| Thursday, June 1, 2023 |
| Small businesses encouraged to register by June 2 for MSU's Master Your Marketing course | |
 | This Friday, June 2, is the deadline for small businesses to register for Master Your Marketing, an online course developed by Mississippi State Extension. To help demystify the marketing process, Associate Extension Professor of Agricultural Economics James Barnes leads the course aimed at entrepreneurs seeking to streamline small business marketing strategies, sharpening their marketing focus and engaging customers more effectively. Master Your Marketing is offered online through interactive Zoom sessions and open to small business owners in Mississippi and beyond. The course is modeled around the efficient "Building a StoryBrand" and "Marketing Made Simple" books by best-selling author Donald Miller. "The Master Your Marketing course can fundamentally transform how businesses approach marketing," Barnes said. "We've designed this course to provide effective, actionable and repeatable steps that bring clarity to the often-chaotic marketing world." Comprising four two-hour sessions conducted June 6, 13, 20 and 27, Master Your Marketing is crafted to impart crucial marketing knowledge in a condensed timeframe. After completing the course, business owners can stay connected as members of this online group, potentially enabling them to collectively strengthen their businesses and benefit from a valuable community. Barnes added, "In four weeks, participants will gain insights that can take a year or more to master independently. I aim to equip them with the knowledge and tools to cultivate a growing audience and boost their sales." |
| Hurricane season 2023: Why don't more tropical storms hit West Coast? | |
 | As June 1 -- the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season -- arrives, a familiar sense of dread rolls over millions from Texas to New England who face the frequent threat of hurricanes and tropical storms that wipe out communities, flood homes and knock out power for days. Meanwhile, massive coastal cities up and down the West Coast barely blinked when the Eastern Pacific hurricane season started on May 15. Although plagued with wildfires and earthquake risk, the West Coast enjoys seemingly tranquil seas, even though other parts of the Pacific Ocean aren't so lucky. Mexico regularly gets hit with hurricanes and other parts of the Pacific, including Hawaii, face elevated hurricane risk this year. So why don't residents from San Diego to Seattle also fear hurricanes? And could that change in a world where climate change is disrupting nearly every weather pattern? It turns out sea surface temperatures nearshore and trade winds along the Equator matter, a lot. Calm winds and a cooler water current along California's coast act together to protect the West Coast. Scientists aren't yet sure how human-caused climate change might specifically affect the frequency or intensity of hurricanes that form in the eastern Pacific basin, due to competing weather factors that affect the development of the storms. "Sea surface temperatures are generally rising as the climate warms, which could provide more "fuel" for any hurricanes that do form," said Kim Wood, an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at Mississippi State University. |
| Nanoplastic Ingestion Causes Neurological Deficits | |
 | Microplastics, or plastic particulates measuring less than five micrometers, are a growing environmental concern. These particulates disrupt reproduction, immune cell and microbiome composition in the gut, and neural and endocrine function in aquatic species and laboratory animals. Now, a new study published in Cell Reports suggests that the smaller the plastic, the greater the problem. According to Chao Wang, an immunologist at Soochow University and coauthor of the study, feeding mice nanoplastics induced a greater overall immune response in their guts than feeding mice larger microplastics. This supports previous research showing size-dependent differences in how nanoparticles interact with cells and instigate responses from them. Neurological effects from the ingestion of microplastics have been abundantly documented in marine species as plastic pollution in water ways is an outstanding problem. "I didn't know the enormity -- how big this problem was -- until I started working on it about three years ago," said Ebenezer Nyadjro, an oceanographer at Mississippi State University and data manager at the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), who was not involved with the study. "The long-term effect is if this is not controlled---if we keep dumping plastics into the water bodies, they break down into microplastics; they have an impact on those fisheries; and as studies have shown, they bioaccumulate up to higher organisms and humans -- there will be impacts on us as well." |
| Soft opening shows promise, minor hiccups for Cornerstone | |
 | In a weekend meant to test weaknesses at the $20-million-plus Cornerstone Park, city officials told The Dispatch there were relatively few. After almost three years of delay-riddled construction, the baseball/softball facility off Highway 25 finally delivered its first crack of the bat during a soft opening last weekend, hosting a 29-team baseball tournament. "I received dozens of phone calls saying the complex was great," Starkville Parks and Recreation Director Brandon Doherty said, noting the event drew about 1,200 players and spectators. "We still have some things to work on. Of course, we're always trying to get better, but everyone, probably 95% of people that came out there, really had great things to say about what they were seeing." Mike Narmour, tournament director, described the weekend as successful for the players, but he expressed concerns about the accommodations for guests. "... The parking got pretty obsolete with just 29 teams," Narmour said. "We're known for hosting larger events. If we bring those larger types of events you know parking is going to be an issue." Besides parking space, Narmour also said some guests reported issues with the condition of the lot itself, as only one of two layers of asphalt has been poured to date. Doherty and Mayor Lynn Spruill said Narmour's concerns will be addressed before the complex's grand opening -- planned for a still unspecified date this summer. |
| Award-winning coffee company to open new Starkville-based HQ | |
 | Award winning online and wholesale coffee roaster, Umble Coffee Company is expanding and moving its corporate headquarters to Starkville. The new headquarters will be located at 216 Industrial Park Road and will open tomorrow [June 2]. Umble Coffee Company is an online and wholesale coffee roaster focused on roasting specialty coffee to optimize for taste quality and health benefits. The new headquarters will have coffee roasting/production as well as a coffee shop front. Customers will be able to see the process. Kenneth Thomas, owner and head roaster, says that Umble is something not only Starkville has never seen before, but not even Mississippi. "We're bringing cutting edge specialty coffee roasting to a venue where customers have complete access to the brand," Thomas said. |
| Gambling bust made Tuesday night in Starkville | |
 | Police made a big gambling bust in Starkville. The bust happened Tuesday night, May 30 in the Rolling Hills subdivision. According to the Starkville Police Department, 12 individuals face illegal gambling charges. Police have yet to identify the suspects but said they're from Canton, Columbus, Jackson, Macon and Starkville. Officers also seized guns and pills, according to police. |
| Oktibbeha County woman arrested after allegedly hitting 2 patrol vehicles | |
 | An Oktibbeha County woman was accused of hitting two patrol vehicles during a slower-speed pursuit. 61-year-old Lisa Files was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of felony fleeing. Investigators said deputies attempted to pull Files over but she would not stop. Once she did stop, a Starkville officer broke the window of Files's car because she refused to get out. That officer did have a cut arm. No other injuries were reported. Files remains in jail. |
| Starkville man charged with armed robbery of store | |
 | Starkville police needed just a single day to capture the man accused of holding up a Highway 12 convenience store Thursday morning. Police responded to Quality Fuels at the intersection of Highway 12 West and Louisville Street around 8:45 a.m. May 25. Employees reported a skinny man wearing all black and brandishing a handgun. They said he took an undisclosed amount of cash from the convenience store. The following day, Starkville detectives arrested Chauntrez Jenkins, 30, of Starkville, and charged him with armed robbery. |
| MS Lieutenant Governor Republican primary draws some big donations | |
 | With a hotly contested primary for lieutenant governor coming even before contested general races like those for governor, many Mississippi's are showing their support by opening their wallets. In their January-April campaign finance reports, released earlier this month, both incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and his challenger state Sen. Chris McDaniel reported raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in just the first few months of the year. McDaniel's campaign finance filling for January-April included donations from May, donations that were previously reported in a different filing and a donation from his former Political Action Committee, much of which he returned, according to previous Clarion Ledger reporting. The figures and analysis provided here are based on his filing as it appears on the Secretary of State website. McDaniel's campaign also got a $1,000 contribution from Scott Brewster. Brewster, a former high-ranking official in McDaniel's 2014 campaign for U.S. Senate, was one of three men found locked inside the Hinds County Courthouse in the early morning after vote counting had finished in that primary. The Hinds County Sheriff's Office later announced it had found no evidence of criminal activity. Hosemann received a $5,000 donation from former Republican Gov. Haley Barbour and his wife. It is difficult to compare McDaniel and Hosemann in terms of which industries provided them with the most support. Of McDaniel's 539 listed contributions, 111 say "Information Requested" under the occupation or employer tab. |
| MDOC commissioner: State prisons should be allowed to jam cellphones | |
| The number one contraband item smuggled into Mississippi prisons continues to be cellphones, and according to MDOC Commissioner Burl Cain, there's a rather easy solution to the problem. Cain, who took over the state's correctional system in May 2020 after a 22-year stint at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, appeared on Wednesday's episode of The Gallo Show. During the interview, Cain explained that contraband cellphones would be virtually useless if his agency were allowed to jam cellular signal inside prisons. The only problem is they can't. Under federal law, cellphone jamming is allowed inside federal prisons -- although none currently have a jamming system in place -- but not inside state prisons. "The federal prisons can, but they won't let the state prisons jam them," Cain said. "It's just crazy. It's the craziest law you could ever see." As the fight for cellphone jamming in prisons continues, a bill recently introduced in Congress and cosponsored by Mississippi Representative Trent Kelly would reverse course on the FCC rule if passed and allow any correctional facility to utilize jamming systems. |
| Millions were supposed to go to Mississippi's hospitals. Getting that money will be difficult | |
| What should have been a lifeline for Mississippi's struggling hospitals is proving to be out of reach for the facilities that need it the most. State lawmakers approved sending millions of dollars to save Mississippi's struggling hospitals during the session, but now many hospital leaders are running into difficulties trying to access that money. Legislators in February established the grant program, part of Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann's plan to "save rural hospitals," in lieu of expanding Medicaid. A month later and just days before the end of the legislative session, they decided on the amount: $103 million to be disseminated among the state's struggling health care providers. It was millions less than the Mississippi Hospital Association had advocated for -- despite a $4 billion surplus in the state budget -- but health care leaders said they would take what they could get. Hospitals were allocated varying amounts through a formula that accounted for bed counts, hospital designation, emergency rooms and other factors. But there was a hitch -- the money wouldn't come from the state general fund. Instead, it would come from American Rescue Plan Act funds, federal money meant to ease the financial hits taken by the pandemic. Senate Public Health Chair Hob Bryan said he’s received questions about the grant program from hospital officials and others, and that he still doesn’t have all the answers. Bryan said he believes questions and confusion about the program are in part because of the hasty, secretive process Mississippi legislative leaders have used to set budgets in recent years. “We do everything in secret, and then put it all together at the last minute,” Bryan said. |
| Three of four Mississippi Congressmen support compromise debt ceiling bill | |
| The compromise legislation to raise the nation's debt ceiling – H.R. 3746 – passed the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday evening by a vote of 314-117 with 4 not voting. In total, 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats voted against the bill that came before the chamber after weekslong negotiations between President Joe Biden's White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Those voting against the bill were largely either considered to be on the far left or far right of their parties. The Progressive Caucus Democrats and the Freedom Caucus Republicans both expressed their unhappiness with the compromise. President Biden said in a statement that neither side got everything it wanted in the agreement, yet it prevents a first-ever default. "I want to thank Speaker McCarthy and his team for negotiating in good faith, as well as Leader Jeffries for his leadership," Biden said. Three of the four Magnolia State Congressmen supported the legislation's passage. They were Republicans Trent Kelly (MS-1) and Mike Ezell (MS-4) along with Democrat Bennie Thompson (MS-2). Congressman Michael Guest, a Republican representing the 3rd District, voted no. "This evening, I voted against legislation to raise the debt ceiling. My decision to not support the legislation is not a criticism of Speaker McCarthy or his team who worked hard to force the President to negotiate and obtained some positive concessions," Guest said in a statement. "I ultimately voted no because our nation is on an unsustainable path, and without additional concessions from the White House, the bill does not do enough to change the financial direction of our country." |
| Biden tried an ice-then-court strategy with House Dems. It worked. | |
 | For 11 days this spring, President Joe Biden iced out his Democratic allies as he negotiated with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over raising the nation's debt limit. With Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the table, Biden was convinced the talks had grown too unwieldy. The White House wanted to narrow the conversation, leaving other Democrats to steam. Progressives openly criticized Biden. Allies, such as Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford, vented that the White House needed to do more to communicate about Republican demands. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal warned of backlash in the streets if Biden gave in to Republicans. After the deal was announced Saturday night, his team went into overdrive to ensure that the frustration they'd sparked from within their party didn't metastasize into a full blown revolt. Administration officials placed over 100 one-on-one calls with House Democrats. They held wonky virtual meetings over the negotiation details and took pointed questions on the policy they'd agreed to. The ice-then-court strategy worked. On Wednesday evening, 165 House Democratic voted for the Biden-McCarthy bill, more than the 149 House Republicans who supported the measure. Many of those Democrats who had voiced opposition to the bill praised the White House for negotiating what they still consider to be a terrible piece of legislation and, ultimately, supported it. It was a major victory for Biden, not just preventing an economic calamity that could have come with a debt ceiling breach but proving -- five months into a divided government -- that the White House and House Democrats have persevered through what seemed, at times, like a rocky relationship. |
| 'Soft food' to 'good faith': How Biden and McCarthy came together on debt deal | |
 | In late March, the prospects of President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) coming together for a deal to raise the debt ceiling that both men found palatable looked dim. On March 28, Biden flatly rejected a call from McCarthy for a meeting, instead urging the top House Republican to release a budget proposal before they could have a conversation in person. Two days later, McCarthy quipped that he would bring a "soft food" lunch to the White House if that's what it required for the two leaders to meet in person, an apparent swipe at Biden's age. By Memorial Day Weekend, both Biden and McCarthy were publicly complimenting each other and urging their respective parties to pass a deal they had finally signed off on. "I think he negotiated with me in good faith. He kept his word. He said what he would do. He did what he said he'd do," Biden said of McCarthy after delivering remarks Sunday at the White House. "Very professional, very smart. Very tough at the same time," McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol of his talks with Biden. The budget deal and simultaneous agreement to lift the debt ceiling for two years marks a significant legislative achievement for two men who until recently had a very limited working relationship, with a big assist from top negotiators like Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young. And while the sides traded barbs publicly to argue for their position, a mutual respect and sense of professionalism was persistent as a deal came together, according to officials close to the negotiations. |
| Don't believe the hype: Low-key lawmakers helped avert a debt ceiling crisis | |
 | In a time when cynicism about politics seems to be everyone's gut reaction, it's easy to overlook the role of lower-profile lawmakers who helped avert a debt-ceiling crisis. Just don't call them "moderates." "Moderates?" tweeted Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., one of the lead negotiators of the debt-ceiling deal that passed the House overwhelmingly Wednesday night. He prefers the descriptor: "pragmatic conservatives who actually care about getting to work." Johnson, who looks more Bill Gates than Matt Gaetz, represents about 75 GOP members as chairman of the "Republican Main Street Caucus." It's one of what this Congress' Republicans colloquially refer to as the mafioso-themed "Five Families." The Main Street Caucus, and a host of other coalitions in the middle, like the "New Democrat Coalition" on the other side of the aisle, were critical in securing support for the deal. There were plenty of well-founded complaints on either side -- on the left, worries about increased work requirements that could hurt people in poverty, nervousness about the environmental impact of sped-up energy permits; on the right, continued head-shaking about what they see as out-of-control spending and debt, now topping $30 trillion. But in the end, two-thirds of House Republicans and more than three-quarters of Democrats voted for the bill for a total tally of 314-117. The Senate still has to pass the measure, but if it does, as is expected, it will be those who eschewed the wings of their parties -- which have some of the most vocal, attention-getting members -- who averted a potentially calamitous, first-ever U.S. debt default. Call them perhaps the Silent Middle Majority. |
| Debt-Ceiling Deal Makes It Kevin McCarthy 3, Detractors 0 | |
 | For House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, pursuing a bipartisan deal to avoid defaulting on the nation's debt meant putting his own job at risk. Now he is taking a victory lap, even as threats to his leadership endure in corners of his party. On Wednesday, the California Republican successfully shepherded a must-pass bill through the House to suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling into early 2025 in exchange for reining in federal spending. The bill, crafted in breakneck talks with the White House, now heads to the Senate, where senators are rushing to get it through to make a June 5 deadline and avoid an unprecedented U.S. default. "I think we did pretty dang good for the American public," a triumphant McCarthy said Wednesday night. Recalling his contentious speaker vote, he told reporters, "Every question you gave me, 'Could we survive? What could we even do?' I told you then, it is not how you start, it is how you finish." The passage of the bill marked a third key win for McCarthy and a setback for his detractors, who earlier questioned whether he would get the votes to become speaker back in January and doubted he could guide a debt-ceiling bill through the House in April, much less a bipartisan debt-ceiling deal in May. Next for McCarthy will be the appropriations process, set in motion by the bill passed Wednesday. He will once again have to balance those who call for specific spending cuts with those who want to stretch spending, including for pet projects in their districts, and try to make the deadline at the end of September. There are danger signs for the leader. |
| Biden shows growing appetite to cross Putin's red lines | |
 | President Biden's decision last month to help Ukraine obtain F-16 fighter jets marked another crossing of a Russian red line that Vladimir Putin has said would transform the war and draw Washington and Moscow into direct conflict. Despite the Russian leader's apocalyptic warnings, the United States has gradually agreed to expand Ukraine's arsenal with Javelin and Stinger missiles, HIMARS rocket launchers, advanced missile defense systems, drones, helicopters, M1 Abrams tanks and, soon, fourth-generation fighter jets. A key reason for brushing aside Putin's threats, U.S. officials say, is a dynamic that has held since the opening days of the war: Russia's president has not followed through on promises to punish the West for providing weapons to Ukraine. His bluffing has given U.S. and European leaders some confidence they can continue doing so without severe consequences -- but to what extent remains one of the conflict's most dangerous uncertainties. "Russia has devalued its red lines so many times by saying certain things would be unacceptable and then doing nothing when they happen," said Maxim Samorukov, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "The problem is that we don't know the actual red line. It's in one person's head, and it can change from one day to the next." While Putin has challenged the United States -- suspending participation in a critical arms control treaty, imprisoning Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and overseeing a court's decision to sentence WNBA star Brittney Griner to a nine-year prison term before insisting on a one-for-one trade for a notorious arms merchant -- he has not lashed out militarily at Washington or its allies. But Western officials are cognizant that that doesn't mean he never will -- particularly as the conflict escalates. |
| Prosecutors have tape of Trump discussing holding onto classified doc after leaving office | |
 | Justice Department prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of former President Donald Trump from after he left office in which he talks about holding onto a classified Pentagon document related to a potential attack on Iran, according to media reports. CNN, which first reported on the tape, said Trump suggested on the recording that he wanted to share information from the document with others but that he knew there were limitations about his ability to declassify records after he left office. The comments on the recording, made in July 2021 at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, would seem to undercut the former president's repeated claims that he declassified the documents he took with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, after leaving office. The recording could also be a key aid for prosecutors looking to prove Trump knew his ability to possess classified documents was limited. The recording has been provided to special counsel Jack Smith, whose team of prosecutors have spent months investigating the potential mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and whether Trump or anyone else sought to criminally obstruct the probe. The investigation shows signs of being in its final stages, with prosecutors having interviewed a broad cross-section of witnesses before the grand jury. No one has been criminally charged. |
| How does the price of soybeans, corn and other commodities affect the cost of food? | |
| This time last year, prices for agricultural commodities -- think wheat, corn, soybeans and oil seeds -- were sky-high, due primarily to Russia's war in Ukraine taking a lot of productive farmland out of the equation. Since then, supplies of many of those commodities have recovered, and prices have eased. Prices received by U.S. farmers are down 2.2% over last year, according to the Department of Agriculture's commodity price index. So if the raw ingredients that go into the food we buy are getting cheaper, how come prices at the grocery store are so stubbornly high and climbing? To explain this, let's look at soybeans. Last June, prices surged to a record $17.69 a bushel. Since then, farming has been getting back on track in Eastern Europe. And Brazil saw a bumper soybean crop. "Which is bringing prices down to the lowest level we've had in a few years," to about $13 a bushel, said Scott Gerlt with the American Soybean Association. "It's been a very, very significant swing." A significant swing for growers of soybeans and all the raw ingredients that go into our food. So our grocery bills should be shrinking too, right? |
| Ole Miss clinic uses Kellogg grant to bring telemental health to Mississippi | |
| The University of Mississippi's Clinic for Outreach and Personal Enrichment is expanding accessible, online counseling services to students across Mississippi, thanks to a new grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The grant, called "Mental Health Counselors on Campus," has allowed COPE to expand services once limited to Lafayette County to communities where providers and access are scarce. New partner communities include Desoto, Sunflower and Tunica counties and the municipalities of Jackson, Rosedale and Greenwood. The clinic plans to include Warren County later this year. Students can access services with a tablet, computer or cellphone. Established in 2015, COPE offers the campus and community a variety of mental health services for children and adults. The clinic also trains master's and doctoral students in the university's counselor education program. A 2023 study from Kids Count reports that 28% of Mississippi children were diagnosed with an emotional, behavioral or developmental disorder – 5 percentage points higher than the national average -- a number that has only increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Compounding the issue, Mississippi is one of the most uninsured states, and Medicaid is the single largest source of coverage for children. At the same time, few providers accept Medicaid to cover the cost of care, according to a 2022 report from the Children's Foundation of Mississippi. |
| USM receives $335K grant for School of Construction and Design | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi School of Construction and Design has big plans in store after receiving one of the largest grants in school history. The school received a $335,000 grant from the Mississippi State Board of Contractors to fund new projects geared toward helping students improve their entrepreneurial skills. The school's director says the grant also will allow faculty to create new courses, giving students the opportunity to reach a level previously unavailable to them at Southern Miss. "I think this grant is a great example of the support we are getting from the construction industry," said Dr. Emre Bayraktar. "This grant will give us the opportunity to provide a better educational experience for our students. "I believe that, in turn, our students, after graduation, will be making a bigger contribution to the success of the construction industry in the state of Mississippi." Beginning this fall, the new courses will allow students to earn a master's degree in construction. |
| ALL IN THE FAMILY: Mother, daughter receive doctorate degrees in nursing field from Alcorn | |
 | Mother's Day weekend was extra special for Dr. Ursula Brooks-Clemons and her mother, Dr. Hazel Anderson Washington, from Natchez. They share a lot. Both are members of as members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and both are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. Not only did Washington and her children celebrate Mother's Day weekend together, but she and her eldest daughter shared the unique experience of getting their doctorate degrees in the field of nursing at the same time from Alcorn State University's Natchez Campus. Clemons, 44, works in clinics based in Claiborne County and Delhi, Louisiana, as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Washington, 65, teaches in the nurse practitioner program at Alcorn State University while also working as a nurse practitioner at Claiborne County Family Health Center. While both are achieving the highest academic honor in their respective fields at the same time, it was Washington who inspired Clemons to pursue nursing, she said. |
| Louisiana university leaders blast 'racist' inquiry into diversity, inclusion programs | |
 | Top Louisiana university officials on Wednesday decried an effort to have schools report to state education leaders and lawmakers about how diversity, equity and inclusion programs work on college campuses, with one calling the legislation racist before a House education panel. The measure, backed by some House Republicans as a way to bring accountability to how schools manage diversity-related programs, came amid national scrutiny from conservatives over diversity initiatives and critical race theory. But Louisiana's House Resolution 13 died on a 5-6 vote by the education panel in the face of criticism from the university leaders and some Democratic lawmakers. They accused the sponsor, Denham Springs state Rep. Valerie Hodges, of failing to define the programs she sought information about. "At its core, this is a racist instrument," said Monty Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. "Diversity, equity and inclusion are a fact of life. It is a fact in my world, it is a fact in your world," he added. "Some of us have come to realize that already. Others of us have not." |
| 'Smart' poultry facility at U. of Arkansas research center | |
| The poultry house of tomorrow is ready for research at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center. The Poultry Science Smart Farming Research Facility was designed to provide innovations in precision poultry production and to train students. The facility has integrated systems that collect data on water and feed intake and climate conditions inside the house. The "smart farm" is connected to a cloud-based data storage service that is updated every 15 minutes for quick analysis through an app. Internet-connected sensors allow researchers to analyze how birds perform at certain house temperatures and even order feed when the bin is low. The nearly 16,000-square-foot facility has floor pens equipped with commercially relevant rearing equipment. A grand opening of the Poultry Science Smart Farming Research Facility was held on May 15 for industry partners who contributed funding and in-kind donations to build the state-of-the-art facility for broiler research, poultry science education and outreach. The facility was made possible through a donation from Aviagen; equipment gifts from Reliable Poultry, Diversified Ag, MTech Systems and D&F Equipment; and matching funding from Tyson Foods, along with infrastructure funds from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. |
| Lyon College names founding dean for veterinary school | |
| Lyon College moved another step closer to opening its veterinary school Wednesday, announcing Dr. Eleanor M. Green as the founding dean. Green will begin her duties July 1 at Lyon College, a private, liberal arts institution in Batesville that was founded in 1872, and will lead the college's request for accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association's Council on Education. A professor emerita and dean emerita of veterinary medicine at Texas A&M University, Green is "an innovative thinker with an impressive array of experiences in veterinary education, scholarship, and policy," Lyon President Melissa Taverner said in a news release. Arkansas is currently without a veterinary school, and -- despite the state's significant agricultural sector -- Arkansas ranks 49th in the U.S. for veterinarians per population with only 14 veterinarians per 100,000 people, according to veterinarians.org. Green received a bachelor of science from the University of Florida and a doctor of veterinary medicine from Auburn University, according to Lyon College. She was a founding faculty member of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University, equine clinician educator and scientist at Middlebush Equine Center at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, head of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and hospital director of the Large Animal Hospital at the University of Tennessee, chair of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, and the chief of staff of the Large Animal Hospital at the University of Florida, and Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University. |
| Sasse announces new Strategic Enrollment Management Taskforce | |
| UF President Ben Sasse announced the formation of a Strategic Enrollment Management Taskforce in a press release Tuesday. The taskforce will assess a broad set of issues related to undergraduate enrollment, including academic programs, physical learning spaces, digital delivery and residential housing, according to the release. "The taskforce will consider the market for, and perceptions of, the UF undergraduate programs, out-of-state tuition relative to peer institutions, demand at peer institutions for programs we do not yet have, and our international recruitment funnel," Sasse wrote. The taskforce is made up of 10 members including Mary Parker and Raymond Sass, who will serve as co-chairs for the taskforce. Parker and Sass were identified as key members of Sasse's transition team. Sass served as Sasse's chief of staff in the U.S. Senate from 2017 until his resignation in January 2023. He also served as director of the MBA Program at Midland University from 2011 to 2014 while Sasse was university president. The taskforce is part of a "broader strategic planning process that will launch this August," Sasse wrote. |
| Highly decorated Marine officer from Texas A&M nominated to be next commandant | |
| President Joe Biden has nominated a highly decorated Marine officer and Texas A&M University graduate who has been involved in the transformation of the force to be the next Marine Corps commandant. The nomination of Gen. Eric Smith, now the assistant commandant, had been widely expected and has been forwarded to the Senate. The current top Marine, Gen. David Berger, is wrapping up his four-year term and preparing to retire. Smith, a career infantry officer who was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1987 through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Texas A&M, has commanded at every level, serving multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, including time in Fallujah and Ramadi during heavy combat in 2004 and 2005 in Operation Iraq Freedom. He later was the senior military adviser to Defense Secretary Ash Carter and in in 2019 took over as the deputy commandant for combat development. In that post, Smith worked with Berger on a broad campaign to transform the Marine Corps to better be able to fight amphibious wars in the Pacific after years of battling terrorist groups in the Middle East. The plan was lauded by many in the Pentagon and Congress as a critical way for the Marines to prepare for a potential conflict with China. Smith was a Ross Volunteer and a member of B Battery while at Texas A&M. During his senior year, he was the commander of the Fighting Texas Aggie Band. |
| Angela King Taylor appointed U. of Missouri's interim vice chancellor for student affairs | |
 | Angela King Taylor has been named MU's interim vice chancellor for student affairs and interim dean of students, according to a campus announcement. King Taylor serves as the associate dean of students and has 20 years experience in leading student and faculty affairs teams, the announcement said. Her appointment follows the departure of Bill Stackman, who left MU to take up a similar role at Harvard University. King Taylor begins in her new role June 1. |
| US companies, nudged by Black employees, have stepped up donations to HBCUs | |
| Natalie Coles will never forget receiving an unexpected phone call in 2020. On the line was Virginia-based Dominion Energy, offering to give money to Wilberforce University, the small historically Black college where she is in charge of fundraising. The company's $500,000 donation went in part toward laptops and hot spots for students when the pandemic shut down the college's campus outside of Dayton, Ohio. "It was like manna from heaven," Coles said. Historically Black colleges and universities, which had seen giving from foundations decline in recent decades, lately are benefiting from an increase in gifts, particularly from corporations and corporate foundations. Some have received a new look from companies amid the reckoning over racial injustice spurred by the killing of George Floyd. But the colleges also have been pitching themselves, emphasizing their ability to deliver returns on the investment in student mobility. Another factor in the giving by corporations has been the influence of their Black employees. At the beverage company Diageo North America, the employee resource group for African Americans shaped a program that has provided almost $12 million to HBCUs, said Danielle Robinson, head of community engagement and partnerships for Diageo. The money has gone toward scholarships at 29 schools to lessen the debt burden on Black graduates. The giving to HBCUs is a new trend for corporations, which had largely ignored them before 2020, said Marybeth Gasman, a Rutgers University professor who researches HBCUs. Increasingly, HBCUs have been using the language of business to argue they not only have a high need but also are a good investment, she said. |
| Are Diversity Statements Illegal? | |
 | As a growing number of colleges around the country have stopped using diversity statements, a lawsuit filed against the University of California system in May appears to be the first to directly challenge their legality. Experts are divided on whether the use of such statements by public colleges will pass legal muster. John D. Haltigan, the plaintiff, is being represented pro bono by the nonprofit Pacific Legal Foundation. He is arguing that the University of California system's use of diversity statements in hiring violates the First Amendment and represents unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. Haltigan wants to apply for a tenure-track position in the psychology department at the University of California at Santa Cruz and is asking the court, among other things, for an injunction that would allow him to apply without submitting a diversity statement. The university system has required diversity statements in applications for tenure-track positions and promotions since 2018. Haltigan describes diversity statements as modern-day loyalty oaths, comparing them to the anti-Communist pledges demanded of faculty members during the McCarthy era. Haltigan argues that his commitment to colorblindness and viewpoint diversity, his objections to diversity, equity, and inclusion " orthodoxy," and his belief that a person should be considered based solely on individual merit mean he cannot compete for the Santa Cruz job. |
| House and Senate wrangle over student loans | |
 | The debt ceiling deal hammered out by President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy ends the pandemic-driven pause in student loan payments that's been in place for more than three years while preserving Biden's loan forgiveness plan -- at least for now. But the GOP is pressing ahead with its effort to derail the president's plan, which would forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for those who meet income limits, and another $10,000 for those who got Pell Grants. The Senate on Wednesday voted to take up a joint resolution of disapproval that would block the forgiveness plan. The measure passed the House last week with the support of every Republican and two Democrats: Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Glusenkamp Perez of Washington. The Senate vote on the motion to proceed was 51-46, with Democrats Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana as well as independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona voting "yea." A vote on final passage is set for Thursday, but the White House has said Biden would veto the measure if it reaches his desk. The ultimate test for the proposal, however, may be determined by the Supreme Court, which heard arguments in February on a pair of challenges. Justices are expected to issue a ruling before the end of June. |
| Why Are Trump and DeSantis Talking About Accreditation? | |
| Republican politicians have found a new target in their efforts to reshape higher education: accrediting agencies. Announcing his presidential bid this month, Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican of Florida, called out accrediting agencies as "cartels" that are driving the proliferation of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies on college campuses. If he were elected president, DeSantis said, the U.S. Department of Education would create "alternative accreditation regimes, where instead of saying, 'You will only get accredited if you do DEI,' you'll have an accreditor that will say, 'We will not accredit you if you do DEI.'" (Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs differ from campus to campus, and encompass supports for students from underserved communities, diversity statements in hiring, stand-alone offices aimed at inclusion, and diversity training for employees.) The intricacies of accreditation policy are not usually the fodder of presidential campaigns. The accreditation process is complex, lengthy, and mostly opaque; for the average college, it happens as infrequently as once a decade; and the heads of accrediting agencies usually shun the media, let alone attention from partisan campaigns. Ralph A. Wolff, a former president of an accreditor, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, said the candidates' references to accreditation are another attempt to scare the public over policies to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. "Nobody has lost accreditation for failing to meet a standard under DEI," he said. "It's another one of these myths -- just a trigger to make someone the evil party." |
| Mississippi Is Offering Lessons for America on Education | |
 | Columnist Nicholas Kristof writes in The New York Times: The refrain across much of the Deep South for decades was "Thank God for Mississippi!" That's because however abysmally Arkansas or Alabama might perform in national comparisons, they could still bet that they wouldn't be the worst in America. That spot was often reserved for Mississippi. So it's extraordinary to travel across this state today and find something dazzling: It is lifting education outcomes and soaring in the national rankings. With an all-out effort over the past decade to get all children to read by the end of third grade and by extensive reliance on research and metrics, Mississippi has shown that it is possible to raise standards even in a state ranked dead last in the country in child poverty and hunger and second highest in teen births. In the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a series of nationwide tests better known as NAEP, Mississippi has moved from near the bottom to the middle for most of the exams -- and near the top when adjusted for demographics. Among just children in poverty, Mississippi fourth graders now are tied for best performers in the nation in NAEP reading tests and rank second in math. The state has also lifted high school graduation rates. In 2011, 75 percent of students graduated, four percentage points below the national average; by 2020, the state had surpassed the national average of 87 percent by one point. "Mississippi is a huge success story and very exciting," David Deming, a Harvard economist and education expert, told me. What's so significant, he said, is that while Mississippi hasn't overcome poverty or racism, it still manages to get kids to read and excel. "You cannot use poverty as an excuse. That's the most important lesson," Deming added. "It's so important, I want to shout it from the mountaintop." What Mississippi teaches, he said, is that "we shouldn't be giving up on children." |
SPORTS
| Former Bulldog KJ Wright hosts hometown fundraiser, speaks on future of MSU football | |
| When KJ Wright goes back home to Olive Branch, he usually makes two stops. The first is Dodge's Chicken, a gas station food spot that Wright, a former Mississippi State football player, claims is the best in the business. The second is his old stomping grounds, Olive Branch High School. Wright, who was an all-state football player, is one of the most revered athletes to come out of his hometown. Both his football and basketball jerseys are retired. After winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, Wright received a key to the city upon his return home. "It is just overwhelming the love and support they give me," Wright told The Dispatch in a recent phone call. "When you give back in life, people give back to you as well. That is what it's all about." Last year, Wright held an alumni charity basketball game at the school, which raised $10,000 for the school's athletic programs. On June 23, Wright is bringing the event back to Olive Branch, with bigger and brighter aspirations. "We are getting both men and women, going back to the '70s, '80s and '90s to come back and showcase their skills, and just get the community together," Wright said. "We will have food trucks, alumni dances and cheerleaders, all to raise money for the school." ... Before moving on to the NFL, where he was selected in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, Wright made his name in Starkville with a successful four-year career with the Bulldogs. Knowing what it takes to play defense in the Southeastern Conference, Wright is confident in the direction of MSU's program under the leadership of Zach Arnett. |
| In College Athletics, 'Employment' Is a Dirty Word. SEC Leaders Are Looking for an Alternative | |
| On June 6, dozens of SEC administrators and coaches will descend on Capitol Hill to further lobby state lawmakers to push through legislation governing athlete compensation. College leaders want a federal bill to (1) standardize NIL by preempting state laws; (2) deem college athletes as students, not employees; and (3) provide liability protection from legal challenges. In four years of this lobbying effort, eight hearings have been held and more than a dozen college athlete bills have been introduced. The number of proposals to clear a House or Senate committee: zero. "It's easier to stop legislation rather than pass it," says Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, who spent years as the chief of staff for former Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran. "You've got to have something pushing Congress. I hate to say it, but there almost has to be some catastrophic event for Congress to react." What if congressional action fails? For a year now, the SEC's most powerful executives have explored solutions with a goal of managing athlete compensation in a more regulated way, if a federal solution is not achieved. During Day 1 of their annual spring meetings on the Florida panhandle, their Plan B is coming into focus. |
| Alabama's AD has ideas to curb SEC field storming, says 'fines don't work' | |
 | The scenes are familiar, and at this point, fairly exclusive to college sports. Field and court stormings -- long a part of the passionate fabric that makes these events timeless -- have a modern issue and potential new consequences. Among the tapestry of high-level issues on the table at this week's SEC spring meetings, field of play incursion is getting at least some of the Destin oxygen. A few dangerous episodes last year helped spur the conversation led by athletics directors from those on the losing end of a few of these high-emotion moments. Alabama AD Greg Byrne is helping lead that conversation to strengthen league penalties last updated at the SEC spring meetings in 2015. Originally passed in 2004, the fines were increased eight years ago that starts at $50,000 for a first offense, $100,000 for the second and $250,000 for each that followed. "Fines don't work," Byrne said Wednesday. As of 2021, Alabama was one of four schools never fined by the SEC for field/court storming along with Georgia, Florida and Mississippi State. Byrne cited the effort in Starkville to bring cowbells back to home football games after a ban on artificial noisemakers was lifted. There was an educational component for fans. "That didn't completely eliminate cowbells at inappropriate times," said Byrne, a former athletics staffer at Mississippi State, "but they did a lot better job with it and it stuck pretty well." |
| SEC puts emphasis on gambling after college sports roiled by multiple wagering scandals | |
| When it comes to sports wagering, information is a commodity and even a morsel of news that is not widely available can be valuable. As college sports experiences some of the negative consequences of ubiquitous legal betting on sporting events, could more transparency be among the potential safeguards? "If everybody's giving an injury report, I have no problem giving an injury report," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said this week. "They do it in the NFL. I was in the NFL. That's not a huge deal as long as it's a level playing field." A month highlighted by gambling-related firings and potential NCAA infractions in college sports motivated the Southeastern Conference to put extra emphasis on the issue at this week's spring meetings. Commissioner Greg Sankey called on U.S. Integrity, a company that works with professional sports leagues and college conferences -- including the SEC since 2018 -- to monitor events for gambling improprieties, to give multiple presentations to SEC coaches and administrators on Wednesday and Thursday. That was a late add to the agenda, Sankey said. "We now have the issues emerging as it's become inculturated," he said. "We don't have a choice but to pay a high level of attention." |
| How Georgia and the SEC are addressing sports betting across college landscape | |
 | There were no head coach firings or major headlines when UGA learned about a violation of NCAA sports gambling rules last year. It was considered a minor violation -- Level III in NCAA parlance -- when a Bulldog athlete placed a bet on a fantasy sports app. Betting on any sport that is sponsored by the NCAA is a violation for athletes or coaches even if in a pro league or international competition. As SEC coaches, athletic directors and league officials gather this week at the Hilton Sandestin resort, sports gambling is a major issue after Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon was fired May 4 after it was found that he shared information to a bettor in Ohio used to place large bets on the Crimson Tide to lose to LSU in a game April 28. "It's a growing emphasis for us," said Will Lawler, Georgia deputy athletic director for legal and regulatory affairs. "Not so much on just the compliance end but just the education end and the mental health. The two primary interests are obviously the integrity of the game but also the student-athletes' mental health. It's just become so much more commonplace in the world." New NCAA president Charlie Baker commissioned a survey on gambling of 18-to-22 year olds after taking over this year to gauge their sports wagering activity. It found that 58 percent have engaged in at least one sports betting activity. Among those living on college campuses, 67 percent are bettors and "tend to bet at a high frequency," according to the NCAA, and 41 percent of college students have bet on their school teams with 35 percent using a student bookmaker. |
| John Cohen foresees changes to NCAA Baseball Tournament's selection process | |
 | John Cohen's minutes-long interview during Monday's NCAA Tournament selection show was quick to address the elephant -- or rather, the camel -- in the room. The Auburn athletics director, who also serves as the chairman of this year's NCAA Baseball Tournament selection committee, saw a victory for the program in his athletic department. The Tigers claimed a regional bid for the second-straight season, being named the No. 13 overall seed in this year's tournament. It marked a first for the program, but the Tigers were an outlier, in some sense, being one of two members of the 16-team host field to not also have a top-16 RPI. RPI, which stands for Ratings Power Index, plays a significant role in how the committee seeds the field of 64, and particularly so the 16 teams which garner hosting bids. Along with Auburn, which was No. 19 in RPI, Oklahoma State and its 17th-ranked RPI got hosting opportunities. Their blessings came at the misfortunes of Campbell and Dallas Baptist, which were at No. 14 and No. 16, respectively, in RPI and did not land a regional. The decision to leave out Campbell was one of many that prompted a good bit of conversation about RPI and the selection process during Cohen's sit-down, in what is his final year on the selection committee. He didn't hold back in saying he thinks change needs to occur in the future. Cohen didn't get incredibly specific in what he hoped to see change. He mentioned seeing regionality play a factor in rankings, and acknowledged the cancellation of late-season midweek contests for the sake of RPI as something that needs to be addressed "really quickly." Simultaneously, he defended the field he and his committee selected for this spring. |
| Vanderbilt baseball announces Hawkins Field upgrades, to include increased seating capacity | |
 | Vanderbilt baseball will renovate Hawkins Field to include increased seating capacity, new club spaces and private suites and a multi-purpose building in right field, the program announced Wednesday. The upgrades are part of the Vandy United facilities renovation campaign. Among the enhancements will be a second grandstand level with "opera-style boxes" that will increase seating capacity of 3,700 by more than 10%, according to the program, as well as seating on top of the left-field wall, a new concourse between the infield and outfield seating, an entry atrium and suites on top of the current press box. The program release did not mention a timeline or cost for the completion of the project. Currently, upgrades are underway on FirstBank Stadium for a new basketball operations building, new locker rooms and upgraded seating. Upgrades have also been announced for the golf and tennis facilities, as well as for McGugin Center, which houses administrative and coach offices. "Hawkins Field has helped us create an environment that has led to success and growth over the past 20 years," coach Tim Corbin said in the release. "I'm grateful to Chancellor Diermeier and Vice Chancellor Lee for their leadership in ensuring it remains a place that is special for our student-athletes and supporters." Vanderbilt will host the NCAA Nashville Regional at Hawkins Field beginning Friday. The Commodores, the No. 6 national seed, will take on Eastern Illinois at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network. |
| Big concerts could come back to Neyland Stadium when the entertainment district comes alive | |
 | The forthcoming Neyland Entertainment District will be a gameday dream for Vols fans with a planned hotel rooftop bar overlooking the stadium, restaurants, shops and a new tailgating area. But there's an advantage even for those who don't bleed orange and white: The new district offers a big incentive for the university to bring major concerts back to Neyland Stadium. Just take a look at how other cities have turned their stadiums and arenas into year-round destinations. The districts come alive throughout the year with concerts and other big events that have nothing to do with sports. L.A. Live is a glossy, $3 billion entertainment district adjacent to Crypto.com Arena, where the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Sparks play basketball and the Kings play hockey. The Grammys, Emmys, ESPYs, American Music Awards and NBA All-Star Game are among the events held there. Of course, the Neyland Entertainment District won't resemble the glitzy L.A. Live. But they will share a key feature -- multiple concert venues. L.A. Live is surrounded by Crypto.com Arena (20,000 capacity), Microsoft Arena (7,100) and The Novo (2,300). The Neyland Entertainment District will be located between Neyland Stadium (101,915) and Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678). That means UT has the eighth-largest stadium in the world and the third largest on-campus basketball arena in the country adjacent to the planned entertainment district. Thompson-Boling Arena routinely hosts concerts, including The Eagles, Journey, Lizzo and Stevie Nicks so far this year. |
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