| Friday, April 28, 2023 |
| Physicists See 'Strange Matter' Form inside Atomic Nuclei | |
 | A new physics result two decades in the making has found a surprisingly complex path for the production of strange matter within atoms. Strange matter is any matter containing the subatomic particles known as strange quarks. "Strange" here refers, in part, to a profound remoteness from our everyday lives: strange matter only seems to show up in truly extreme circumstances such as high-energy particle collisions and perhaps the enormously dense and pressurized cores of neutron stars. Probing the details of strange matter's emergence is part of a broader effort by nuclear physicists to understand the fundamentals of how subatomic particles form. In this particular case, a group of researchers focused on one variety of strange matter, called lambda particles. Hadrons are subatomic particles that are made of quarks and subject to the strong force. This is the force that binds quarks together to make larger particles such as protons and neutrons and that holds those protons and neutrons within an atom's nucleus. Lambda particles are baryons, which means they're a type of hadron made of three quarks: one up quark, one down quark and one strange quark. The vast majority of quarks are of the up or down varieties, says Lamiaa El Fassi, lead author of the new study and an associate professor of experimental nuclear physics at Mississippi State University. |
| Area unemployment improves slightly since February | |
 | Unemployment rates throughout the Golden Triangle saw nominal improvement in March, showing an average 0.2 and 0.3% improvement from February, coinciding with both state and national rates. Oktibbeha county took the lead with a 0.3% drop in unemployment, while Lowndes, Clay and Noxubee all fell 0.2%, according to numbers released this week by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. Compared to a year ago, Noxubee County saw the largest improvement, from 5.3% to 4.4%. Clay and Lowndes Count fell 0.6% and 0.5%, respectively. Oktibbeha had the smallest year over year improvement, dropping 0.3% from March 2022. On the state and national level, Mississippi fell 0.1% from 3.2% in February and the national rate fell 0.3% from 3.9%. The state rate fell 0.4% from February 2022, and the national rate fell 0.2%. The number of unemployed people in Lowndes and Oktibbeha county fell to 770 and 820, respectively. Clay fell to 270 and Noxubee remained at 150. There are currently 1,900 unemployed people in the Golden Triangle, marking a 13.3% improvement from March 2022 (2,170). |
| Library transforms into speakeasy this Saturday | |
| While libraries are typically quiet, the Starkville Public Library will be roaring Saturday night. Starting at 6:30 p.m., the library is transforming into a 1920s jazz club as it hosts the second Grape Gatsby Gala. Advance tickets are available for $25 at the library, but the price will increase to $35 at the door Saturday. The library is also still accepting individual and business sponsorships. Phillip Carter, director for the Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library System, said the gala is one of the library's largest fundraisers every year, featuring wine, food and live music in a Prohibition-themed night. He said that patrons probably "won't recognize the library" when they arrive. "We also love using this event to pull people into the library and get them to think about the library in a totally different way," Carter said. "If we just broke even and everyone had a great time and walked away ... knowing that the library is more than just a place to get books, then I would consider that massive success." Library board president Sue Minchew said the gala was a wonderful chance to dance the night away last year. She is looking forward to doing even more dancing in the transformed library space again this year. "It was fantastic," Minchew said. "I couldn't believe how wonderful it was. The library was absolutely transformed into a fantastic '20s-themed speakeasy. The circulation desk became a bar with a professional bartender. ... The decor, you wouldn't believe. It didn't look like a library." |
| Sullivan named new ERDC Deputy Director | |
| The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has announced the selection of Ms. Pat Sullivan as the organization's new Deputy Director. As the Deputy Director of ERDC, Sullivan assists in leading one of the most diverse research organizations in the world, with seven laboratories located in four states, more than 2,500 employees, $1.2 billion in facilities and an annual research program exceeding $1.8 billion. "Ms. Sullivan is a proven leader who has been a critical member of the ERDC team in various capacities throughout her career," said ERDC Director Dr. David Pittman. "She will bring that wealth of knowledge and experience into her new position, and I look forward to working with her as we strive to make the world a safer and better place through the innovative research and development happening at ERDC." Ms. Sullivan began her ERDC career in 1984 as a Research Civil Engineer in the Geotechnical Laboratory of the former Waterways Experiment Station (WES) in Vicksburg, Miss. Sullivan earned a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Tulane University and a master's degree in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University. |
| Sen. John Boozman to keynote Delta Council 88th annual meeting in June | |
 | U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, will be the keynote speaker for the Delta Council's 88th annual meeting on June 2, 2023, at Delta State University's Bologna Performing Arts Center (BPAC) in Cleveland. "We are looking forward to the traditional celebration of regional cooperation through the work of Delta Council," Delta Council President Wade Litton said. "In addition to all the customary activities that are part of Delta Council Day, we are also honored that Sen. Boozman's colleague, our own Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, will introduce him to the audience." Boozman serves as the Ranking Member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry during the 118th Congress. This position enables him to play a key role in influencing policy that relates to the agriculture economy, nutrition programs and quality of life in rural America. He will also continue to serve on the Committee on Appropriations, which is responsible for allocating federal funds, and the Committee on the Environment and Public Works, where much of the nation's infrastructure policy is developed. Delta Council invites and encourages members and guests to attend and participate in this 88-year-old Delta "red-letter" day. |
| Bully Bloc Endorses Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann for Reelection | |
| Bully Bloc, the political action committee made up of friends and alumni of Mississippi State University, endorsed Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann in his bid for reelection today. Lindsey Simmons, Chair of the Executive Committee, cited Hosemann's commitment to student success and innovation at the state's institutions of higher learning. "Lt. Governor Hosemann has been a friend to Mississippi State and an advocate for higher education," Simmons said. "We are grateful for his hard work during his first term and look forward to four more years of his leadership." "Mississippi State is one of our nation's premier universities, with top-notch academics, programs which deliver graduates into high paying jobs, and an irreplaceable culture," Hosemann said. "We will always support Mississippi's universities and are grateful for Bully Bloc's endorsement for reelection." The Primary Election is slated for August 8, 2023, followed by the General Election on November 7, 2023. |
| Rep. Cockerham's 'landmark bill' aiming to help rape victims obtain justice receives governor's signature | |
 | Two pieces of legislation were signed by Gov. Tate Reeves this week which aim to help rape survivors obtain justice and potentially save victims' lives, said Sandy Middleton of Natchez, who serves as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Center for Violence Prevention. One is House Bill 995, authored by Rep. Dana McLean, R-Columbus, which addresses the statute and protects victims' rights by removing the spousal defense for those who commit marital rape and removing 1800s language such as, "assault with the intent to forcibly ravish a female of previously chaste character" from the law. "Because our rape laws are so archaic, most DAs want to prosecute for sexual battery instead of rape," Middleton said, adding that previous law did not allow for males as victims. "We want to be open and honest with the public. Rape is rape and needs to be called what it is." The second measure is House Bill 485 authored by District 96 Rep. Angela Cockerham, I-Magnolia, who represents Adams, Amite, Pike and Wilkinson counties. Cockerham's bill creates a standard procedure for the timely testing and tracking of sexual assault evidence or "rape kits" in Mississippi. "We are now a state that has a process for how this evidence is processed and transported. There were 36 states that had such procedures in place. It's a win for Mississippi," Cockerham said. |
| Governor's race poll: Brandon Presley slips, Gov. Tate Reeves remains unpopular | |
| A new Mississippi Today/Siena College poll shows incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves' lead over Democratic challenger Brandon Presley has grown since a January survey, but a majority of voters still want someone other than Reeves. In January, the polling showed Reeves with a 4-point lead head-to-head over Presley: 43% to 39%, with 14% undecided. But in polling from April 16-20, Reeves led Presley by 11 points: 49% to 38%, with 6% undecided. But the latest survey shows Reeves still struggles with favorability among voters, and the number of voters who chose "someone else" over Reeves grew from 57% to 60% from January to April. Reeves is a consummate fundraiser, and big business donors have buoyed him in his tenure as state treasurer, lieutenant governor and now governor. Mississippi hasn't elected a Democratic governor since 1999, the state Democratic Party is in shambles, and all statewide elected offices are held by the GOP. Presley faces an uphill climb and will be met with a multi-million dollar ad barrage from Reeves. |
| Polls' Representative Samples Often Merit Skepticism | |
 | When people read about a poll, they are often told something like this: Pollsters call a random group of people. Though small, we can infer this group is a representative sample of the U.S. population because it was selected randomly. Then, if we know the sample size, we can calculate the margin of error, which helps us understand how likely the survey results are to capture reality. This Statistics 101 version frequently carries a disclaimer to the effect: "These findings come from a nationally representative sample of 2,000 Americans with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2%." Here is the uncomfortable truth. Though the disclaimer remains, nearly nobody does the textbook version of polling anymore. In 2000, 29 organizations sponsored national polls and publicly released their results, nearly all randomly calling people on the phone, according to the Pew Research Center. As recently as 2014, most pollsters still operated this way. By 2022, fewer than 9%, or just six out of 69 organizations, still polled this way, Pew found. "There's a huge gap between the public understanding and where the survey field actually is," said Courtney Kennedy, Pew's vice president of methods and innovation and one of the report's authors. |
| Louisiana fundraiser latest sign Brandon Presley looking to other Democrat Deep South wins | |
 | A fundraiser for Democrat gubernatorial hopeful Brandon Presley will be held Thursday in Mississippi's only neighboring state with a Democratic governor -- Louisiana. Expected to attend the New Orleans event, according to invitations obtained by the Clarion Ledger, is Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a man Presley wants to soon join on a relatively short list of recent Democrats to win in the Deep South. A spokesperson for the Presley campaign declined to comment on fundraising events and would not say whether Presley will attend in person. According to the invitation, admission to the St. Charles Avenue event will set attendees back anywhere from $250 to $5,000. Listed alongside Edwards as hosts are attorney Gladstone Jones and his wife Amanda and famed Louisiana-based political strategist James Carville. Among Southern states, only three currently have Democratic governors. Two of those have statewide elections this year. In Louisiana, where Edwards is term limited, two Democrats and a number of Republicans are lining up hoping to take the job back. In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear is seeking a second term, with at least a dozen Republicans facing off in their primary. In North Carolina, where elections are not until next year, Gov. Roy Cooper is in the midst of his second term. And then there's Mississippi, which has not had a Democrat in the governor's mansion since Ronnie Musgrove was defeated by Haley Barbour in the 2003 statewide elections. Presley, a lifelong Democrat and second cousin of Elvis, who has represented a relatively conservative area on the Public Service Commission since 2008, hopes to change that. |
| Medical professionals release response to recent ruling on vaccination requirements | |
 | In a statement released Tuesday, the American Academy of Pediatrics said they were "disappointed and outraged" by a federal judge's decision on required immunizations. The statement was signed by the leaders of the Mississippi Chapter of the organization and reads "We have now had more than 50 years of healthier children in our schools because of our strong state immunization laws." Tanya Fitts is a practicing pediatrician in Oxford and currently serves as the Executive Committee President for the Mississippi chapter of the AAP. She says her organization has long-supported Mississippi's vaccination policies. "We do lead the nation in our immunization rates," she said. "that is the one positive health outcome that we do lead the country in, and that is a direct result of our strong vaccination and immunization laws." The AAP is one of many organizations in the state that have openly disapproved of the judge's ruling. Fitts says that Mississippi's strong vaccine policies have worked well for the state's children, and the groups' frustration comes from seeing that progress potentially go away. "We feel strongly that immunizations protect the whole community, protect each individual child that gets those vaccinations, and prevent diseases." she said. "In my career, I've seen almost elimination of infants with meningitis." |
| Carolyn Bryant Donham, who accused Emmett Till before he was lynched, dies at age 88 | |
 | The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of whistling at her -- causing his 1955 lynching in Mississippi, which galvanized a generation of activists to rise up in the Civil Rights Movement -- has died at 88. Carolyn Bryant Donham died in hospice care Tuesday night in Westlake, Louisiana, according to a death report filed Thursday in the Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Office. Her death marks the last chance for anyone to be held accountable for a kidnapping and brutal murder that shocked the world. When Till disappeared in Mississippi, Ollie Gordon --- one of Till's cousins --- was 7 years old and living in the Chicago home with Till's mother and family. Gordon told The Associated Press on Thursday that in the days following when he went missing, the home was full of fear, because people knew there was a strong likelihood he had been killed. Gordon said she had mixed emotions about Donham's death. "She was never tried in the court of man," Gordon said. "But I think she was judged by God, and his wrath is more punitive than any judgement or penalty she could have gotten in a courtroom. I don't think she had a pleasant or happy life." |
| Army Corps agrees with Hyde-Smith on Enlarging Yazoo Backwater Levee | |
| U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Wednesday gained a positive response from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) that funding should be provided to enlarge the authorized levee system that protects the Yazoo Backwater Area, a separate goal from the quest to construct a pumping station for the flood-prone south Mississippi Delta. Hyde-Smith questioned Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, USACE Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, about the Yazoo Backwater levee during an Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. "From the beginning, the Corps has said the Yazoo Backwater levee would need to be raised at some point during the 50-year project life of the Recommended Plan," Hyde-Smith said. "Unfortunately, the President's fiscal year 2024 budget does not include any funding to enlarge the Yazoo Backwater levee, but $2 million could be used for that purpose, according to the Corps' FY24 total capability estimate." "I have submitted a FY24 funding request to enlarge the Yazoo Backwater levee. Please explain to the subcommittee that the Yazoo Backwater levee is a separate, completed feature of the Yazoo Backwater Project, and said funds would indeed be used to enlarge the levee, which has nothing to do with construction of the pumps," the Senator said. Spellmon agreed the Yazoo Backwater levee needs to be enlarged and that this work is separate from the proposed pumps as part of the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) project. |
| Wicker still supports Scott Colom nomination, despite opposition from Hyde-Smith | |
| U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker still supports President Joe Biden's nomination of Scott Colom to a federal judicial seat in north Mississippi, despite the Magnolia State's other U.S. senator blocking the appointment. Wicker, a Republican from Tupelo, told the Daily Journal in a recent interview that he and other Republicans in the state believe Colom's track record as a state prosecutor makes him a qualified candidate for the vacant position for a district judge in the state's U.S. Northern District. "He was elected in a contested race to begin with, but he was re-elected unopposed," Wicker said. "There are quite a lot of mainstream Mississippi Republicans who tell me they think he's been a strong law-and-order prosecutor." A native of Columbus, Colom is the elected district attorney of the 16th Circuit Court District, which includes Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties. He is the first Black prosecutor in the circuit court district, winning that seat in 2015 by defeating the long-serving incumbent Forrest Allgood. U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican from Brookhaven, announced that she would not approve of Colom's elevation to the federal bench partly because New York billionaire George Soros indirectly supported his 2015 campaign. Hyde-Smith's office did not respond to a request for comment, and Wicker largely declined to answer if he thought his Senate colleague should reverse her opposition to the nominee. |
| South Korea's Yoon reminds lawmakers of benefits of US intervention | |
 | South Korea's president told Congress on Thursday his country -- a onetime beneficiary of U.S. military intervention and significant foreign aid -- now stood ready to stand in solidarity with Ukraine and other vulnerable democracies and help them in their hour of need. As lawmakers, especially Republicans, debate whether the U.S. can afford to provide Ukraine with significant taxpayer largesse -- $113 billion in related aid since Russia mounted its full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbor more than a year ago -- the president drew unmistakable allusions to the example and rewards accrued from U.S. aid to South Korea decades ago. So were comparisons to Taiwan, which is facing mounting military threats from its much larger neighbor China. "When North Korea invaded us in 1950, democracies came running to help us. We fought together and kept our freedom. The rest is history," President Yoon Suk Yeol said at a joint meeting of Congress that saw the House floor packed and the galleries above it filled with an audience of South Korean, American and foreign dignitaries. Among those in the audience was Ukraine's ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, who nodded vigorously when Yoon said, "Korea's experience shows us just how important it is for democracies to uphold solidarity. Korea will stand in solidarity with the free world. We will actively work to safeguard the freedom of the people of Ukraine and support their efforts in reconstruction." |
| Pence appears before Jan. 6 grand jury | |
 | Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump's effort to subvert the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the matter. Pence's closed-door appearance marks an extraordinary flashpoint in special counsel Jack Smith's probe. Smith's team is investigating Trump's last-ditch bid to pressure Pence into single-handedly derailing the transfer of power from Trump to Joe Biden on Jan. 6, 2021. Pence's appearance was accompanied by a frenzy of security activity at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., where U.S. Marshals and other security personnel conducted sweeps of the building before Pence was whisked inside without being spotted by cameras at the courthouse's main entrances. Pence was at the courthouse for more than five hours. His appearance before the grand jury was confirmed by two people who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. His testimony began just hours after a federal appeals court rejected Trump's emergency bid to block Pence from testifying or limit the scope of prosecutors' potential questions. A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order late Wednesday denying the former president's last-ditch effort. Though the order remains sealed to protect grand jury secrecy, POLITICO had previously confirmed Trump's appeal, which followed a district court judge's order that required Pence to testify. |
| Brace Yourself for the 2024 Deepfake Election | |
 | Artificial intelligence was once something the average person described in the abstract. They had no tactile relationship with it that they were aware of, even if their devices were often utilizing it. That's all changed over the past year as people have started to engage with AI programs like OpenAI's DALL-E and ChatGPT, and the technology is rapidly advancing. As AI is democratized, democracy itself is falling under new pressures. There will likely be many exciting ways it will be deployed, but it may also start to distort reality and could become a major threat to the 2024 presidential election if AI-generated audio, images, and videos of candidates proliferate. The line between what's real and what's fake could start to blur significantly more than it already has in an age of rampant disinformation. "We've seen pretty dramatic shifts in the landscape when it comes to generative tools -- particularly in the last year," says Henry Ajder, an independent AI expert. "I think the scale of content we're now seeing being produced is directly related to that dramatic opening up of accessibility." It's not a question of whether AI-generated content is going to start playing a role in politics, because it's already happening. AI-generated images and videos featuring president Joe Biden and Donald Trump have started spreading around the internet. Republicans recently used AI to generate an attack ad against Biden. The question is, what will happen when anyone can open their laptop and, with minimal effort, quickly create a convincing deepfake of a politician? |
| Sweeping indictment shows role of China's chemical firms in fentanyl crisis | |
 | The sales team at the Chinese chemical company offered drug cartel operatives more than the key ingredients needed to make deadly fentanyl bound for the United States. In exchange for payments in cryptocurrency, Wuhan Shuokang Biological Technology dispensed technical assistance and advice to Mexico's notorious Sinaloa cartel, including which chemicals could be combined most effectively to make the synthetic opioid, and how to economize on "starting material," according to a U.S. indictment unsealed April 14. U.S. prosecutors say the Chinese company used its professional-looking website to maintain a veneer of legitimacy, but its brokers supplied chemicals and illicit substances to the cartel, helping it flood the United States with the cheap fentanyl that is killing record numbers of Americans. Investigators describe the indictment as among the most significant attempts to link Chinese chemical companies to the Sinaloa gangsters who dominate the fentanyl trade. But if previous U.S. criminal cases against suppliers are any indication, there is little chance the Chinese suspects will be prosecuted. Amid worsening geopolitical tensions with Washington, China is increasingly unwilling to crack down on illicit chemical shipments, experts say. "It's important to realize that this is just a gnat on the windshield on the Chinese side of things," said Jonathan P. Caulkins, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who researches the criminal drug trade, noting that the sale of fentanyl precursors make up only a "tiny, tiny, tiny" amount of the chemical industry's global business. The two key nations in the chain -- China and Mexico -- have long downplayed their roles and blamed U.S. users for the demand for illegal drugs. |
| Abortion ban rejected in South Carolina after GOP women join filibuster | |
 | The South Carolina state Senate rejected a near-total abortion ban on Thursday, after the chamber's five female lawmakers led a multiday filibuster against the bill. Three Republicans, a Democrat and an Independent joined together as the only five women in the state Senate to block the legislation, which sought to ban abortion from conception with exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies and to save the life of the mother. The bill ultimately failed in a 22-21 vote on Thursday. This is the third time that a near-total abortion ban has failed to pass the Republican-majority chamber since the overturning of Roe v. Wade last June. "The only thing that we can do when you all, you men in the chamber, metaphorically keep slapping women by raising abortion again and again and again, is for us to slap you back with our words," Republican state Sen. Sandy Senn said, according to The Associated Press. Senate Republican Leader Shane Massey had previously warned that there was not enough support to pass such legislation, a local NBC affiliate reported. "I think we all kind of knew where this was headed," Massey said. "But look, we wanted to give it our best shot. We gave it our best shot." Abortion remains legal in South Carolina through 22 weeks. |
| Despite flooding on Mississippi River, Midwest mayors upbeat | |
| The Upper Mississippi River will rise to near record-high levels as it flows through Wisconsin and Iowa, but officials said Thursday they expected to hold back floodwaters with a combination of flood walls, temporary barriers and wetlands, especially if dry weather continues. The Mississippi already has crested in St. Paul, Minnesota, and La Crosse, Wisconsin, but it will be days before it begins falling in some areas to the south. The high water is due to the quick melting of a giant snowpack in northern Minnesota that is slowly moving down the approximately 2,300-mile (3,700-kilometer) river that will ultimately empty into the Gulf of Mexico. Despite the flooding in parts of the Upper Midwest, states to the south aren't expected to experience any flooding because tributaries in Iowa, Illinois and other Midwest states are running lower than usual, said Mike Welvaert, a National Weather Service hydrologist. Next week is expected to be mostly dry with only some showers in the forecast, he said, meaning that's unlikely to change. "Future precipitation is what is going to drive the future risk," Welvaert said on a conference call with reporters. |
| Ben Napier serving boards crafted from gym court fund Ole Miss scholarships | |
| Keepsake serving boards crafted from the discarded floor of a University of Mississippi gymnasium soon will be used in kitchens across America. And Ole Miss students stand to benefit. As founders and hosts of one of HGTV's most popular shows, "Home Town," Ole Miss alumni Erin and Ben Napier's vision for restoring youth to aging homes has enchanted some 30 million do-it-yourselfers nationwide. Now, the Laurel couple who became famous for taking old things and making them new has done it again, along with their longtime pals and business partners Josh Nowell and Jim Rasberry. Together, they own a retail store, Laurel Mercantile, and the woodworking brand Scotsman Co. "Believe it or not, we don't really like to throw things away here in Laurel," Ben Napier said. "When I heard this court from Ole Miss was available, I went to Josh and said, 'What if we could take the wood from this court and produce something special? Something Ole Miss fans would love to have and use.'" Scotsman Co. purchased the wood to construct a custom table on "Home Town." With more than enough left over, the company decided to fashion the extra flooring into serving boards, promote them on the show and sell them through Laurel Mercantile. Impressed by the university's Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence, the group decided to fund scholarships for Ole Miss CME students from Mississippi. Proceeds from sales of the limited-edition boards will establish a $50,000 endowment. |
| Students raise concerns over provost candidate at USM; donor email troubles students and faculty | |
| A proposed candidate for the provost position at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg -- along with an email exchange between a student and a prominent donor to the school regarding that matter -- seems to have set off nerves between the student body and university officials. According to a story reported earlier this month by Mississippi Today, graduate student Emily Goldsmith had expressed concerns to The Student Printz, the school's student newspaper, about the prospective hiring of Lance Nail -- an administrator and finance professor at the Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley -- to fill the position of provost. Goldsmith, along with approximately 750 other students, faculty and alumni, had recently signed a position protesting Nail's hiring, in light of previous accusations of Nail's mishandling of a sexual misconduct at his previous employer, Texas Tech University. A few days after the paper was printed, Goldsmith received an email -- which was obtained by the staff of Mississippi Today -- from Chuck Scianna, the namesake of Scianna Hall, which houses the College of Business and Economic Development on the Hattiesburg campus. Scianna, along with his wife Rita, has reportedly given more than $10 million to Southern Miss over the years. |
| USM partners with crash victim to teach about distracted driving | |
 | The Moffit Center at the University of Southern Mississippi partnered with a former crash victim to warn about the dangers of distracted driving. Caleb Crabtree is a former police officer who was involved in a distracted driving crash that almost claimed his life nearly five years ago. Since his recovery, Crabtree has shared his story in hopes of making drivers more aware of their surroundings. "It's not just looking at your phone," Crabtree said. "It's gazing at the scenery and the landscape. It can also be that you're stuck in your own head. You're having a bad day and you're just stuck in your own thoughts. "You're not paying attention to the road, and you're not paying attention to what you're doing with 100 percent of your ability." According to the National Highway Safety Administration, distracted driving played a role in the deaths of more than 3,500 motorists in 2021. |
| 19 years later: Iraq vet attains degree from Jackson State | |
 | A United States Army special agent will receive his bachelor's degree on Saturday, April 29 from Jackson State University (JSU). Nickholas Davis was set to graduate the summer of 2004, but he dropped out in order to complete the same mission his cousin died in after being deployed to Iraq. Nineteen years later, Davis will receive his degree from JSU in Criminal Justice. "My cousin, Raphael Davis, we grew up like brothers. We stayed a few houses down from each other, so we all grew up like brothers. And my cousin, he was attending Hinds Community College at the time of his death, and he was going to transfer over to Jackson State and finish his degree at Jackson State. So therefore, I wanted to use him as an inspiration to motivate me to finish, because graduating from Jackson State is like a legacy," stated Davis. Davis thanked JSU for offering people the opportunity to get a degree. |
| 'The Hate u Give' author awards student writing scholarship | |
| Bestselling author Angie Thomas on Thursday surprised a senior at a Mississippi high school with a full-ride scholarship for creative writing to the private university where Thomas earned her bachelor's degree. Thomas, currently on a new book tour, delivered the news via video. Students cheered as she congratulated Canton High School senior Ahniya Myers for winning the 2023 Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship. "As I read Ahniya's writing samples, I immediately fell in love with her craft," said Thomas. "Her talent and skill blew me away, and I know that the creative writing program was created with a student like her in mind." The scholarship was named in honor of Thomas, a 2011 graduate of Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. It was created to help young aspiring writers who need extra support to make their dreams of authorship a reality, the university said in a news release. Myers is the fourth student to win the scholarship, which covers tuition, room and board at the university for four years. "Ahniya embodies both the spirit of the Angie Thomas Scholarship and the potential of an Angie Thomas Scholar," said Dr. Randall Smith, professor and chair of creative writing at the school. "The community of writers at Belhaven University is excited to welcome Ahniya to the BFA program, where we help one another master craft, find our purpose as writers, and reach our potential." |
| MDE is spending millions on virtual tutoring service educators say is useful, though data shows it's not widely used | |
| One year into a nearly $11 million deal, educators say access to a 24/7 tutoring service is a positive addition to their school districts, though usage data shows just 35% of students with access have used it at least once this school year. The Mississippi Department of Education signed a $10.7 million contract with Paper, a virtual tutoring company, in March of 2022. The tutorial services are one effort to address learning loss caused by the pandemic and are funded by federal pandemic relief dollars. Paper has numerous contracts across the country, some of which have already ended because of poor student participation. Columbus City Schools in Ohio had a usage rate of 8% when the district cut ties, as reported by Chalkbeat. The contract required a minimum of 300 tutoring sessions a month, distributed evenly across the state's six regional education communities. When asked if this goal was rigorous enough given the 320,000 Mississippi students grades 3-12 with access to Paper, Associate State Superintendent Marla Davis said it's important to keep in mind that the state cannot mandate students use the service and that even if it was a low goal, it's one that Paper has far exceeded. Students have used Paper over 2 million times this school year, with 285,000 of those uses being live one-on-one help sessions. |
| A new portrait of American teenagers in crisis | |
| In 2021, 1 in 5 high school students said they witnessed violence in their communities, and 3.5 percent said they carried a gun. Nearly 9 percent of students said they'd been forced into sex in their life. A third of female students said they had considered suicide in the past year, and over 13 percent said they'd attempted suicide. A sweeping series of surveys of U.S. high school students released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have an urgent message for parents and policymakers: America's kids are in crisis. The results of the 2021 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey and dozens of local surveys create a complex portrait of fast-changing teenage population that is struggling with mental health challenges, widespread community, physical and sexual violence, and substance use. They offer the largest window to date into how the upheaval and stress of the Covid-19 pandemic impacted teenagers' emotional, physical and mental health -- and worsened existing disparities for children in marginalized communities. Broadly, the national survey, which is conducted biennially, revealed two important shifts in high school student demographics: Just over 49 percent of respondents identified as being part of a racial or ethnic minority group, compared to 48.9 percent in 2019 and 46.5 percent in 2017, and about 25 percent of students identified as LGBQ+, compared to just over 11 percent of students who identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual in 2019 and 10.4 percent in 2017. |
| Beat Bama Food Drive looks ahead after success in SEC Food Fight | |
| Beat Bama Food Drive continually takes down Auburn's biggest rival, while simultaneously fighting to end food insecurity. BBFD brought home the bacon in a two-week-long drive competing against other SEC schools from March 31 to April 13. According to BBFD President Justin King, "BBFD rose to the challenge, and hosted eight events to raise funds and awareness for the Auburn University Campus Food Pantry. Events included the 'Inaugural Beat Bama Boutique', two benefit nights at local restaurants, a Pickleball Tournament and Neighborhood Can Drive plus more." Schools that participated in this drive included Texas A&M University, the University of Alabama, the University of Georgia, the University of Kentucky, the University of South Carolina, the University of Tennessee, the University of Missouri, the University of Mississippi and the University of Texas. Not every SEC school participated "due to timing and/or capacity to facilitate the competition." However, King said they look forward to growing the competition in the future. Sarah Grace Kaschak is the coordinator for Auburn Cares and directly oversees the Campus Food Pantry. The Campus Food Pantry partnered with BBFD during the SEC Food Fight where the donations and food raised went directly to the University's pantry. "We reached out to them for the first SEC Food Fight and asked for their support because they really are experts at what they do," Kaschak said about BBFD. |
| Former chef sues LSU sorority, claims food coordinator wanted a 'White chef' | |
 | A ranking food worker announced she would rather have a White chef during a large gathering at an LSU sorority house in 2021, according to a discrimination lawsuit recently filed in federal court. Bernardine Williams, a Black chef working in the sorority house at the time, alleges her ex-manager, Suzette Says, facilitated a hostile work environment after she complained to her higher-ups about the Baton Rouge woman. The retaliatory actions led to Williams being demoted, she contends in her lawsuit, which was filed April 12 in the U.S. Middle District Court of Louisiana. Says is the only person named individually as a defendant in the civil claim. Williams is also seeking damages from Delta Zeta Sigma's national chapter as well as the housing corporation for the sorority's Baton Rouge chapter. Williams began working for College Fresh, a food service company that deploys professional cooks to fraternity and sorority houses on college campuses across the nation. Eleven days after she was hired in August 2020, Williams was assigned to be a house chef at the Delta Zeta Sigma chapter's sorority house on LSU's campus at 4060 W. Lakeshore Drive. When reached for comment Wednesday, Williams' attorney Jim Holt declined to comment on the pending litigation. Scott Huffstetler, a Baton Rouge attorney representing the local chapter and its sorority house, denied allegations the plaintiff made against Delta Zeta in the lawsuit. |
| Kentucky is facing a health care shortage. U. of Kentucky's $2B plan hopes to fill the gap | |
 | With a more than $2 billion expansion planned for UK HealthCare, the University of Kentucky is also expecting growth for its staff and number of students in health-related fields. Plans for the expansion were discussed at the university health care committee Thursday, and will go before the full board for approval Friday. The expansion includes adding an additional 300 hospital beds to the Chandler Hospital campus and four new outpatient locations in and around Lexington over the next several years. The university is also focused on growing its health education programs and expanding its health care workforce. In total, university officials estimated the expansions could cost $2.4 billion. Part of that plan includes growing the staff to meet the expanded offerings of the hospital, and increasing the number of students in health care-related fields to address shortages in Kentucky, said Robert DiPaola, acting co-executive vice president for health affairs. UK is constructing a health education building, scheduled to open in 2026, which will bring together four colleges under one roof: the College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Health Sciences and the College of Public Health. By bringing the different programs in one place, DiPaola said there will be more opportunities for collaboration and to address the health care needs of the state. |
| U. of Missouri grant aims to make open-source software more open for users | |
 | Opening up open-source software to make it more accessible and understandable to more users is a goal of a $1.6 million grant to the University of Missouri and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The three-year grant is from the Arthur P. Sloan Foundation. Sean Goggins, professor in the MU department of electrical engineering and computer science is a co-principal investigator on the project. Matt Germonprez at the University of Nebraska-Omaha is the other co-principal investigator. Open-source software can be modified by anyone to fit their needs, providing cost-savings to companies in the technology industry. The roots of it date back to the 1970s, Goggins said by phone on Wednesday. The team of researchers at MU and the University of Nebraska already has developed tools and metrics for OSS with a Linux Foundation project called CHAOSS. Though it sounds sinister, in this case it stands for Community Health Analytics in Open Source Software. "We did come up with a name with a tinge of irony," Goggins said. |
| U. of Missouri student employees demand higher wages, deliver petitions | |
 | Cheers echoed over the concrete amphitheater outside Plaza 900 on Thursday after a group of employees at University of Missouri Campus Dining Services delivered thousands of petitions to their director's office, demanding a $15-an-hour minimum wage by the fall semester. Full-time students employed by institutions of higher education can legally be paid below minimum wage, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Student pay at Campus Dining Services starts at $12.30 an hour, according to MU's website, which is above Missouri's minimum wage. Campus Dining Services workers said they need higher wages to cover inflating personal expenses like rent and medical bills. "People don't want to work for wages that don't satisfy their basic needs," said Ian De Smet, a student worker who has been with Campus Dining Services for more than two years. De Smet said there is something "extremely demoralizing" about working for $12.30 an hour at Campus Dining Services when other food service jobs in the area pay more. "When you look at your bank account and you realize that you are going to be struggling for rent the next month, it's a very sad feeling," De Smet said. |
| Hundreds of UNC Chapel Hill faculty decry board, lawmaker 'overreach' | |
 | Hundreds of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty members are speaking out against right-leaning proposals from their governing boards and, now, the state General Assembly. It's reminiscent of faculty objections to legislative and other proposals to diminish tenure and target diversity, equity and inclusion in Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Since January, Chapel Hill faculty members have raised concerns over their flagship campus leaders' proposed School of Civic Life and Leadership. David Boliek, chairman of the campus's Board of Trustees, called the initiative "an effort to try to remedy" what he called a lack of "right-of-center views" on campus. The broader UNC system's Board of Governors, appointed by the Republican-majority General Assembly, has also been accused of politically motivated decisions. And House Bill 715, currently in the General Assembly, would say faculty hired after July 1, 2024, in the UNC system or at North Carolina community college can't receive tenure. Further, faculty have accused House Bill 96, the NC REACH Act, of being an overreach. This North Carolina Reclaiming College Education on America's Constitutional Heritage Act would require UNC system students who want bachelor's degrees and community college students who want associate degrees to pass a course that requires them to read six documents, including the U.S. and North Carolina Constitutions, in their entirety, plus five Federalist Papers essays. The legislation says the final exam would be "on the principles in the documents" and be worth at least a fifth of the final grade. |
| Students demand more transparency when threats strike campus | |
| University of Pittsburgh sophomore Zach Shafer was working on his thermodynamics homework late on the evening of April 10 when police suddenly swarmed the Hillman Library and ordered students to evacuate. Shafer, sitting in view of the library's front doors, was one of the first students out, leaving behind his laptop, textbooks and headphones -- everything but his phone. "It was basically a stampede towards the entrance," he said. He didn't know it at the time, but the city of Pittsburgh police had received three calls about a shooting at the library -- calls with the sound of gunshots playing in the background. Officers discovered there was no shooting; the calls had been a hoax, part of a phenomenon known as swatting, in which phony threats are made in an attempt to elicit a SWAT team response. Numerous universities across the country dealt with swatting attacks in March and April. But details of the incident took a while to reach students. Universities are required to send a "timely warning" to students when there is a serious or ongoing threat on campus, according to the Clery Act, a federal law that requires institutions to disclose information about crime on campus. However, the law does not detail how soon after the university becomes aware of a threat it is required to put out a notification. Nor does it explicitly account for the possibility that the threat might be a hoax. This can make communications during swatting situations -- and other campus threats -- complicated for universities. |
| Biden's student loan help would be 'annihilated' by GOP bill | |
| President Joe Biden's student loan agenda would be all but obliterated by the U.S. debt legislation passed by House Republicans, dooming his mass cancellation s, scrapping a more generous loan repayment option and permanently barring future regulation around student debt. Republicans see it as a victory for taxpayers. Democrats say it would hurt the economy and block college students who need financial aid. The GOP bill would cancel both of Biden's marquee student debt proposals: a one-time cancellation of up to $20,000 for more than 40 million Americans, and an updated loan repayment plan that could slash monthly payments for millions. It would also lift a pause on federal student loan payments, forcing borrowers into repayment sooner than planned. On the House floor Wednesday, Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx, chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, said Biden's plan for student debt was an obvious target as the government reins in spending. With an estimated cost of more than $500 billion, Biden's student debt plan is a "backdoor" attempt to provide free college on "the backs of blue-collar Americans," said Foxx, of North Carolina. |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs Set To Honor Seniors In Final Home Series | |
| Mississippi State will host No. 20 Kentucky in its final home series of the regular season on April 28-30 at Nusz Park. The Bulldogs will honor their seniors before Saturday's 4 p.m. CT first pitch on SEC Network. In addition, those student-athletes who will graduate in May will be recognized in a pregame ceremony with Dr. Mark E. Keenum on Friday night. Sunday is Samoan Day, honoring the heritage of Chloe Malau'ulu, Matalasi Faapito, Leilani Pulemau, Kiarra Sells and head coach Samantha Ricketts. Joining Malau'ulu in senior festivities will be Shea Moreno, Anna Kate Segars, Grace Fagan and Jackie McKenna. The Bulldogs and Wildcats have an even series, and it is MSU's only even series in the SEC. In Kentucky's last visit to Starkville, MSU won two out of three games in the series in 2017. The Wildcats boasts the longest-tenured full-time coaching staff in the conference with no changes to Rachel Lawson's assistants in 12 years. MSU will play at Samford on May 4 at 4 p.m. CT before heading to Auburn on May 5-7 for its final SEC and regular-season weekend. |
| Chloe Malau'ulu will play last home game on 'Samoan Day' | |
| On the eve of her final home softball series, Mississippi State senior Chloe Malau'ulu began counting the family members that will be in attendance to watch her one more time at Nusz Park. The only problem was she quickly ran out of fingers. There's going to be mom, dad, her four young siblings. Two grandparents, too. Can't forget uncles, aunties, cousins. Plus uncles that aren't really uncles, cousins that aren't really cousins, as is the case in many Samoan families. In total, there will be a big enough traveling party to probably fill up an entire section this weekend when the Bulldogs host No. 20 Kentucky. Malau'ulu, however, knows her family too well. None of her, let's just say 40, supporters will be sitting during any of the weekend's three games. "They are definitely going to all be out there," Malau'ulu said gesturing to the fence and outfield that she has patrolled for the last four seasons. It will be memorable for Malau'ulu, who ranks third in program history for outfield assists with 15, to patrol her normal left field position for one final weekend in Starkville. Even more so that she will play her last game in Starkville on Sunday's "Samoan Day." "That makes it a little more special," she said. |
| MSU's Emmanuel Forbes Jr. selected by Commanders in first round of NFL Draft | |
| For the second straight year Mississippi State football has produced a first round NFL Draft pick. Emmanuel Forbes Jr., a former MSU cornerback, was selected during Thursday night's first round by the Washington Commanders with the 16th overall pick, becoming the 16th first round pick in program history and second in back-to-back years, following Charles Cross, who was selected ninth by the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. Forbes, from Grenada, Mississippi, played three seasons for the Bulldogs, making a name for himself as a turnover machine in the secondary. In his career, Forbes recorded 14 interceptions and six touchdowns, which is tied for an FBS record. Three came in his 2020 true-freshman season and three last year. He also added 142 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 34 pass deflections, one sack and forced one fumble. In 2020, Forbes was named an All-Southeastern Conference freshman, and was an Associated Press Second-Team All-America last season. It didn't take long for Forbes, who made nine starts as a freshman, to make an impact for the Bulldogs, recording an interception in his collegiate debut against LSU and finishing the year with five interceptions, the most among true freshmen that season. |
| Commanders draft Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes with 16th pick | |
| The Washington Commanders selected Emmanuel Forbes, a cornerback out of Mississippi State, with the 16th pick in the draft Thursday, adding more youth and speed to a secondary that has transformed in recent years. Forbes is the first corner Washington has drafted in the first round since 2005, when it selected Carlos Rogers out of Auburn at No. 9. He's also one of the lightest. At 6-foot-1, he weighed only 166 pounds at the NFL combine, putting him among the lightest corners in draft history. "They didn't have a problem with it," Forbes said. "That's why they drafted me. ... I can play ball. That's all that matters." He's right. Commanders General Manager Martin Mayhew described Forbes a "difference-maker" and "game changer" and said he had been on the team's radar since the start of its pre-draft evaluations. "I think people throw around the term ballhawk loosely, but this guy really is that," Mayhew said Thursday night. "... He's one of my favorite guys in this draft." He's one of Ron Rivera's favorites, too. In a video, filmed before the draft and posted to the team's Twitter account Thursday night, the Commanders coach said: "The big thing for us is if Emmanuel Forbes is sitting there, it's an opportunity for us to get our guy -- one of the guys we really highly covet right now." |
| Mississippi State football's Emmanuel Forbes: Washington Commanders not worried by weight | |
| Moments after hearing his named called in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Mississippi State football cornerback Emmanuel Forbes met with reporters. In his first press conference, albeit virtual, since the Washington Commanders took his with the 16th overall pick Thursday, Forbes exuded the same confidence he did as a college star. It didn't take long for questions surrounding his weight of 166 pounds to arise. As has been the case through the draft process, Forbes showed little concern about the worry surrounding his pre-draft stock. "Weight is going to come over time," Forbes said. "I'm not going to stress about it. They didn't have a problem with it. That's why they drafted me." Forbes was the lightest cornerback in the class, though he remained a first-round pick in most mock drafts. However, not many had him picked in the teens – in large part to the worry about his size translating to the NFL. The FBS all-time leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns (six) will have a chance to prove doubters wrong in the nation's capital. "They didn't care too much about my weight because I could play ball," Forbes said. "That's all that matters. It never affected my game. It really didn't play a factor." |
| No. 24 Tennessee hits walk-off home run to beat MSU baseball | |
| It was Mississippi State baseball's turn Thursday night to complete a crazy comeback. It still wasn't enough to pull off an upset. Once down 7-1 in their series opener at No. 24 Tennessee, the Bulldogs scored six unanswered runs, capped by a ninth-inning homer by Hunter Hines to tie the game, only for Tennessee's Griffin Merritt to hit a walk-off home run off of KC Hunt in the bottom of the ninth to win, 8-7. Hunt was in his second inning of work after relieving Tyler Davis in the eighth and getting the final out of the inning. Thursday marked the second consecutive Southeastern Conference game MSU (24-18, 6-13 SEC) lost on a walk-off, after losing last Sunday's game at Auburn. MSU's bats came alive in the sixth inning after starting the game 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, when Slate Alford began the rally with a two-run home run. Colton Ledbetter followed it up with a solo shot in the seventh, then Luke Hancock hit a two-RBI double to get the Bulldogs within a run, before Hines tied the game. MSU had a chance to open the game with a big first inning, loading the bases with no outs, only to get one run out of it on a Dakota Jordan infield single. |
| Mississippi State Set To Host Annual Maroon & White Invite Friday and Saturday | |
| The Mississippi State track and field team will host its annual Maroon & White Invite on Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29, at the Mike Sanders Track Complex. The program will honor its seniors on Saturday afternoon at approximately 3:45 p.m. The event will feature 12 teams from the surrounding area. The field events will get things start at 9:30 a.m. with the women's Hammer Throw on Friday, while the women's Pole Vault will open the event on Saturday at 11 a.m. The first running event on Friday will be the women's 800m Invite, with running events starting at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday with the women's 4x100m relay. The track and field program will honor its seniors on Saturday at approximately 3:45 p.m. Those being honored include: Zoe Brito-Babapulle, Tyriq Horsford, Trent Zelden, Reese Dunne, Omari Hammond, Mary Beth Woodward, Maddy Kish, Kethlin Campbell, Jhordyn Stallworth, Jenna Oetting, Jada Grant, Helen Claire Edmonds, Emma Hunt, Daniel Pepper, Asia Poe, Tony Jones, Anthony Brodie. Admission is free to everyone who wants to attend the meet. |
| Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum begins renovation project | |
| In the coming months, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum will look a bit different. On Thursday, the museum, and its Board of Directors, held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $3.5 million renovation project that will upgrade the building's lobby, gift shop, exterior, and plaza. Funding for the project comes from Legislative HB 1730 from 2020 and HB 1353 from 2022. This renovation will be the first major project in the 26-year history of the museum. "This well give us a reason to get people to come in, maybe for the first time, and see how we honor the athletic greats, and educate the kids," said Bill Blackwell, the Executive Director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. "It's time that we get that updated." Renovations are scheduled to begin in the next few weeks, and expected to take around 12 months to complete. During the renovation construction, the Museum will remain open and accessible to visitors as many days as possible. |
| Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoes sweeping NIL bill | |
| Oklahoma's transformative name, image and likeness bill has been vetoed by Gov. Kevin Stitt. In an unexpected move that surprised a number of local political and national NIL observers, Stitt announced Thursday he was rejecting Senate Bill 840. The bill would have radically "leveled the playing field" for Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and other local colleges when recruiting and retaining student-athletes who also want to capitalize off NIL. In early April, the Oklahoma House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bill. Then last week, the bill breezed through the Oklahoma Senate with a vote of 29-12. Along with snubbing the NIL legislation, Stitt also vetoed 23 other bills. The governor said in a statement that he will "will continue to veto any and all legislation authorized by Senators who have not stood with the people of Oklahoma" and support his agenda to focus on tax cuts and education reform. "Oklahomans elected me to advocate on their behalf and fight for the taxpayer," Stitt's statement said. "I take this responsibility seriously. So, I cannot, in good faith, allow another year to go by without cutting taxes and reforming education, both of which we can absolutely afford with our $1.2 billion surplus and over $6 billion in savings. Therefore, until the people of Oklahoma have a tax cut, until every teacher in the state gets the pay raise they deserve until parents get a tax credit to send their child to the school of their choice, I am vetoing this unrelated policy and will continue to veto any and all legislation authored by Senators who have not stood with the people of Oklahoma and supported this plan." |
| End of a Golden Flake era: Birmingham factory closing leaves warm memories of hot chips | |
 | For generations of children, school field trips to the Golden Flake potato chip factory in Birmingham were a rite of passage. Sampling the warm potato chips fresh out of the fryer is an olfactory and taste sensation lost on the current and next generation of school children. "It was a big deal," said Julie McLaughlin, who was director of marketing for Golden Flake from 1987-2014. "They had waiting lists. You would have to sign up three or four months in advance. It was a good little tour. It took about 30 minutes. Then we caught hot potato chips coming out of the cooker. There's nothing like a hot potato chip." Utz Brands announced this week it's closing the company's Golden Flake Birmingham manufacturing facility in July. The school tours already ended a few years ago, after Utz Quality Foods, based in Hanover, Penn., purchased Golden Enterprises, Golden Flake's parent company, in 2016 for $141 million. When the Birmingham factory closes, it will be the end of the golden era of Golden Flake, although Utz will still sell products under the Golden Flake brand. "It's disappointing," said Steadman Shealy, a former Crimson Tide quarterback who co-hosted the final season of the Bear Bryant Show sponsored by Golden Flake, and is now an attorney in Dothan. "They were just a great partner with Alabama and Coach Bryant," Shealy said. "They were just a part of the team, we felt like. To me, Golden Flake is synonymous with Alabama and Coach Bryant." From 1960 through 1982, Golden Flake sponsored the weekly "Bear Bryant Show" on Birmingham television every Sunday with Coca-Cola as co-sponsor, and the slogan, "Great Pair, says The Bear." The show was legendary, and the chips followed suit. |
| Stetson Bennett Faces a Long Wait at the NFL Draft | |
| Over the last couple of years, there has been exactly one name from college football that even people who don't pay attention to the sport have heard over and over: Stetson Bennett IV. The former University of Georgia walk-on, who left to play at a junior college and returned to lead the Bulldogs to consecutive national championships, followed one of the most improbable career arcs in college football history. Bennett won't have to pay for a meal at Weaver D's in Athens, Ga., ever again. Bennett defied the odds over and over again by conquering college football. But his stature in this NFL draft reflects the lack of confidence that he can repeat those same types of heroics in the pros. When the draft began Thursday, commissioner Roger Goodell announced the selection of three quarterbacks in the first round's first four picks. None of them were Bennett, and that wasn't unexpected. Most projections have him being selected on Saturday, when the final rounds take place. Players forecast that late also face the risk of going undrafted entirely. The divide between Bennett's collegiate success and his position on draft boards embodies how NFL teams value potential over production. It's not abnormal for national-championship winning quarterbacks to become afterthoughts at the next level because their success is judged to be the product of overwhelmingly talented teammates. And factors like Bennett's lack of wow-inducing physical tools, which made his rise at Georgia so magical, now count as strikes against him. |
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