| Thursday, May 11, 2023 |
| MSU hosts 2nd Athlete Engineering Summit at EMCC Communiversity | |
 | Mississippi State hosted its second Athlete Engineering Summit at the Communiversity on Wednesday. Experts addressed human performance issues across different areas such as sports, military, industries, and medical applications. The panel kicked off its first discussion on ways different industries can learn from each other to become more efficient. "Most industries have already solved these human performance problems and so if they don't know how to talk to each other you have a lot of different sectors taking time to solve the same problems. A lot of people assume the sports sector has it all figured out and they likely have but for sports, so not everything translates to sports, to industries, to tactical, to the at-risk, the telehealth, and telerehab. There are a lot of discrepancies between them but it's still the same interest of having happy, healthy, productive workers, or employees, or athletes," said Reuben Burch, Athletic Engineering Director. The event will continue into Thursday, and one industry is expected to announce a new research partnership. |
| Kemp's ridley sea turtles released off coast of Pass Christian | |
 | On Wednesday, the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies of Gulfport and representatives from the Mississippi State University veterinarian program helped release four Kemp's ridley sea turtles into the Gulf of Mexico. The endangered sea turtles, which were released off the coast of Pass Christian, were originally found ill with pneumonia in Massachusetts where they were placed under recovery and shipped to several different facilities such as IMMS for long-term rehabilitation care. "All four sea turtles came from Massachusetts in December of 2022, and this was as a massive event they have every single year transferring sea turtles down south," IMMS stranding coordinator Theresa Madrigal explained. Madrigal expressed appreciation for the partnership between IMMS and MSU as well as the on-site veterinarians who help in preparing for the release. |
| MSU Extension economist to share marketing tips at Chamber Luncheon | |
 | Dr. James Barnes, Associate Professor and Economist with Mississippi State University Extension Office, will be the guest speaker at the Southaven Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Luncheon on May 17 at the Landers Center. Dr. Barnes is the author of the book "5 Social Media Mistakes Your Business Should Avoid," and host of the podcast called Bricks to Clicks. The Bricks to Clicks program helps business owners develop a social media marketing plan and how to put it into action through enhancing or creating a Facebook page and other webpage and mobile apps to help interact and attract customers using technology. Dr. Barnes teaches an online interactive business course called "Master Your Marketing." Enrollment is open now through June 2. Email info@southavenchamber.com for more information about this business course. The luncheon is sponsored by presenting sponsor Bank 3. DeSoto Athletic Club (DAC) is also a sponsor of the luncheon, among many other local businesses. |
| Laura Hipp, Mississippi Development Authority's Deputy Executive Director | |
| Keeping the cogs and wheels and internal and external parts of the Mississippi economy greased and rolling forward is an immense job for anyone. Laura Hipp, Mississippi Development Authority's deputy executive director tackles it all with gumption, fire and a smile grounded in knowledge of how to get things done and surrounds herself with those who do as well. The native Texan was named interim director by Governor Tate Reeves back in 2021 after the previous director resigned. Hipp had served as Reeves' communication director when he was Lieutenant Governor and also worked for former Governor Haley Barbour as communications director. She received a journalism degree from Texas Tech University and then spent time as a political reporter for the Clarion Ledger in Jackson before returning to Texas to work at the Austin Business Journal. Her career at the Clarion Ledger, however, taught her the ins and outs of Jackson and Mississippi politics. Now, as head of the state's lead economic and community development agency, Hipp has a staff of 200 or so employees that stay busy promoting the state in order to recruit potential businesses and expand existing industry while also working to retain in-state talent. She also promotes her home-away-from-home as a top-notch tourism locale. Still a passionate Red Raider, she added a maroon hue to her transcripts upon acquiring a Master's of Public Policy degree from Mississippi State University. "I worked for Governor Barbour in his press office, and I worked there the last three years of his term. That was a whole other degree in public policy. I went to Mississippi State while I was doing that, but it was quite an experience working for him." |
| Downtown water, sewer upgrades starting this month | |
 | A $2.5 million project to upgrade downtown water and sewer lines will soon be underway. The first phase to replace undersized water-lines with 12-inch lines will begin on May 24. Mary Williams, capital project manager for Starkville Utilities, said the upgrades will help to support Main Street in the future and lay the groundwork for the upcoming Main Street redesign streetscape project. "With installing those newer materials, we will be able to increase that service downtown," Williams said. "When you have the older, smaller system, you're kind of limited with what you can do. But by putting in modern materials ... you're able to provide better service." The project is under contract with DNA Underground and will include three phases of water upgrades and three phases of sewer upgrades over the next few months. Starkville Utilities has created a tentative schedule for the work, which has been shared with the Main Street Association. The city plans to use American Rescue Plan Act funds -- evenly split between the city's allotment and a state match -- to cover the costs. Jeremy Murdock, chairman for the Main Street Association, said the group has been working to keep Main Street businesses informed on the work schedule, which included informative meetings for concerned business owners. "We see our role being mainly communication," Murdock said. "Communication between our Main Street members and downtown businesses to the city and Starkville Utilities and the other way as well." |
| Ochsner to lay off 770 employees across Louisiana, Mississippi as health care costs soar | |
 | Ochsner Health, the state's largest hospital system and one of its largest private employers, plans to lay off 770 employees across its 42 hospitals and more than 200 urgent care and health centers in Louisiana and Mississippi. The layoffs, which are the largest in Ochsner's history, represent 2% of the system's 38,000-person workforce. The cuts will not affect doctors, nurses and other patient-facing staff, according to Ochsner CEO Pete November. Employees in management, administrative jobs and clerical positions will see the bulk of the cuts, which will be spread evenly across the institution's facilities in both states. Ochsner is not closing or consolidating any of its facilities, which are concentrated in New Orleans and include Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The cuts, which are expected to save the system between $125 million and $150 million a year, come amid skyrocketing health care costs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and on the heels of Ochsner's first unprofitable year in more than a decade. November notified employees of the pending layoffs in a companywide email Thursday morning. "This is not a decision our executive leadership team takes lightly or one we ever wanted to make," the email said. "It is the hardest change we have ever had to make at Ochsner, but one we must to ensure we continue to be a strong organization." The layoffs at Ochsner are happening at the same time that it is struggling to find nurses and other medical staff. The system currently has some 800 unfilled nursing positions, which November said has increased the cost of providing patient care. |
| Mississippi governor's race sees record fundraising totals thru April | |
 | Both party's leading candidates for governor have announced record-setting fundraising totals in their April filings, with Republican incumbent Tate Reeves leading the way. Last week, Democrat Brandon Presley announced that he had raised $1.35 million between January and April, more than any Democrat has ever raised in the state in that period. Then, Wednesday, the Reeves campaign announced it had raised a slightly larger amount in that time, more than $1.7 million. That said, Reeves' announcement also pointed to a significant war-chest of more than $9 million dwarfing that of Presley and any other candidate in the race. "I'm humbled by the strong show of support from Mississippians in every region of our state," Reeves said in a statement. More than 92% of all contributors to the Reeves campaign live in Mississippi, accounting for more than 88% of the funds he's raised, according to a news release from Reeves Campaign Manager Elliott Husbands. On the other side, the Presley campaign noted its own strong standing compared to previous Democratic candidates. Jim Hood, who came within 45,000 votes of Reeves in the 2019 election, raised $755,000 during the January-April reporting period. In 2003, then-incumbent Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove raised $837,696 in the same reporting period. |
| Mississippi ex-governor threatens to sue news site over welfare fraud comments | |
 | Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant gave notice Wednesday that he will sue a news organization unless it apologizes for statements he said some of its employees made about him in connection to misspending of welfare money that was intended to help some of the poorest people in the U.S. A reporter for the nonprofit online publication, Mississippi Today, won a Pulitzer Prize this week for her coverage of the case. According to Bryant, Mississippi Today CEO Mary Margaret White made a "false and defamatory" statement about him when she spoke at a media conference in February. The letter also said Mississippi Today executive editor Adam Ganucheau and the reporter who won the Pulitzer Prize, Anna Wolfe, falsely claimed in a podcast that Mississippi Today employees "had never stated that former-Governor Bryant had committed a crime." Henry Laird, an attorney representing Mississippi Today, said in a statement Wednesday: "We have received the demand for retraction from Gov. Bryant's attorney. We're reviewing it carefully so that we can reply to that demand as quickly as possible." |
| Phil Bryant sends notice of intent to sue Mississippi Today for defamation | |
| On Monday, Mississippi Today staff received word that reporter Anna Wolfe had won a Pulitzer Prize. The Pulitzer Prize Board said the award was for "revealing how a former Mississippi governor used his office to steer millions of state welfare dollars to benefit his family and friends, including NFL quarterback Brett Favre." On Wednesday, the outlet received a different kind of notice. The "former Mississippi governor," Phil Bryant, sent a letter giving Mississippi Today notice of his intent to file a defamation lawsuit. The claim of defamation reflected in the letter is largely rooted in statements made by Mississippi Today CEO Mary Margaret White at a conference hosted by the Knight Foundation. While speaking on a panel, White boasted, "we're the newsroom that broke the story about $77 million in welfare funds intended for the poorest people in the poorest state in the nation being embezzled by a former governor and his bureaucratic cronies." Bryant now claims this statement was defamatory. To understand the merit of Bryant's position, one must understand what embezzlement is and what constitutes defamation. |
| AG's office files appeal in public funds to private schools lawsuit | |
| The Mississippi Attorney General's Office has filed its appeal in a lawsuit about public money being allocated to private schools, echoing their arguments from earlier in the process. The Legislature gave $10 million to a grant program for private schools at the end of the 2022 legislative session, a move that frustrated some advocates and legislators. The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which gave the Mississippi Legislature $1.8 billion to spend on pandemic response, government services, and infrastructure improvements to water, sewer, and broadband. The Mississippi chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Democracy Forward, and the Mississippi Center for Justice brought a lawsuit challenging this allocation on behalf of Parents for Public Schools, a Jackson-based national nonprofit. The decision, which a Hinds County judge handed down in October 2022, found that the allocation violated section 208 of the Mississippi Constitution, which prohibits giving any public funds to private schools. With this decision, the state was barred from distributing the money. Legislators re-allocated the $10 million in the 2023 legislative session in case the appeal prevails. The attorney general's office raised one new point in its appeal, saying Section 208 only applies to state educational funds. As this money came from federal COVID relief, it is not subject to these restrictions. |
| 'Affront to democracy': Concern about appointing Mississippi judges where most are elected | |
| Three residents of Mississippi's capital city testified Wednesday that their rights as citizens are undermined by a new state law that would create a court inside Jackson with judges who are appointed because the state constitution requires most judges to be elected. "It is an affront to democracy," Ann Saunders said. She and the other two residents -- Sabreen Sharrief and Dorothy Triplett -- are the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Mississippi Center for Justice, the ACLU of Mississippi and the MacArthur Justice Center. The lawsuit is one of two that challenge laws Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed April 21. The laws will expand state policing in the capital city of Jackson, establish a court with an appointed judge and authorize four appointed judges to work alongside the four elected circuit court judges in Hinds County, which is home to Jackson. Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas conducted a hearing Wednesday to consider a request for an order to temporarily block the creation of the new court in a portion of Jackson designated as the Capitol Complex Improvement District. Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph is asking to be dismissed as a defendant in the lawsuit, and Thomas said he is also considering that request. Thomas said he expects to issue rulings within days. |
| First hearing held on court challenge to controversial House Bill 1020, set to become law | |
| The first public court appearances took place Wednesday in a challenge to House Bill 1020, the controversial Jackson courts and police bill which is set to become law July 1, with Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Dewayne Thomas calling it the most important case he's considered in a legal career that has stretched more than 40 years. Prior to being elected to the chancery court in 2006, Thomas was an attorney. He also served as a member of the legislature from 1984 to 1992. "I'm treating this like it's the most important case I've ever had to decide as a lawyer or as a judge. And it is important to know that. It's important to the plaintiffs to know that and to the state. In the 17 years I've been here, I consider this, and I've always taken everything seriously, but this is probably the most serious case I've ever had," Thomas said. "Please rest assured that I have gone through all of the material that you have submitted, prior to yesterday, at least 10 to 15 times, and I have read every case you've submitted that I thought was pertinent, every statute that's important, plus our 1890 Constitution, I've gotten more familiar with it now than I ever have." |
| Leaders work toward solutions during Mississippi Public Safety Summit | |
| Law enforcement agencies from all corners of the Magnolia State met in Flowood for the inaugural Mississippi Public Safety Summit. The summit, hosted by Governor Tate Reeves, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, and Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell, focused on strategies for police entities throughout the state to improve their communication with one another so that they can work together to fight crime. Officers in attendance heard from keynote speakers Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard, former command master chief of SEAL Team Six Dave Cooper, Delta State University Professor Dr. Kent Wessinger, and FBI special agent Bradley Hentschel. The speakers gave attendees insight on leadership training, communication, and how to work as a collective unit to benefit the state as a whole, especially when addressing difficult topics such as human trafficking and the opioid crisis. Further, DPS Commissioner Sean Tindell stated that a unified approach to how officers respond to situations in which a civilian is recording his or her every move during a traffic stop, arrest, etc. is essential due to the uptick in police encounters with subjects that are displayed on social media. "Now we're expecting law enforcement officers to not only do their job as a law enforcement officer, but they have to be marriage and therapy counselors, mental health professionals, constitutional scholars, and so there is so much more pressure put on them and we need to provide better training in that aspect," Tindell said on The Gallo Show. |
| Supreme Court upholds California law on humane pork sales | |
 | The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld California's right to block the sale of pork in the state unless producers abide by more humane regulations on the treatment of pregnant sows. The decision touched on constitutional issues of interstate trade and splintered the justices outside of their usual liberal-conservative blocs. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, writing the majority in what boiled down to a 5-4 decision, rejected what he called a request by pork producers for the court to "fashion two new and more aggressive constitutional restrictions on the ability of States to regulate goods sold within their borders." "While the Constitution addresses many weighty issues, the type of pork chops California merchants may sell is not on that list," Gorsuch wrote for a majority that included Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr., Brett M. Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson would have kept the case involving California's humane pork production laws alive but sent it back to a lower court for more work. The National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation say such a measure violates the Constitution's restraints on the authority of states to regulate industry beyond their borders. Because of California's huge market share, the organizations say, pork producers elsewhere would be required to abide by the state's restrictions. Farmers from the Midwest and South say they would suffer due to the incredible costs that California's regulations would impose on the companies that produce pork. Californians consume 13 percent of the nation's pork, with 99.9 percent of that meat produced beyond the state's borders. |
| Biden, Agriculture committee leaders to discuss farm bill goals | |
 | The top four farm bill writers and President Joe Biden will meet Thursday to discuss the legislation amid concerns that an impasse in debt ceiling negotiations between the White House and House Republicans could slow progress on the wide-ranging policy bill for agriculture. Uncertainty over the debt ceiling led House Armed Services Chairman Mike D. Rogers, R-Ala., on Tuesday to indefinitely delay a markup of the fiscal 2024 defense authorization bill. Subcommittees had planned to mark up their sections of the bill Thursday and Friday. House Agriculture Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., and ranking member David Scott, D-Ga., and Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and ranking member John Boozman, R-Ark., are scheduled to attend the White House discussion. Stabenow said the main goal of the meeting of the "four corners," as the committee leaders are called, is to "have a broader discussion about the farm bill and all the implications for it." The discussions will "demonstrate we are working together in a bipartisan way," Stabenow said. Boozman also said it was important to get a sense of what Biden wants in a farm bill. He said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is expected to attend the meeting. Boozman said he didn't think there will be much focus on the debt ceiling talks and implications for the farm bill. |
| A Republican-Led Lawsuit Threatens Critical US Cyber Protections | |
 | The Biden administration's push to tighten the cybersecurity of US critical infrastructure has drawn its first major lawsuit, sparking a court battle that could weaken the federal government's ability to protect the facilities and devices that underpin American life. The stakes of the lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Arkansas, Iowa, and Missouri -- who are seeking to invalidate a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirement for states to assess water systems' cybersecurity practices during routine inspections -- reach beyond Americans' tap water. Other agencies are paying close attention as they craft rules for hospitals, emergency broadcast systems, and other vital infrastructure. The EPA case highlights the vulnerability of Biden's strategy of issuing cyber regulations without explicit congressional authorization, a weakness already evident in legal challenges to White House policies like student loan forgiveness. The lawsuit could presage new efforts by Republican-led states and business groups to undermine regulations intended to prevent hackers from sowing chaos. The legal morass also underscores the need for the US to settle long-running disagreements about the role of the government in safeguarding privately owned infrastructure. "There's a debate that we're going to have to work through as a country over how much regulation is enough and whether you should be regulated at all," says James Lewis, senior vice president and director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "In some ways, we dodged the debate, and now it's come home for us to look at." |
| Cable carnage: Trump turns CNN town hall into televised combat | |
 | Former president Donald Trump refused to say he had lost the 2020 presidential election and defended his actions on Jan. 6 during a town hall event in New Hampshire on Wednesday night. In what became an hour-long form of television combat on a variety of issues, Trump received routine applause from the Republican and Republican-leaning crowd, including over his dismissal of a recent verdict that found him guilty of sexual assault. He did not flinch when asked by the moderator, CNN's Kaitlan Collins, if he owed his one-time VP Mike Pence an apology for the riot he helped incite while Pence was at the capitol. He later said he was inclined to pardon a "large portion" of the Jan. 6 rioters. Trump said congressional Republicans should be open to the idea of the government defaulting as an outcome of the current debt ceiling fight. "We might as well do it now because you'll do it later because we have to save this country. our country is dying," he said. When Collins noted that Trump had said that as president it was wrong for Democrats to use the prospect of default as a negotiating tactic, he responded that he had said that "when I was president." "So why is it different now?" Collins asked. "Because I'm not president," Trump shot back. |
| Hutchinson: Don't dismiss Trump civil case verdict | |
| Asa Hutchinson, former Arkansas governor and current Republican presidential candidate, said the public should not "lightly dismiss" a New York jury's verdict finding former President Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse. Hutchinson's comments Tuesday evening stem from a jury's decision that found Trump responsible for sexually abusing columnist E. Jean Carroll. The nine jurors additionally found Trump liable for defaming Carroll in denying her claims. Speaking to CNN's Erin Burnett, Hutchinson described the verdict as a "significant event." "I've practiced law for many years, I've been in the courtroom, and I give respect to what juries find," he said. "By and large, they get it right." Hutchinson called the verdict the byproduct of a functional justice system, referencing the jury's speed in reaching a verdict. "What's remarkable about the United States of America is our rule of law and our justice system. It's the envy of the world," he said. "We can't have leaders that undermine it and disrespect it. And here, it worked." Hutchinson has not shied from criticizing Trump, who remains the dominant figure among Republicans. The former governor has argued Trump's support of unproven claims regarding the 2020 election and the ensuing Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol should disqualify Trump from a second White House tenure. |
| 'Now or never': Migrants rush to US border ahead of Title 42 expiration | |
| Migrants rushed across the border hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions were to expire Thursday, fearing that new policies would make it far more difficult to gain entry into the United States. In a move to clear out overwhelmed holding facilities, Border Patrol agents were told Wednesday to begin releasing some migrants with instructions to appear at an immigration office in the United States within 60 days, according to a U.S. official. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and provided information to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The Biden administration has been unveiling measures to replace Title 42, which suspended rights to seek asylum since March 2020 on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. On Wednesday, the Homeland Security Department announced a rule to make it extremely difficult for anyone who travels through another country, like Mexico, to qualify for asylum. It also introduced curfews with GPS tracking for families released in the U.S. before initial asylum screenings. Migrants have strained some U.S. cities over the last year. Denver began seeing well over 100 migrants a day arrive on buses last week, activating an emergency operations center. The city is scrambling for shelter space. "The numbers are overwhelming," said Alan Salazar, chief of staff to Mayor Michael Hancock. |
| As Title 42 Winds Down, Migrant Influx Overwhelms Southern Border | |
 | Title 42, the pandemic-era border measure that for three years has served as a blunt border-enforcement tool for two successive administrations, is set to end on Thursday night. The policy, introduced in March 2020 by former President Donald Trump, allows Border Patrol agents to swiftly expel migrants back to Mexico even if they ask for asylum. Though the policy has in some ways resulted in increasing illegal border crossings, it still served in the eyes of the Border Patrol and many politicians as a reasonably effective tool to deter asylum seekers. For the past decade, migrants seeking asylum have posed the most complex challenge at the border and it has become one of the most dominant political dilemmas of President Biden's time in office. Republicans and some moderate Democrats have decried Mr. Biden's implementation of it, calling it too lax, and have compared lifting the policy with hanging an "open" sign at the border. Meanwhile, Democrats to Mr. Biden's left have rebuked his continued use of the tool, calling it cruel and xenophobic. Even in the days before its expiration, there was a surge of migrants crossing into the U.S., confused about what shifting border policies would mean for their ability to remain in the country. The Border Patrol made more than 10,000 migrant arrests on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter, rivaling previous daily records. That surge had overwhelmed the Border Patrol, leading agents to release large numbers of migrants into border cities to reduce overcrowding at detention centers, and has sent cities from El Paso, Texas, to New York struggling to prepare for new arrivals. |
| Survive mass shootings with ex-FBI agent's tips: Run. Hide. Fight. | |
 | In the United States, there have been more than 200 mass shootings so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The nonprofit defines a mass shooting as an incident where at least four people are killed or injured. In recent years, these shootings have occurred in places of worship, medical offices, elementary schools and outdoor events. Knowing how to react in an active shooting is now necessary, according to Alex del Carmen, associate dean and professor of criminology at Tarleton State University. "Many Americans are going to experience this at some point in their lives," del Carmen told NPR in a phone interview. "We now have almost an obligation to teach children and family members what to do in these situations." Del Carmen has told his kids since they were little: Have an exit plan. The typical advice? Run. Hide. Fight. Katherine Schweit, a former FBI special agent who wrote Stop the Killing: How to End the Mass Shooting Crisis, created the agency's active shooter program after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. The priority for civilians under fire, Schweit said, should always be to escape. Schweit added that it's important to remember that these types of public mass shootings make up less than 1% of all firearms injuries in the U.S. annually. More people are killed in their homes and neighborhoods than in public venues. "So, though they get a lot of news coverage, they really still are a very rare occurrence," Schweit said. |
| 'They treated us like criminals': UMMC lets go of most instructors for Oxford nursing program | |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center has let go nearly all of the instructors at its Oxford-based accelerated bachelors of science in nursing program, prompting outcry from current and former students who worry this will hurt their chances of passing the national nursing exam. The move, announced last week, came in the middle of the program's one-year cycle. Students received an email on May 1 that described the decision as "difficult" a few hours after five of the program's seven faculty members were informed that UMMC would not renew their contracts this summer. "Please understand these personnel changes are not punitive, rather this restructuring is based on programmatic and student needs," wrote Julie Sanford, the dean of UMMC's School of Nursing, and Leigh Holley, an assistant dean who was one of just two instructors to not be let go. Neither administrator responded to Mississippi Today's requests for comment. Days later, students received even more personnel news: Sanford, who UMMC named dean in 2019, would be leaving for a new position at the University of Alabama's nursing school. One of the five faculty members, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear that UMMC would revoke their remaining month-and-a-half of pay, said she was devastated by the decision and caught completely off guard. She said the only reason they were given is that "it was a business decision." |
| Ole Miss graduates prepare for commencement ceremonies | |
 | Ole Miss graduate students tell us the plans they have post-graduation. This conversation comes up because it is that time of year for graduates to walk the stage and finally say they did it. More than five thousand prospective graduates will gather in Oxford this week leading into the weekend for commencement ceremonies. The speaker for this year's ceremony is Ole Miss alumna Stephanie Hickman who is the president and CEO of Trice Construction Company. Tonight's commencement ceremony will start at 6 for the Sally Mcdonnell Barksdale Honor College. More graduations will happen throughout the week in the city. We caught up with some graduates to see if they have thought about the adult life post graduation. "Hopefully, once I complete my pharmacy program I'll have a well paying job. Um but I am worried about leaving family. I think that'll be a little bit scary. Like you know leaving momma's nest. They do everything for you. They pay your phone bill, your car note. I'll have to take that up on my own so," says Delancey Anderson |
| Edwards honored to represent Tribe through space law scholarship | |
| Tribal member Kara Edwards says it is truly an honor to be chosen for the first Indigenous Space Law Scholarship at Ole Miss and that she is representing the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians on a global scale. "Someone could've been chosen from any other Native American Tribe in the whole world," Edwards said. "There was an Australian student studying in my same field that heard about me through this and we're in contact now. It really is an honor and I wouldn't be here without the Tribe." Edwards grew up in the Standing Pine Community and graduated from Leake Academy, and then Ole Miss. She is finishing her second year of law school at the University and plans to graduate next year. "After I finished my four years at Ole Miss, I took a gap year and worked as an intern for the Tribe's Legal Defense Office, which acts as a public defender's office for Tribal members," Edwards said. "After that, I began law school." Edwards said this scholarship, which she received on April 5, opens a lot of doors for her career. "There's a lot of new upcoming legal issues that arise from this field," she said. "Things like International law covering aviation and space industries, laws covering space exploration, environmental aspects of space and aviation activities, aircraft financing and leasing, and much more. This scholarship will condense my courses next year and make things more manageable." |
| Covington County woman will be 4th generation graduate from USM | |
 | About 2,000 students at the University of Southern Mississippi are scheduled to graduate this week, including a Covington County woman who will be the fourth generation of her family to graduate from USM. Jennifer Lane Domingos is receiving a degree on Friday in interdisciplinary studies. Her great-grandfather, grandfather and father also graduated from USM. She's one of 1,600 students who are earning undergraduate degrees from Southern Miss this week. There are another 400 who are receiving graduate degrees. "This May is exactly 30 years since I graduated from high school and so this feels like a real monumental time in my life, just to be able to have a completion of something that I've been wanting for so long," Domingos said. "It was always my desire to come to and to graduate from USM." Domingos said she'll also seek a masters degree in historic preservation, and perhaps, one day teach at USM. |
| In the latest college president turnover, Rust College's Ivy Taylor is out | |
| The wave of presidential turnover at Mississippi's institutions of higher learning has come to Rust College. The state's oldest historically Black college in Holly Springs announced in a press release Wednesday that Ivy Taylor, who was appointed in June 2020, has left. Though Taylor gave an interview to a local paper last week announcing she was leaving, it's unclear if she stepped down or was fired; the press release does not say. Her last day was May 6. In Taylor's place, the private college's board of trustees named Robert Dixon, the interim vice president for academic affairs, as interim president. He is a physicist who has worked at six historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the last five decades in various administrative roles. The Rust College board hired Taylor, the college's first female president, after an eight-month search and reportedly interviewing more than 70 candidates. A former mayor of Holly Springs said the board focused on finding a president who would prioritize technological investments that could improve the infrastructure and education at Rust College, which was founded in 1866. Editor's note: Ivy Taylor is a member of Mississippi Today's board of directors. |
| UGA students and housing advocates map out evictions in Athens-Clarke County | |
 | For several months, undergraduate geography student Casey Serrano helped sort through hundreds of eviction cases filed in Athens-Clarke County. The court documents could be confusing and jargon heavy, yet through the paperwork, they'd often come across unforgettable remarks. "The most heartbreaking thing you see in an eviction file is that if there's a child in the house when an eviction is carried out, it'll say, 'All property placed in front of the house, except a laptop which was returned to Clarke County School District," they said. "Which means that that child now, one, is definitely not doing their homework that night, and two, has to go to their teacher, their principal, their administrator and say, 'My laptop is gone,' and explain the situation." Serrano, along with around 20 other UGA students and community members, gathered at the Athens-Clarke County Public Library on May 5 to present a massive project series analyzing local eviction data. Through a collaboration between Athens Housing Advocacy Team (AHAT), UGA's Community Mapping Lab and local government officials, UGA students sought to fill a crucial gap in knowledge about the local housing crisis. |
| UF selects 'student success' senior director of academic advising | |
| UF selected Nigel Richardson as the inaugural senior director of academic advising for its recently created UF Student Success department. The decision was announced in an email sent to faculty April 25 from assistant provost for student success Jason Mastrogiovanni, who aided the search committee. The search committee was composed of 16 faculty members and led by Lynn O'Sickey, associate director of the Academic Advising Center. "Many of you expressed the need to have someone who would hit the ground running, take time to make sure everyone is heard and serve as a visionary leader," Mastrogiovanni wrote in the email. "Nigel Richardson was the candidate poised to fulfill that role." The committee selected him from a short list of finalists, including Andrea Evangelist, Santa Fe College director of college-wide advising and career exploration; Sara Ellison, assistant dean of advising at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture and David Dearden, assistant dean of advising and undergraduate education at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Richardson joined the CLAS Academic Advising Center in 2015 and currently serves as the Assistant Director for New Student Transitions. |
| Free speech, racial equity battles play out on Wisconsin campuses | |
| The fight over racial equity and free speech on Wisconsin college campuses is intensifying, mirroring a national battle as Republicans work to close campus diversity offices and demand students and faculty treat conservative speakers with respect. In just the past two weeks, the state's top Republican announced a push to defund the University of Wisconsin System's diversity efforts -- a move the Democratic governor lambasted as ridiculous. A student from UW-Madison posted racial slurs online, triggering bitter protests but no announced discipline. And a state medical college canceled a diversity symposium featuring Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson out of concerns the discussion would be too disruptive, resulting in cries of bias from conservatives. Amid that backdrop, Republican legislative leaders are set to hold a hearing Thursday with only invited speakers to discuss "how the lack of free speech and intellectual diversity on college campuses affects the quality of higher education." The speakers include John Sailer, policy director at the National Association of Scholars, a conservative group that advocates against diversity policies, and Tim Higgins, a former UW regent appointed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker. |
| A Controversial Blog at U. of Iowa Shuts Down. Are Lawmakers to Blame? | |
 | For years, Chris Jones, a research engineer at the University of Iowa, drew attention to the state's poor water quality and the political and commercial forces he saw as enabling its degradation. He did so through a blog, published on the university's uiowa.edu domain. Jones manages the university's network of sensors on rivers and streams that track water-quality data in real time. His writing drew on that and other data sources. But his posts were not dispassionate dispatches of facts and figures. They were infused with Jones's voice -- funny, as well as reproving and provocative. Fear of corn ethanol's downfall, he wrote in February 2022, is causing Iowa politicians "to soil not just our rivers but also their drawers, and start suggesting really, really stupid stuff." Jones's core argument has long been that Iowa's water-pollution problems are solvable, but that the state's powerful agriculture lobby and the policymakers who court its approval resist meaningful solutions at most every turn. "It's not uncommon to hear some variation of 'We're a farm state, get used to it,'" Jones wrote last month. "I reject that. And I think if the state is to have a prosperous future, it needs to be rejected by the masses." That post, with the headline "No Man's Land," was Jones's last on his blog hosted by the university. The day it went live, Jones submitted his notice that he was retiring. His last day is May 16. What happened? It appears that two Republican state senators approached a university-affiliated lobbyist about Jones's blog. They were not pleased. The lobbyist passed that message to Jones's supervisor, who discussed it with Jones. |
| Colleges race to establish satellite campuses in D.C. | |
 | The University of Southern California celebrated the opening of its new campus in Washington, D.C., last month with the kind of fanfare usually reserved for a Trojan football victory. The Spirit of Troy marching band played on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, after which dignitaries and university leaders gathered with hundreds of supporters at the $50 million, 60,000-square-foot Capital Campus in Dupont Circle, just two Metro stops away from Congress and the White House. The "Trojan Embassy," as USC president Carol Folt has called it, represents the latest in a growing list of higher education institutions expanding their presence in D.C. Over 40 U.S. colleges and universities have a physical presence in the nation's capital, ranging from Johns Hopkins University -- which lies just an hour north in Baltimore -- to Pepperdine University, a small Christian institution across the continent in Malibu, Calif. According to the D.C.-based real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle, 17 of those institutions have full satellite campuses in D.C., complete with classrooms and dorms as well as office space and conference rooms for meetings with policy makers and researchers. In total, nonlocal colleges and universities own about a million square feet of real estate in the city, a little more than one-third of the total aboveground exhibit space occupied by the Smithsonian museums. Much of this real estate is used to house or provide meeting spaces for student interns, who flock to the city in droves every semester to gain experience in politics, policy making, research and journalism. But higher ed leaders told Inside Higher Ed that they are increasingly looking to establish or fortify bases for developing relationships with policy makers and grant-writing government offices. |
| Ransomware threat against colleges grows, survey finds | |
| Ransomware attacks targeted the education sector more than any other industry in the last year, with 79% of surveyed higher education institutions across the world reporting being hit, according to an annual report from Sophos, a U.K.-based cybersecurity firm. Of the higher ed institutions that reported ransomware attacks, 59% said it resulted in them losing "a lot of" business and revenue. Around one-fourth, 28%, reported smaller losses. Hackers exploited system vulnerabilities in 4 in 10 higher education ransomware attacks, making them the sector's most common root issue. Compromised credentials caused another 37% of attacks, while malicious emails led to 12% of reported incidents. Sophos' latest survey suggests that ransomware is increasingly targeting colleges and universities. In 2022's report, only 64% of higher education institutions said they had been hit by ransomware in the past year -- 15 percentage points lower than the share who reported incidents in the latest survey. In some cases, hackers are ramping up their efforts to get colleges to pay for the return of their data. |
| Federal Student Aid faces funding challenges | |
| The Office of Federal Student Aid faces a "colossal undertaking" as it prepares to resume student loan payments after an unprecedented three-year pause, and funding constraints could hamper that effort, student loan experts say. Experts and advocates are worried that the agency, without adequate funding, won't be able to provide the necessary support to ensure that millions of borrowers don't end up in default once payments resume. Congress didn't give the agency more money this year, leading to department budget cuts that have student loan servicers cutting call center hours and laying off staff. Those reductions come at a time when experts say more staff are needed. "Without sufficient resources, we know that the students and the borrowers who struggle most bear the brunt of the trade-offs that have to be made," said Sarah Sattelmeyer, project director for education, opportunity and mobility in the higher education initiative at New America, a think tank. Sattelmeyer was one of several experts who spoke on a Pew Charitable Trust panel last week about default and how to fix the student loan system. In addition to restarting student loan payments, Federal Student Aid is overhauling the federal student aid system at Congress's direction, modernizing student loan servicing and revamping a number of debt-relief programs, among other projects. |
| Federal student loan interest rates rise to highest in a decade | |
| The cost of borrowing money from the federal government to pay for college is set to jump to the highest level in at least a decade. The interest rates on new federal student loans will increase by about half a percentage point from their current levels starting July 1 following the Treasury Department's auction on Wednesday of 10-year notes, the government bond to which the rates are tied. The rates are recalculated each year. For new undergraduate student loans, the interest rate will increase from 4.99 percent to 5.5 percent. That's the highest level that most undergraduate borrowers have faced since 2013. Graduate borrowers taking out direct federal loans will see a rate of 7.05 percent, up from the current 6.54 percent. And the interest rates on federal PLUS loans -- both for graduate students or parents paying for their children's education -- will jump to 8.05 percent from the current 7.54 percent. Those are the highest interest rates for graduate and parent borrowers since 2006 when Congress switched direct federal student loans to have fixed rates. |
SPORTS
| Women's Golf Wins 2023 Westfield Regional to Advance to the National Championship | |
| The Bulldogs have made history once again by winning the 2023 Westfield Regional Championship. With exceptional skill and unwavering determination, State was able to capture the regional title for the first time in program history after earning a three-round score of 19-Under Par (845). On the final day of the tournament, the Bulldogs demonstrated their mettle by keeping their composure under pressure. Each player showcased their individual brilliance while remaining united as a team as everyone vied for a spot in the NCAA Championships. Late in the third round, Oregon State propelled their way up the leaderboard after sinking three eagles as a team to take a one-stroke lead on the Bulldogs. After being in a back-and-forth battle down the stretch, the Bulldogs remained up one with two holes left to play. State secured their triumph after Julia Lopez Ramirez birdied the seventeenth hole to create the deciding two-stroke lead. The Bulldogs will return to the course on May 19-24 for the 2023 NCAA National Championship from the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Championship play will be hosted by Arizona State and The Thunderbirds, with the final three days of the championships televised live by the GOLF Channel. |
| Puppy dogs to Bulldogs: Winning formula has MSU men's tennis back in the Sweet 16 | |
| Even at this stage of the year, where one bad afternoon will end its season, the Mississippi State men's tennis team still has time to keep the mood light. "At this point we are just trying to enjoy our matches and it's a pretty good group," junior Nemanja Malesevic said Tuesday afternoon before practice. "We are confident we can win against anyone. We showed that against South Carolina (on March 19), I was joking with the guys that we have never lost to No. 2 in the country, so let's go out there and play our best tennis and see what happens." Two months ago, MSU convincingly defeated then No. 2 South Carolina in a 5-2 home victory. The Bulldogs (21-7) have won six matches since, including both in last weekend's NCAA Tournament regional at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre against Alabama State and Middle Tennessee to advance to Saturday's Sweet 16 round against No. 2 TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. "This is our peak of confidence," freshman Petar Jovanovic said. "We are ready to go out. We trust ourselves, trust each other. I know each of my teammates will give it all." It's no accident Saturday will be MSU's fourth national quarterfinal in the last five tournaments. Under 10-year head coach Matt Roberts, the Bulldogs have successfully found a formula in actively recruiting internationally, then building his guys to playing their best tennis come May. "They come in as puppy dogs and we've got to teach them how to become Bulldogs," Roberts said. |
| SEC Track and Field Outdoor Championships on Deck for Mississippi State | |
| Mississippi State Track & Field will hit the road this week when they head to Baton Rouge, La. to compete in the 2023 SEC Outdoor Championships. The SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will run May 11-13 at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium on the campus of LSU. All three days of the SEC Championship event will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Saturday night's final events being shown live on SEC Network. TV Announcers will be Dwight Stones, Dan O'Brien, Larra Overton and John Anderson. The 2023 Championship will officially get underway at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday when the men's decathlon opens with the 100-meter event followed by the women's heptathlon 100-meter hurdle event. Both the decathlon and heptathlon will conclude on Friday. Thursday's first field event will be the men's hammer throw final at noon with the men's 800-meter prelim starting the running events at 5:30 p.m. Following the SEC Outdoor Championship, the Bulldogs who have earned qualifying marks throughout the season will advance to the NCAA Regional Championships in Jacksonville, Fla. The Regional Championships will run May 24-27. The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held June 7-10 in Austin, Texas. |
| Georgia's Smart says declining invitation for White House visit was not political | |
| Georgia coach Kirby Smart insisted Wednesday there was no political motivation behind the decision for his national championship football team to decline an invitation to visit the White House in June. Instead, Smart says scheduling issues, including a youth camp in June at the Georgia football facility, made it impossible for the Bulldogs to accept the invitation to attend a June 12 event with other college teams at the White House. The event is described by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden as "College Athlete Day." Smart told the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday the inability to accept the invitation is "a tough deal" and added, "Timeline-wise it didn't work." Smart, the former Alabama defensive coordinator, said he enjoyed making White House visits with the Crimson Tide, which he called educational opportunities for his players. He noted those visits usually were scheduled for January, immediately following the season, when players were still on campus. Many players from Georgia's undefeated championship team are now beginning professional careers and in June will be preparing for their first NFL training camp. Smart told the Athens paper his coaches will be busy recruiting and hosting the youth camp in June. |
| Texas A&M announces Jamie Wood hiring in new NIL post | |
 | Former Ohio State compliance director Jamie Wood has been hired to fill Texas A&M's new position of assistant athletics director for name, image and likeness. Wood announced via social media last week that he had been hired, while A&M athletics director Ross Bjork confirmed it in a release Wednesday. "Texas A&M is constantly seeking to stay ahead of the curve in support of our student-athletes and creating a position to oversee the day-to-day activities around our plan and vision for name, image and likeness helps us reach that goal," Bjork said. |
| Florida football: Gatormade program sends players to NYC to learn about different careers | |
| Florida football players learned networking skills while being exposed to different businesses during a GatorMade program trip to New York City over spring break. Florida senior director of player relations Savannah Bailey arranged the trip to continue GatorMade's mission of creating more well-rounded student-athletes to prepare them for life after football. Players toured 10 different corporations, including the NFL Offices, LinkedIn, Louis Vutton and Republic Records. Bailey said players showed the most interest in the music and fashion industries. "Creative talents and most people don't see football players as you know, ultimate creators, but they do," Bailey said. "They have that side to them too, and I think getting to express that a little bit more freely. Use some talents, try some mixing boards, pick colorways." For many of the 15 players, it was their first trip to the Big Apple. Florida receiver Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman was mesmerized by the skyscrapers on the approach into the city before landing. "I felt like I was in a movie or something." Chiaokhiao-Bowman said. Bailey said the best part of the trip was seeing the players' eyes light up. "It's opportunity," Bailey said. "Like most people haven't even traveled for anything other than football. So just to provide the exposure, that's the purpose of the trip and the experience that they have to get out and do something different." |
| Why 'Bear' Bryant might be trending on social media this Mother's Day | |
 | It's become a Mother's Day tradition. Somewhere in the world of social media, folks will begin sharing video of a heart-tugging South Central Bell Co. commercial from the 1970s that features legendary University of Alabama coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant. The 30-second ad ends with Bryant asking viewers if they've called their mothers today. A YouTube video of the Bryant/Bell ad has been viewed more than 300,000 times. Last year, CoachTube.com tweeted the video, garnering 210 retweets and nearly 500 "likes." The ad begins with Bryant, clad in a crimson sweater, hanging up the phone in his office. "One of the first things we tell our players is to keep in touch with their families. And when our freshmen first arrive, we ask them to write a postcard home, right then," Bryant says in a gravelly voice as the camera gradually gets closer. "You know, we keep them pretty busy, but they always have time to pick up the phone and call. And it's really important to keep in touch. "Have you called your mama today? I sure wish I could call mine." Legend has it that Bryant, who died in 1983 at the age of 69, veered away from the script and ad-libbed the last line. |
| As legalized gambling becomes pervasive, NCAA rules against it remain strict with tough penalties | |
| More than 40 athletes from Iowa and Iowa State could be facing discipline from both law enforcement and the NCAA for impermissible online wagering. The NCAA consequences could be far worse than the legal ones. While the penalty for betting on sporting events in the state of Iowa for individuals under the age of 21 is a fine of $645, a college athlete could be sidelined for most of a season because of NCAA rules. Five years since a Supreme Court decision paved the way for states to legalize betting on sporting events, more than half have done so. As legal gambling on games has become pervasive, NCAA rules prohibiting it remain strict and college sports leaders are cautious about dialing them back. Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen said decision-makers should always be open to modernizing NCAA bylaws to reflect changing societal norms. He cited how marijuana-usage rules were relaxed to reflect more permissive laws in recent years. "But the fact that it's legal doesn't mean it should be acceptable if you are a student-athlete," he said. NCAA rules prohibit athletes, coaches and staff from betting on sports in which the NCAA conducts a championship. For example, athletes aren't allowed to legally place bets on NFL or games or pro golf. Even participation in a March Madness bracket pool with stakes is prohibited. College athletes can bet on horse racing where it is legal and gamble in casinos if they are of legal age, but NCAA rules against legal wagering are stricter than most professional leagues. The appetite to ease them might be low. |
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