expanding its efforts to rein in big companies and flex its antitrust powers, in the technology world and beyond. That includes the world's biggest tech firms, such as Apple and Google, and more traditional companies like Southern Glazer. |
| Grisham to release 'The Exchange,' sequel to 'The Firm' this October | |
| Over 30 years after "The Firm" put John Grisham on the map as one of America's best fiction writers, the Mississippi native is releasing a sequel to his famous novel. "The Exchange," which is set to be released on Oct. 17, will reunite readers with attorney and whistleblower Mitch McDeere. During a recent appearance on CBS Mornings, Grisham gave a little insight into where McDeere and his wife, Abby, are now. "Mitch is 41 years old. He's a lawyer in Manhattan. He's a partner in the biggest law firm in the world. He's a very successful international lawyer, who goes all over the world putting out fires for his clients. He's very successful" Grisham explained. "Abby is a book publisher in Manhattan. They have twin sons and life is very good. And then, Mitch takes a case that he probably wishes he hasn't taken, and his life gets very complicated." Over 7 million copies of "The Firm" have been sold worldwide since its release in 1991. In 1993, it was turned into a movie starring Tom Cruise before later being adapted into a television series in 2012. |
| USM hosts annual Founders' Day, student awards | |
 | University of Southern Mississippi administrators, faculty and students celebrated the university's history Thursday and the achievements of many of its current students. It was all part of USM's annual Founders' Day. Activities took place at Bennett Auditorium. Many student awards were presented, and new Student Government Association officers were sworn in for the following year. "It's just the great day to celebrate the history, the perseverance it took to get us started and founded and kind of seeing how we can use that energy and perseverance to face the challenges we have today," said Jonathan Jenkins, who was sworn in as the 2023-24 Student Government Association president during Thursday's ceremony. USM was founded on March 30, 1910. Classes, however, actually began in Hattiesburg in September 1912. There were just 227 students enrolled at that time. |
| Saban Center names major partners: Coca-Cola, Alabama Power, Mercedes-Benz, U. of Alabama | |
 | Though no ground has yet been broken, the Saban Center continues to pick up partners for its STEM hub and children's performing arts center, with five major team members announced Thursday morning: Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United, the Alabama Power Foundation, Mercedes-Benz, Parker Towing and the University of Alabama. Earlier this month, the city of Tuscaloosa, with Nick and Terry Saban, whose foundation Nick's Kids is at the heart of the project, announced ties with the Alabama Department of Education that may pay as much as $25 million toward the project's $100 million cost. Gov. Kay Ivey also announced an additional $2.6 million per year in operating funds, at her state-of-the-state address in mid-March. Of the remainder, the city plans to pay about $55 million, added to private donations and other sources. The Coca-Cola branch above is based in Birmingham. Mercedes-Benz has a long history with Tuscaloosa, since choosing the county for its first-ever U.S. car-manufacturing plant in the '90s. The Alabama Power Foundation supplements numerous programs around the state, from a $130 million trust. Parker Towing, one of the largest barge lines in the U.S., is based out of Tuscaloosa, as of course is the University of Alabama. "The University of Alabama is proud to collaborate with the Saban Center and the City of Tuscaloosa," said UA President Stuart R. Bell. "The initiative will extend UA's outreach to K-12 students as part of the Capstone's teaching, research and service mission, and the Center will enhance STEM education in our state for children who will one day be professionals in our communities." |
| Auburn student organizations seek to help healthcare equity | |
| Heather Vance, a second-year pharmacy student at Auburn, was volunteering at the free clinic through Equal Access Birmingham like many other students do. It was a Sunday, 7 p.m., and she, a med student from UAB, and their preceptors are seeing the last patient that day. "They keep mentioning this medication that they're taking and saying that they don't feel well when they take it," Vance said. "So we do this interview with the patient and go back into the counseling room and look at this standard blood pressure medication the patient has been prescribed." The patient is taking two times the maximum dose recommended on it. "I think the doctor was probably like let's just up your dose, and then doesn't realize that their dose keeps coming up, and instead they should have just added a second medication," Vance said. "That's my favorite like, patient intervention." Vance is the president of Equal Access Auburn, which began five or six years ago in collaboration with Equal Access Birmingham. Both organizations' missions are to provide accessible healthcare options to underserved and insured populations in their surrounding areas. |
| Sonny Perdue: $66 million university cut 'incredibly disappointing' | |
| University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue blasted a $66 million state funding decrease approved by lawmakers late Wednesday, which the system said will hurt schools across the state. The General Assembly passed a budget for the upcoming fiscal year with about $3.1 billion in state funding for the University System of Georgia (USG), which oversees 26 public colleges and universities. The University System said the cut adds to the pain of revenue losses due to recent falling enrollments at 20 schools, most of which are smaller, regional colleges. The budget now goes to Gov. Brian Kemp for his approval. A spokesman said the measure is "undergoing a thorough review process" and declined further comment. "This is an incredibly disappointing outcome, given the work done over the years by our state leaders to elevate higher education and send Georgia on a path to ascension," Perdue said in a written statement Thursday morning. "It will have a significant impact on institutions and the services that students and families depend on to advance their prosperity and help Georgia succeed." Perdue was governor in the late 2000s when the University System and other state agencies took much larger spending cuts during the Great Recession. At the time, the Board of Regents responded by hiking tuition and fees. Lawmakers, fearing the same thing would happen this time, passed a measure Wednesday requiring legislative approval of tuition hikes more than 3%. It is unclear if that is constitutional, since the Board of Regents has the authority to set tuition. |
| U. of South Carolina students quarrel during forum on transgender rights in sports, health care | |
 | More than 60 people argued over transgender rights during a forum at the University of South Carolina's Russell House on Wednesday night. The event was organized by the USC chapter of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit that advocates for conservative politics on high school and college campuses. The group planned to discuss transgender women in sports, South Carolina legislation concerning transgender health care, and "What is a woman?" Before the event began, shouting echoed through a small auditorium in the Russell House. "Tell me how disgusting I am!" one protester yelled. Marc Shook, dean of students, explained to the crowd that everyone was welcome to share their opinions, but warned against a "heckler's veto." "Please be aware that if you are disrupting the event or prohibiting anyone from the ability to speak their opinion, you will be asked to leave. If you choose not to leave we have the right to engage police presence," Shook told the attendees. "That's on both sides." The nearly two-hour event was an intense back-and-forth, often accompanied by shouting and pointed insults, but it did not escalate into violence. From religious texts to peer-reviewed studies to personal experience, protesters and Turning Point members alike came armed to argue. Turning Point USA members argued that transgender women shouldn't compete with cisgender women in sports, and that children shouldn't receive gender-affirming surgery. Some suggested that women are women if they are biological females. |
| The Louisiana cyberattacks that weren't -- or maybe were? | |
 | Last week, the Louisiana State Police Cyber Crime Unit tipped off five institutions---the University of New Orleans, River Parishes Community College, Nunez Community College, Southern University at Shreveport and Louisiana State University Agricultural Center---that their networks had possibly been compromised. The risks needed "immediate" attention, Quintin D. Taylor, chancellor of River Parishes Community College, wrote in an email to Inside Higher Ed, adding that the coordinated effort also included the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Without delay, the colleges set to work performing restorative activities on their respective computer networks, according to Meg Casper Sunstrom, deputy commissioner for strategic communications at the Louisiana Board of Regents. This included campuswide internet shutdowns that left many students and faculty members frustrated and without easy or efficient ways to communicate with each other. The word "cyberattack" was conspicuously absent when referencing the incident, even if the Louisiana State Police Cyber Crime Unit joined the investigation. That may be because the incident was not a cyberattack, according to some experts. "I don't think that the [Louisiana] authorities or schools are trying to hide something," said Alexandru Bardas, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Kansas who researches cybersecurity. "I think that they saw some indicators of compromise and are looking into them." |
| UF Honors Village to not fully open in Fall 2023 due to construction delays | |
| An email went out to 273 UF Honors students 5:30 p.m. Wednesday with news that their reserved spot for residence in the Honors Village has been removed due to construction delays. Students have until May 1 to select a new housing option, which can be another residence hall, given current availability. Students who don't pick a new housing arrangement on campus or opt to live off campus will automatically be relocated to Hume Hall, the current Honors housing option. Those who cancel their on campus housing registration and choose to live off campus will be required to pay a $225 cancelation fee. The Honors Village is going to be a traditional and suite-style dorm complex at 1512 Museum Road. The residential complex will have private music rooms, libraries, maker spaces and study spaces on each floor. There will also be meditation spaces, printer stations and laundry rooms on each floor. Buildings one and three will be the Honors Living Learning Community. Two of the four buildings that will make up the complex are still under construction and will not be completed for the Fall semester due to ongoing supply chain disruptions and weather, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan said in an email. Buildings one and three will be done by the Fall. The project is still within the original cost estimate of $187 million, Roldan said, even with construction delays. |
| Florida's college presidents stay silent on major reforms | |
| As Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, seeks to enact sweeping reforms to dramatically reshape higher education in the Sunshine State, students and faculty alike have protested legislation that would ban teaching certain topics, limit institutional authority and undermine tenure protections. But one group has remained conspicuously silent: Florida's college presidents. Of the 40 presidents at Florida's public colleges and universities, none have publicly challenged DeSantis as he has gone after diversity, equity and inclusion efforts; sought data on health care for transgender students; and pushed HB 999---legislation to remake Florida higher education. Given their shared silence, Inside Higher Ed asked all 40 presidents that lead the institutions that comprise the State University System of Florida and Florida College System for comment. None of the presidents agreed to discuss attacks on higher education from the DeSantis administration, even when offered anonymity, and multiple institutions did not respond to a request for comment. Florida's college presidents remain silent as constituents demand they speak up with HB 999 advancing through the state Legislature. Observers suggest presidents are in a no-win scenario, where silence equals compliance but speaking out carries personal and institutional risks. The silence of presidents at Florida's public institutions has not gone unnoticed by students, many of whom have protested across the state in recent weeks, demanding that leaders fight back on efforts to undo diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and other issues related to HB 999. |
| U. of Missouri professor uses AI algorithm to improve airline customer service | |
 | Sharan Srinivas knows what airline customers want. He asked artificial intelligence. It's not quite that simple. First he created a model algorithm, trained it and used it to analyze some 400,000 customer reviews on social media and other sources, a process taking five hours or so. It turns out, customers want more leg room and self-cleaning lavatories, naming a couple of the top wants. Srinivas is a University of Missouri assistant professor in industrial systems and engineering and marketing. He spoke Thursday in Lafferre Hall about his study "passenger intelligence as a competitive opportunity: unsupervised text analytics for discovering airline-specific insights from online reviews." It was published in Annals of Operation Research. "The airline industry is very competitive," Srinivas said. "These companies are always looking for a competitive advantage." Airlines survey their customers, but that only reveals so much, he said. "On social media, people tend to post freely," Srinivas said. It's a way companies can learn more about their customers, he said. |
| Suit contests U. of Wyoming trans woman in sorority | |
| The nationwide battle over the places where transgender people may belong has flared at the University of Wyoming, where a lawsuit filed by seven sorority members challenges the induction of a transgender woman into their local chapter. The woman, identified only by the pseudonym "Terry Smith" in the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne, made residents of the Kappa Kappa Gamma house uncomfortable in part by sitting on a common-area couch for hours and staring at them without talking, the lawsuit alleges. "One sorority member walked down the hall to take a shower, wearing only a towel. She felt an unsettling presence, turned, and saw Mr. Smith watching her silently," the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit against the national Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, its national council president and Smith claims national sorority officials pressured the local chapter to violate sorority rules, including those for voting to induct new members. The lawsuit asks for a judge to declare Smith's sorority membership void and to award unspecified damages. The damages should reflect the local chapter's decline in financial stability and donations because of Smith's induction last fall, the lawsuit alleges. |
| Clemson received record applications. Fewer are getting in this fall. | |
 | Clemson University has accepted more than 20,000 students for the fall of 2023, though it expects to admit fewer freshmen than last year. The incoming class should be around 4,500 students, according to associate vice president for enrollment management David Kuskowski, a drop of 88 students from 2022. "We're working very hard to stabilize the first-year enrollment, Kuskowski said. "Two years ago, we enrolled a first-year class that was about 300 students larger than we predicted." President Jim Clements boasted multiple times this spring that the university saw around 60,000 applications, a Clemson record. The university's annual goal for undergraduate growth is 2 percent including transfer students, Kuskowski said. Clemson aims to maintain an in-state undergrad population of about 66 percent, he said, and around 55 percent of the 21,000 acceptance letters stayed in South Carolina. Another 1,500 transfer students will join Clemson University in the fall and around 80 percent of them are in-state, Kuskowski said. With only 7,630 beds on campus --- 4,626 dedicated to freshmen --- Kuskowski reiterated that the models predicting prospective student attendance "work really well." Even if those students don't commit to Clemson University, it is committed to feeding, housing and educating each student admitted. |
| Enrollment at Community Colleges Is Stabilizing. The Growing Presence of High-School Students Is Why. | |
 | High-school students who are taking college courses for credit helped fuel an increase in community-college enrollment this spring -- and brought attention to the outsize role dual-enrollment students have played in the health of the higher-ed sector that's been most beleaguered by the pandemic. The number of dual-enrollment students jumped nearly 13 percent from a year earlier, according to preliminary data in the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center's most recent spring enrollment report. The subsequent increase in attendance at community colleges was 2.1 percent from a year earlier, the center said. While the larger trend in enrollment at public two-year colleges has been one of steady decline in recent years, the number of high-school students in dual-enrollment programs has been growing -- even before the pandemic began. According to the Community College Research Center at Columbia University's Teachers College, nearly one in five community-college students in the fall of 2021 was a high-schooler. Students who get a head start on acquiring college credits are more likely to go on to earn a college degree, the research shows. But what else do the data say about dual-enrollment programs or the students enrolled in them at community colleges? |
| Colleges Could Be Flooded With Citizen Lawsuits Under Proposed DEI Legislation | |
| As the assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at hundreds of colleges across the country continues, conservative forces trying to stamp out the programs in at least four states have proposed turning to higher-education employees and the general public to act as regulators of race- and sex-conscious efforts to root out discrimination on campus. Of the 17 states that have so far introduced bills to ban or limit diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI programs, according to a Chronicle analysis, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, and Texas have gone as far as allowing people to sue schools that they think deploy a variety of efforts to tamp down on perceived racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia on campus. Arizona's bill, SB 1694, would ban universities from adopting policies "to influence the composition of its work force based on race, sex or color," and prohibit the adoption or promotion of unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, structural racism, and disparate impact among other prohibited stances. It also allows employees to sue the university for making DEI training mandatory. Arkansas' bill would end explicit efforts to recruit employees of color in public colleges and allow those who believe they have been denied employment because of their identity to sue the college. In Iowa, SF 81 prohibits training related to "racism/scapegoating" and allows students' parents and faculty members to sue institutions that offer such training. |
| Americans Are Losing Faith in College Education, WSJ-NORC Poll Finds | |
| A majority of Americans don't think a college degree is worth the cost, according to a new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll, a new low in confidence in what has long been a hallmark of the American dream. The survey, conducted with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization, found that 56% of Americans think earning a four-year degree is a bad bet compared with 42% who retain faith in the credential. Skepticism is strongest among people ages 18-34, and people with college degrees are among those whose opinions have soured the most, portending a profound shift for higher education in the years ahead. In 2013, 53% of Americans were bullish on college, and 40% weren't. In 2017, 49% of Americans thought a four-year degree would lead to good jobs and higher earnings, compared with 47% who didn't. "These findings are indeed sobering for all of us in higher education, and in some ways, a wake-up call," said Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, which counts more than 1,700 institutions of higher education as members. "We need to do a better job at storytelling, but we need to improve our practice, that seems to me to be the only recipe I know of regaining public confidence." Dr. Mitchell cited student debt, which has reached $1.7 trillion, and the 60% graduation rate at four-year colleges as two of the biggest problems undermining confidence in the sector. Public skepticism toward higher education began to rise after the 2008 recession and compounded during the pandemic. Enrollment in U.S. colleges declined by about 15% over the last decade while the growth in alternative credentials, including apprenticeships, increased sharply. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State comeback effort falls short against South Carolina | |
| Mississippi State baseball fell once again in Southeastern Conference action, losing 6-4 against No. 9 South Carolina. The Bulldogs (15-12, 0-7 SEC) remained competitive against the Gamecocks (25-2, 7-0 SEC), avoiding a significant conference loss since their SEC opener three weeks ago against Kentucky. Starter Jurrangelo Cijntje struck out nine through five innings of work, and Colby Holcombe struck out eight, giving up three hits and three earned runs in four innings of relief. Mississippi State's offense couldn't keep pace, leaving two runners on to end the game as Hunter Hines struck out looking. "It was a good vibe tonight," Mississippi State assistant coach Gautreau said. "We just wanted some competitive starts where we can keep the game close, and obviously those guys on the bump are trying their hardest to do so, but I thought [Jurrangelo] was good tonight, he gave us five really good innings and then Colby came in and did a great job to keep that game where we needed to keep it." The Bulldogs had chances late, but failed to get big hits and drive runners in after pitching kept them in the game to that point. Mississippi State put up a fight, but came up short as it looks to bounce back in the middle game of the series against the Gamecocks at 6 p.m. Friday. |
| Mississippi State baseball's Chris Lemonis ejected vs. South Carolina | |
| It has been a disappointing start to the season for Mississippi State baseball, and frustrations boiled over for coach Chris Lemonis during Thursday's 6-4 loss against South Carolina at Dudy Noble Field. With no outs and the game tied at three, South Carolina catcher Cole Messina sent a two-run home run to left field. It appeared a close two-strike toss called a ball on the prior pitch didn't sit right with Lemonis. Lemonis immediately got into it with home plate umpire Jeff Wright and was ejected moments later. "I think everybody watched the game and saw what happened," assistant Jake Gautreau said postgame. "Obviously, there was a big swing there after it. Everybody was pretty fired up. Emotions were high. We're trying to win a ballgame. These kids are fighting for their life. It's a great group of kids, and they're working like crazy. You just want that one really, really bad for them. That's what you saw from (Lemonis)." It's the second ejection in as many seasons for Lemonis. He was tossed last season after a questionable check-swing call in a win at Memphis. MSU was struggling at the time of that ejection but rallied to victory. Though it wasn't the result Mississippi State hoped for, Gautreau felt the ejection added fuel to his team's fire. "A lot of times it just so happens it fires up the club," Gautreau said. "Managers or head coaches, everybody knows that. These kids are super close to (Lemonis). He's a players' coach. He's fighting just as hard as they are. We're all fighting together. It was a huge spot in the game, an enormous spot in the game." |
| Bulldogs Welcome No. 10 Arkansas To Nusz Park | |
| Mississippi State will welcome the reigning SEC champion, No. 10 Arkansas, to Nusz Park this weekend for a three-game set on March 31-April 2. The Bulldogs (23-10, 3-2 SEC) have won three of their last five meetings with top-10 teams, including a 6-3 victory over then-No. 10 Arizona earlier this year. This weekend's matchup features two of the conference's brightest young arms in Josey Marron and Arkansas' Robyn Herron. Marron is among the top-25 pitchers nationally in advanced metrics such as strikeout-to-walk ratio, fielding-independent pitching and WHIP. Herron, meanwhile, leads all SEC freshman with 87 strikeouts, just nine more than Marron, who ranks ninth overall in the league. It's Alumni Weekend at Nusz Park, with a special alumni recognition planned for Saturday afternoon. Saturday is also the Bulldogs' annual Breast Cancer Awareness game sponsored by OCH Regional Medical Center, and Sunday is Kids' Day at the park with the opportunity to run the bases postgame. Mississippi State will head to Bryan-College Station, Texas, next weekend for a Saturday-Monday series with the No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies. All three games will be broadcast on the SEC Network as the league's showcase series that weekend. |
| Women's Tennis To Battle No. 72 Ole Miss On Friday | |
| The Mississippi State women's tennis team is set to square off against in-state rival Ole Miss on Friday at 4 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The first 100 fans in attendance will receive a free t-shirt and all fans will have chance to enter a raffle for a $50 visa gift card. In case of inclement weather, matches will be moved indoors to the Rula Tennis Pavilion. In singles, Emmanouela Antonaki leads the team with a 12-6 mark during dual match play and sits at 17-11 overall. Antonaki claimed her third ranked win of the season against Florida's 42nd-ranked Sara Dahlstorm last Friday. Antonaki took down Dahlstorm in straight sets. The win moved her to 27 career ranked singles victories. Daryl Greenan's Bulldogs enter Friday at 10-9 overall and still searching for their first conference win. No. 72 Ole Miss comes into the match 8-8 overall and 2-6 in SEC play. The match will mark the 63rd matchup between the two teams. |
| Why Richard Williams is pulling for Dusty May, FAU basketball in NCAA Final Four | |
| Former Mississippi State basketball coach Richard Williams usually doesn't care who's playing in the Final Four. If it's last season's field with blue bloods Duke, North Carolina, Villanova and Kansas, Williams is going to watch. If the Final Four is San Diego State, Florida Atlantic, Miami and Connecticut, nothing changes. Williams is a basketball junkie, so he doesn't need to have a rooting interest to watch a champion get crowned at the conclusion of March Madness in the NCAA Tournament. However, this week he admits he has a team he's pulling for. "I want FAU to win it," Williams told the Clarion Ledger. "I'm emotionally involved with this tournament much more than any tournament I've watched -- except when we were in it." Williams is good friends with FAU coach Dusty May -- a relationship stemming back further than Williams remembers. In the late 1990s, after Williams retired from coaching, he took a trip to Indiana to watch coach Bob Knight. He spent three days with the Hoosiers as they went through the process of preparing to face Ohio State. Williams was impressed with the intensity of IU's prep, from Knight's approach in practice to the work ethic of the student managers. When he walked into the coaches locker room inside Assembly Hall, Williams said there were 13 VHS tapes of Buckeyes film compiled by the managers. Among those managers was May, who has since become one of the most intriguing young coaches in the game. While Williams doesn't recall meeting May then, their paths crossed again in 2008 when their friendship truly took off. |
| Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork testifies in state house committee on new NIL bill | |
 | The Texas House Committee on Higher Education heard testimony Monday from Texas A&M athletics director Ross Bjork in regards to a modified name, image and likeness (NIL) bill for college athletes in the state. House Bill 2804, filed on Feb. 24 by Rep. John Kuempel (R-District 44), changes some of the language of Senate Bill 1385, which initially made NIL compensation legal for college athletes in the state of Texas on July 1, 2021. Notably, the new bill gives university employees the ability to "identify or otherwise assist" student athletes in making NIL deals, as long as the university employee does not serve as the athlete's agent or receive compensation for the introduction, among other minor restrictions. University employees still cannot enter into NIL deals with student athletes and NIL compensation cannot be an incentive to prospective students to enroll into a school. The new bill also gives companies and players the ability to license university trademarks to use in NIL deals at market rate, with the approval of the university. Bjork was one of two witnesses called to testify for the bill, alongside Baylor general counsel Chris Holmes. Kate Kuhlmann of the Texas High School Coaches Association registered as a witness for the bill, but did not testify. |
| Support for national NIL standard for athletes cuts across party lines | |
 | As much as politics can divide, sports can unite. That much was evident at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on college athletes' ability to make endorsement deals. Republicans and Democrats alike agreed that there needs to be a national standard governing college athletes' ability to make money off their name, image and likeness. But coming up with a set of standards to replace the patchwork of state laws that has cropped up in the last few years will be difficult -- it would have to cover situations as disparate as an NFL-bound quarterback at the University of Alabama with a rugger at Bryn Mawr College. While most issues in Congress fall under predictable party lines, members were more interested in touting where they went to school than establishing a place on the ideological spectrum at Wednesday's Innovation, Data, and Commerce hearing. Subcommittee Chairman Gus Bilirakis opened the hearing by making his loyalties known. "Go Gators!" the Florida Republican and University of Florida alumnus said as he introduced fellow Florida grad, and former NFL tight end, Trey Burton. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., questioned the panel of student athletes and school administrators with a signed Florida football helmet in front of her. Not to be outdone, an aide for Rep. Earl L. "Buddy" Carter, R-Ga., unfurled a University of Georgia banner for Carter, who also had a signed football and a Bulldogs figurine. The patchwork of state laws has caused headaches for sports conference administrators, athletic directors, coaches and athletes alike. |
| MASTERS '23: Tiger draws big roars with a touch of nostalgia | |
| Tiger Woods hit a 7-iron that was ordinary by his standards, some 30 feet from the hole. No one could have guessed where it landed judging by the massive roar at Riviera from the crowd next to him and 175 yards away around the 13th green. It's like that whenever he plays, which is not often. And it prompted Colt Knost, calling the shots from the ground that day for CBS to say, "I wish I could have been here in 2000." But this is a different cheer than it was then. It's a different Woods. The similarity is that it's still loud. Fans fight for every inch of grass behind the ropes to get a clear view. One ambitious man at Riviera climbed into a vacant TV tower and watched from behind a stationary TV camera as if he were working. He was caught from talking too much, and the beer can he was holding didn't help. Back then, Woods was trying to win all four majors. Now he is trying to play all four majors. What hasn't changed is he is must-see golf. The difference? There is a palpable sense that fans flock to see Woods knowing time is running out, for him and for them. "He's a much bigger star now -- much, much bigger," Padraig Harrington said. "Where I saw it is when he came back to the Valspar (in 2018). Back in the day, everybody came out. There was a buzz. He hit phenomenal shots. But the people coming now, you're getting grandkids all the way up to the grandparents. "The grandparents have seen him in the past, and they want to see the magic," he said. "Back in the day, it felt like it would go on forever. There's a feeling now this maybe is the last dance." |
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