| Thursday, June 15, 2023 |
| MSU leading archaeological dig at former Lorman plantation | |
 | Mississippi State University will lead an archaeological excavation of Prospect Hill, a former 5,000-acre plantation in Jefferson County, June 18-28 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in collaboration with the Archaeological Conservancy and descendent communities. At Prospect Hill, near the present-day town of Lorman, approximately 300 formerly enslaved African Americans were sent to a Liberian colony in Western Africa known as "Mississippi-in-Africa" during the 1800s. The plantation owner, Isaac Ross and other major planters had co-founded the Mississippi chapter of the American Colonization Society with that in mind. When he died, his will stipulated his slaves would be freed and that the sale of his plantation would fund their move to Liberia. The excavation of this site will be led by Shawn Lambert, an assistant professor in the department of anthropology & middle eastern cultures at Mississippi State University. Andrew Whitaker, a cultural anthropologist, will be assisting with the project as well. The organization is requesting that people arrive on June 19 to allow time for preparations. "I think this is going to be fun and informative," Lambert said to Mississippi Today. "I think we all will learn a lot together. "We would like to find any notable features, cultural material, or artifacts that they have left behind so that we can get a better understanding of the history there." "We hope at the end of this, to take the materials we find and combine material culture with the documentary that the archaeological conservancy developed of Prospect Hill, with the voices of the descendant communities in Liberia. And, eventually put up an interactive, collaborative exhibition at a museum or at one of the museums at Mississippi State University." |
| Mississippi in top 2 states recognized for teacher preparation in reading | |
| In a new report titled Teacher Prep Review: Strengthening Elementary Reading Instruction, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) recognized Mississippi and Colorado as the top two states for ensuring scientifically based reading instruction in their teacher preparation programs. "While individual preparation programs can improve the outcomes for their enrolled candidates, states hold the power to institute improvements to reading instruction and teacher preparation on a statewide scale," the NCTQ report states. "Several states have already taken this step, showing what is possible. Mississippi and Colorado stand out for high scores for their teacher prep programs and minimal existence of practices contrary to scientifically based reading instruction." The NCTQ report said that the strong results by Mississippi and Colorado should come as no surprise given the investments and attention the states have given in recent years to promoting scientifically based reading instruction, including developing robust and specific teacher preparation standards and accountability, requiring a strong reading licensure test addressing all five components, and offering supports for teacher preparation programs to make the transition to scientifically based reading preparation. As for teacher prep at state universities, three in-state colleges earned exemplary program status in the NCTQ review: Jackson State University, Southern Miss, and Mississippi State. NCTQ noted that the teacher prep programs at these three schools serve as great examples from which others can learn. |
| Willie Nelson now has a grasshopper named after him | |
| Texas country music legends Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker were bestowed a different kind of honor this month, when two new species of grasshoppers were named after them. The flightless grasshoppers, called Melanoplus nelsoni and Melanoplus walkeri, were discovered by a research team in Central Texas. The study, "Diversification deep in the heart of Texas," was published in the scientific journal ZooKeys. "We'd all be loaded up in the truck. And in Texas, there's a lot of roads and a lot of time in the car between sites," said team leader JoVonn Hill, an assistant research professor at Mississippi State University and director of the Mississippi Entomological Museum. "So, of course, you bring your music and when you're in Texas, you gotta listen to Texas music. I thought it would be a cool way to honor them for their contributions, but also just the joy they brought us." The two species were among seven new grasshoppers identified by Hill and his team. Six come from the Edwards Plateau, an area of "extraordinary diversity of life," according to the environmental group, The Nature Conservancy. Remembering his time in Luckenbach, Hill said: "I looked up and there's seven or eight people standing on the porch. They're looking out watching these two guys with insect nets run around chasing grasshoppers. It's a small community, so for a day, we got to say we were the talk of the town." Hill's interest in grasshoppers started as an undergraduate at Mississippi State University. As he neared graduation, a mentor asked if he was considering grad school. Having no other plans, Hill stuck around for a master's degree and then a Ph.D. He's now chasing grasshoppers across the United States. |
| Rice stinkbug resists management | |
| How to manage rice stinkbugs could be written like a children's book: if you find rice stinkbugs in your field, then you must find a way to treat them. If a pesticide is available, it might not be efficacious. If the pesticide is efficacious, it's probably not available. If an efficacious pesticide is available, it may not be approved for export. If you rotate your rice fields with crawfish, supply and efficacy don't matter; you don't have a labeled pesticide option. Despite the circular nature of a conversation about managing rice stinkbug, scouts and rice farmers must stay on top of the economically damaging pest. The first management step, of course, is scouting. "You've got to be diligent and timely with your sampling," Mississippi State Extension Entomologist Don Cook said. "When the rice starts heading, start looking." |
| Punishing winds, possible tornadoes inflict damage as storms cross US South | |
 | Damaging winds and possible tornadoes toppled trees, damaged buildings and blew cars off a highway Wednesday as powerful storms crossed the South from Texas to Georgia. The National Weather Service issued numerous tornado warnings, mainly in southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia, and cautioned that gusts of hurricane-force winds exceeding 90 mph (145 kph) were possible in parts of northeast Louisiana and central Mississippi. Some areas also were pelted with large hail. Witnesses posted video of tornadoes hitting Abbeville and Eufala in Alabama. Forecasters said severe storm threats could persist into Thursday, with the greatest risk across southern Alabama and Georgia into the Florida Panhandle as well as Oklahoma and parts of northern Texas and southern Kansas. Felecia Bowser, meteorologist in charge for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida, called the far-reaching inland storm system unprecedented for this time of year. "In June, we're usually gearing up more for tropical weather," Bowser said. "This type of widespread, aggressive precipitation that we're seeing today usually occurs more so in the spring." |
| Early dirt work ongoing at site of aluminum mill | |
 | Before you build an aluminum mill, you have to work some dirt. Aluminum Dynamics Inc. has been excavating land on its 1,100-acre site for a new flat-rolled aluminum mill since late March. Now, contractors are preparing to erect office spaces for the plant, Geiger Excavators project manager Grant Chaffee said. Geiger Excavators and Vision IV Construction, sister construction companies based out of Indiana, are the current contractors for the project. Chaffee told The Dispatch excavation teams have been clearing land for road access into the plant area since March and are installing drainage lines for four smaller buildings which will be used for office space, a cafeteria and a warehouse. One concrete slab has already been poured, with three others to follow. Plans for the new aluminum mill began in early 2022 between SDI, an Indiana-based steel company, and The Golden Triangle Development LINK. In November, the Mississippi State Legislature passed a $246 million incentive package, in part, to build a state-of-the-art low-carbon, aluminum flat-rolled mill near its Columbus steel mill. Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins said the project is progressing at the right pace. However, ADI still needs to obtain a federal air emissions permit and complete a land transfer for 144 acres with Golden Triangle Regional Airport. "Obviously, they're out there working daily. Quite a lot of dirt work is being done," Higgins said. "... (ADI) will have their final permits in hand probably around the first of July, then they'll be ready to go." |
| Golden Triangle LINK to bring another megasite to Lowndes County | |
 | The Golden Triangle Development LINK is bringing another Tennessee Valley Authority Certified Megasite to Lowndes County. This area is the only one to have multiple megasites. Plans are underway now and the economic development team is ready to get rolling. While it may be bare now, this field will be growing new economic development opportunities in Lowndes County. Chief Executive Officer of the Golden Triangle LINK Joe Max Higgins said work has already begun. "Our goal is to start this July do the diligence wrap it up by next July and then move forward with the acquisition of the site, the installation of the infrastructure, and the actual marketing of the site," said Higgins. The 1,500 acres of land sit just north of Paccar. This area continues to set the record for TVA megasites. "Nobody else in the TVA service territory has. There are only nine of them and nobody else has ever done more than one except us," said Higgins. |
| Clark Beverage holds groundbreaking | |
| Clark Beverage Group broke ground Tuesday afternoon on their new $100 million facility in Madison County set to be completed in early 2025. Madison County Mega Site officials announced in May that CBG would be building a new facility off of Mississippi 22 west of Canton. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in the MCEDA office building due to inclement weather. The new facility will be located at the Madison County Mega Site, near the Amazon Fulfillment Center. The company plans to relocate to the new facility from its current location in Jackson. Multiple generations of the Clark family attended the groundbreaking ceremony along with city officials from across Madison County, including Canton Mayor William Truly, Canton aldermen, and Gluckstadt Mayor Walter Morrison. Chief Operating Officer Ken Skutnik said it was an exciting day for the Clark family and the project has been in the making for two years. "We offer our sincerest appreciation for everyone who has helped get us to this point," Skutnik said. "We couldn't have done it without the family, our board members, and our employees we work with every day. We have over 1,200 employees across multiple states." Clark Beverage Group is headquartered in Kentucky and began distributing Cola-Cola in 1903. The company now consists of three major businesses: CC Clark Inc., Clark Beverage Group, and Clark Distributing Company. |
| Fed's Powell Suggested July Rate Rise Is Likely, Analysts Say | |
 | The Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady while projecting more increases ahead reflected a compromise that makes a hike next month more likely, analysts said after Chair Jerome Powell's comments Wednesday. Powell's phrasing during a press conference hinted that his default position for now is to raise rates at the Feds' July 25-26 meeting, some said. Fed officials' new economic projections released Wednesday showed 12 of 18 expected to raise rates at least two more times this year to fight inflation, up from four officials in March. Officials agreed unanimously to hold their benchmark federal-funds rate in its current range between 5% and 5.25% on Wednesday. Another increase would push the short-term rate to a 22-year high. Policy makers are concerned they haven't seen inflation and economic activity cool more notably. They are trying to balance that with risks that the delayed effects of their rapid increases last year and more recent banking strains could crimp growth and the labor market more than they expect in the year ahead. Powell said repeatedly that Fed officials haven't decided whether to raise rates in July, but at one point he referred to Wednesday's decision to hold rates steady as "the skip." Several analysts said they believed that inadvertently revealed his preference to raise rates next month. |
| $9.8M allocated for 21 outdoor stewardship projects | |
| The Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund Board of Trustees (MOSTF) has approved its first selection of grants totaling $9.8 million for 21 conservation and outdoor recreation projects. This initial allocation of funding will be matched by more than $31.4 million from other sources. "I was proud to sign legislation that created the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund," Governor Tate Reeves said. "The Fund is already paying dividends to communities all over Mississippi. These grants will be critical to preserving Mississippi's natural beauty so that future generations can enjoy it." The grants chosen include a diversity of projects that meet the goals of improving state parks and outdoor recreation trails, improving access to public waters and lands, and preserving, enhancing, and restoring Mississippi's native wildlife and fish resources and their critical habitats across Mississippi. More than 79,000 jobs will be created and the projects will enhance the state's $8 billion outdoor recreation economy. "We were pleased to receive over 100 project applications in our first round. There was no shortage of excellent projects, but limited funding made it very competitive," MOSTF Chair Van Ray said. "The Board worked very hard to determine which projects would receive funding based on a comprehensive set of criteria." |
| HB 1020 Mississippi hearing focuses again on chief justice as defendant | |
 | Attorneys spent nearly three hours Wednesday morning debating aspects of the controversial House Bill 1020 and another associated bill, both of which would become law July 1 if not for a restraining order associated with the case, but as the parties broke for lunch little progress had been made on the merits of the case. Instead, the parties discussed the possibility of merging the case, brought by the NAACP, with another case and relitigating the inclusion of Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Randolph as a defendant. Randolph had been granted judicial immunity by U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate earlier this month, but attorneys for the NAACP asked Wingate for clarification Thursday, and Mark Nelson, an attorney for Randolph, asked the judge to declare his earlier decision a final order. Nelson said he was shocked to see the plaintiffs motion for clarification, adding that it is really an attempt to challenge Wingate's earlier decision. "This is nothing more than a rejection of your honor's ruling. I don't want to say that it's contemptuous, but it's getting close," Nelson said. "I shouldn't have to keep coming back, and the reason I say this is you entered an order," Randolph said to Wingate. "I've never seen a circus like this one," Randolph later said. Wingate later gave the chief justice the opportunity to clarify what he meant by that statement, to which Randolph said it was solely targeted at the legal arguments made by the NAACP attorneys. |
| 'A circus': Mississippi Supreme Court Justice decries efforts to keep him in lawsuit | |
| In a rare address to a federal court Wednesday, Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph called efforts to attach him to a lawsuit challenging a new state law a "circus" with "no legal precedent in U.S. history." Randolph was named a defendant in the lawsuit challenging House Bill 1020. The legislation was signed into law by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves in April. The new state law, which U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate has temporarily prevented from taking effect, expands the state's role in courts and policing in Jackson. Speaking before Wingate, Randolph said Wednesday was the first day in over 19 years that he addressed a courtroom from the podium rather than from the judge's bench. "I have never seen a circus like this one," Randolph said. "I can't find a case in U.S. history like this." The lawsuit, filed by the national, state and local chapters of the NAACP, says "separate and unequal policing" will return to Mississippi's majority-Black capital under the state-run police department whose territory would widen under the new state law. The law also creates a new court in part of Jackson with a judge appointed by Randolph and requires him to appoint four temporary judges to serve with the four elected judges in the area's circuit court. |
| Find out who is cutting the biggest checks for the leading candidates for governor | |
| When both incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves and challenger Brandon Presley posted fundraising totals last week for the May reporting period, some notable names and big donors were featured on their lists. Like every other statewide race, the Republican raised more than the Democrat, with Reeves bringing in nearly $668,000 and Presley getting more than $355,000. Presley did manage to post a record total for a Democrat, raising about $145,000 more in May than former Attorney General Jim Hood did in his run for governor four years ago. Reeves reported raising about $668,000 in May, while spending less than $279,000. Reeves' cash on hand stands at about $7.47 million. Reeves' legacy J. Tate Reeves account also reported holding about $1.97 million, bringing the presumptive Republican nominee's total to about $9.4 million. The legacy account neither raised nor spent any of its funds during the May period. When counting each individual contribution equally, about 96% of donations to the Reeves' campaign came from Mississippi residents, compared to about 72% for the Presley campaign. Presley, who held a fundraiser in New Orleans just before the most recent filing period, saw a significant amount of his out-of-state support come from neighboring Louisiana. Twenty-four Louisiana residents donated to Presley in May, with two giving $5,000 to the campaign. Presley received a $250 donation from former Democratic Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus, along with $1,000 from former Mississippi journalist, author and professor Curtis Wilkie. Wilkie and Hinton were just two of a number of writers to give to Presley, who also got a $1,500 donation from Richard Howorth, owner of Square Books in Oxford. |
| Poll: 21% of Republican primary voters back Democrat Brandon Presley over GOP Gov. Tate Reeves | |
| A new Mississippi Today/Siena College poll shows one-of-every-five likely Republican primary voters would vote for Democrat Brandon Presley over incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves in the November general election. Many of those voters, however, still don't know enough about Presley to have a definite opinion. The poll of Mississippians likely to vote in the 2023 GOP primary showed 21% were likely to vote for Presley if the gubernatorial election were held today, while 70% would support Reeves' bid for reelection. The results showed that 8% of participants were undecided, while only 1% said they would not vote in the election. To successfully become the first Democrat elected to the Governor's Mansion since 1999, Presley must encourage a substantial base of Democratic voters to turn out on Election Day. But he'll also have to convince some traditionally Republican voters to back him instead of Reeves. In the northeast congressional district where Presley lives, Reeves overwhelmingly carries Republican primary voters at 68%, while only 15% support Presley. In the central part of the state, where Reeves lives, 73% support the governor's reelection campaign, with 23% indicating they back Presley. In the southern district, the governor's most extensive firewall of support, only 13% back Presley, while 79% said they would vote for Reeves. |
| Sen. McDaniel speaks to Jones County Republican Women | |
 | On the campaign trail, state Sen. Chris McDaniel spoke to the Jones County Republican Women on Wednesday. McDaniel appeared at the Mississippi Association of Supervisors annual convention in Gulfport before coming through Jones County. McDaniel currently is vying for the lieutenant governor's seat against incumbent Delbert Hosemann. A recent Mississippi Today/Siena College poll indicated that Hosemann has 47 percent of the voter's support with McDaniel at 32 percent. McDaniel spoke to the group about the state of liberalism and "woke" culture in Mississippi. "The people of this state have got to fight back against liberalism," McDaniel said. "The woke culture is killing our kids, it's infiltrating our universities and we're here to fight against that woke culture, but also, just for our core values. "Mississippi is one of the last places remaining where we can push back against Washington, where we can push back against Joe Biden and we can protect our traditions and protect our way of life." |
| Mississippi community workers battle maternal mortality crisis | |
 | When Lauren Jones was pregnant with her first child, doctors overlooked a leak in her amniotic sac because her description of the symptoms didn't strike them as cause for alarm. The symptoms didn't improve. So when Jones went back a second time, she took no chances -- she lied and told them she was spotting. The doctors quickly determined she needed an emergency cesarean section. Jones is no anomaly in her home state of Mississippi, where 38.5 percent of pregnancies result in C-sections. But she is also one of the lucky ones. Mississippi has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country, a rate made worse by the pandemic. Black women like Jones in the state died at a rate four times higher than white women. Mississippi also has the worst infant mortality rate, with more than eight babies dying for every 1,000 births. he state is working to reverse those trends through a number of initiatives, including through community outreach groups and statewide training programs. But political forces have hamstrung broader efforts, like expanding Medicaid, and the real work is left to the community workers innovating on the front lines of the crisis. In March, GOP Gov. Tate Reeves signed a narrower postpartum Medicaid extension that grants coverage for 12 months after birth, but the effects will likely be partially offset as the state processes eligibility redeterminations in the wake of the pandemic. The problem, caused by socioeconomic gaps in access, health and poverty, as well as unconscious bias and systemic racism, is exacerbated by dwindling access to hospitals in rural areas, where the population already tends to be older and sicker. Rural hospitals were closing at a record clip before Congress flooded the economy with COVID-19 dollars, and now the pace is set to pick back up again. |
| One of Kevin McCarthy's biggest legislative tests is still ahead -- and it's going to be messy | |
 | The recent far-right rebellion that brought the House floor to a halt is a bad omen for another rapidly approaching legislative fight: the 2023 farm bill. Major battle lines are forming within the House Republican caucus over the $1 trillion farm bill reauthorization expected to hit the full House this fall -- just as Washington is set to descend into another all-consuming battle to fund the government. GOP hardliners are still fuming over the deal House Speaker Kevin McCarthy struck with President Joe Biden to raise the debt limit earlier this month, especially a provision that could expand the number of people on federal food aid. And they are keen to take another swing at limiting that anti-hunger program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, up for reauthorization in the farm bill -- which promises to be politically polarizing. Republican lawmakers from agriculture-heavy districts, however, want to move as quickly as possible to pass the legislative package -- which contains billions of dollars for agriculture and rural development programs their constituents rely on. And they worry their far-right colleagues will snarl up those plans, pushing farm bill passage into the new year. That's presenting McCarthy with one of his biggest legislative tests yet: Fending off yet another revolt from the right flank of his caucus while securing the bipartisan support that will be necessary to approve the must-pass legislation. At the rate it's going, Congress may have to resort to extending the existing farm bill authorizations as programs begin to expire this fall -- a practical and political headache for the agriculture sector and ag-state Republicans as they gear up for the 2024 election. |
| Battle over parties' share of earmarks erupts in House panel | |
| A partisan rift over the distribution of earmarks in next year's appropriations bills spilled out into the open Wednesday as House Democratic appropriators accused panel Republicans of sharing far more money with their own side of the aisle than is equitable. In the 117th Congress when Democrats had the majority, the Appropriations Committee operated under an agreement where Democrats received roughly 63 percent of earmarked funds in the initial House spending bills, leaving 37 percent for the minority Republicans, ranking member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said. House Republicans have decided to keep that split between the majority and minority in this Congress. During Wednesday's full committee markup of the fiscal 2024 Agriculture spending bill, DeLauro and other Democrats railed against Republicans' decision to keep a similar funding split. A GOP committee aide said that DeLauro herself set the precedent on earmark allocations when she was leading the committee. "We may not have agreed with their logic on the split but went along with it out of respect," the aide said. "Republican members expect to be treated fairly when the shoe is on the other foot." During the Agriculture hearing, committee Democrats expressed outrage over paltry funding for their earmarks. |
| 'Stand with Trump' becomes rallying cry as Republicans amplify attacks on US justice system | |
| Moments after Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he hoarded classified documents and then conspired to obstruct an investigation about it, the Republicans in Congress had his back. Speaker Kevin McCarthy dashed off a fundraising email decrying the "witch hunt" against the former president and urging donors to sign up and "stand with Trump." Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell steered clear of criticizing the former president, refusing to engage in questions about the unprecedented indictment. And at a public meeting in the Capitol basement, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene compared the case against Trump to the federal prosecution of people at the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, suggesting in both instances it was the Justice Department, not the defendants, under scrutiny. The mounting legal jeopardy Trump finds himself in has quickly become a political rallying cry for the Republicans, many of whom acknowledged they had not fully read the 49-page federal indictment but stood by the indicted former president, adopting his grievances against the federal justice system as their own. It's an unparalleled example of how Trump has transformed the Republican Party that once embraced "law and order" but is now defending, justifying and explaining away the grave charges he faces with multiple counts of violating the Espionage Act by hoarding classified documents containing some of the country's most sensitive national security secrets. |
| The Radical Strategy Behind Trump's Promise to 'Go After' Biden | |
 | When Donald J. Trump responded to his latest indictment by promising to appoint a special prosecutor if he's re-elected to "go after" President Biden and his family, he signaled that a second Trump term would fully jettison the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence. "I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family," Mr. Trump said at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., on Tuesday night after his arraignment earlier that day in Miami. "I will totally obliterate the Deep State." Mr. Trump's message was that the Justice Department charged him only because he is Mr. Biden's political opponent, so he would invert that supposed politicization. In reality, under Attorney General Merrick Garland, two Trump-appointed prosecutors are already investigating Mr. Biden's handling of classified documents and the financial dealings of his son, Hunter. But by suggesting the current prosecutors investigating the Bidens were not "real," Mr. Trump appeared to be promising his supporters that he would appoint an ally who would bring charges against his political enemies regardless of the facts. The modern era for the Justice Department traces back to the Watergate scandal and the period of government reforms that followed President Richard M. Nixon's abuses. The norm took root that the president can set broad policies for the Justice Department -- directing it to put greater resources and emphasis on particular types of crimes or adopting certain positions before the Supreme Court -- but should not get involved in specific criminal case decisions absent extraordinary circumstances, such as if a case has foreign policy implications. |
| White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act, watchdog says | |
 | When she repeatedly used the term "MAGA Republicans" days before the 2022 election, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act, a U.S. government watchdog says. Jean-Pierre made the remarks during a briefing at the White House. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the independent federal agency that enforces the Hatch Act, issued a warning to Jean-Pierre, saying that while she violated limits on executive branch employees engaging in political activities, "the White House Counsel's Office did not at the time believe that Ms. Jean‐Pierre's remarks were prohibited." The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, or OSC, received a complaint from a group called Protect the Public's Trust. The group is led by Michael Chamberlain, an appointee to the Education Department during the Trump administration. The complaint accused Jean-Pierre of using her position "to advocate for the defeat of her partisan political opponents" and make derogatory remarks about Republicans. It noted that Jean-Pierre made the remarks from the podium in the White House's press briefing room, less than a week before the Nov. 8 general election. |
| U. of Mississippi researcher moving to Vicksburg to study African American experience after Civil War | |
| For the next two years, University of Mississippi history instructor Beth Kruse will live and work in Vicksburg, delving into the untold story of Black Americans in the tumultuous Civil War South. The National Park Service Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship has named 15 postdoctoral fellows -- Kruse among them -- to help tell a more inclusive and complete story of American history, particularly focusing on people who have, in the past, not been included in history's narrative. As a fellow, Kruse will piece together the history and experiences of African Americans living in and around Vicksburg between the Civil War and Reconstruction. "This is an enormous accomplishment for (Kruse)," said Kathryn McKee, director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. "(She) has gotten a post-doc that potentially points her toward a career in public history. This is a testimony to her persistence and her hard work and the quality of her work." For her fellowship, Kruse will examine widow and orphan pension letters and other documents from African American soldiers who died in the war and are buried in the Vicksburg National Cemetery. She will also gather stories from families who are descendants of Civil War soldiers and the local Freedmen communities. |
| Itawamba Community College, TPSD add associate degree nursing preferred candidacy track to Middle College program | |
 | Tupelo High School students will have the opportunity to get a head start in the nursing field next school year as part of a new addition to the Middle College program in partnership with Itawamba Community College. ICC president Jay Allen and Tupelo Public School District superintendent Rob Picou met Wednesday morning to sign an agreement creating an associate degree nursing preferred candidacy program within the Middle College. Launched in the 2019-20 school year, the Middle College program allows THS juniors and seniors to take dual credit classes at ICC-Tupelo. Participants earn 15 credits per semester, for a total of 60 credits, to be awarded an associate degree by the time they finish high school. The first Middle College cohort graduated from THS and ICC in May 2021. A total of 37 students have completed the program as of June 2023. Allen said the Middle College program has proven to be more successful than originally anticipated, and the preferred candidacy track is the next phase of the partnership. Allen said ICC continues to explore ways to expand its offerings and better serve local communities. He said the college looks forward to expanding the Middle College program in the future to students across ICC's five-county service area, which includes Lee, Itawamba, Pontotoc, Monroe and Chickasaw counties. |
| National report shows Mississippi improved in education, stagnated in other areas of child well-being | |
| A new national report on child well-being ranks Mississippi 32nd in the nation for education, the only measure in which the state's rank has meaningfully improved in the last decade. The 2023 KIDS COUNT Data Book, published annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, ranked Mississippi as 48th for overall child well-being, 47th in economic well-being, 50th in health, and 50th in family and community. Economic well-being is composed of metrics including housing cost burden, secure employment, and child poverty. Education is based on pre-K participation, graduation rates, and reading and math proficiency. Health is calculated using low-birth weight, access to health insurance, and obesity. Family and community is based on single-parent homes, teen birth rates, and children living in high-poverty areas. The education ranking has seen steady improvement over the last decade, moving from 48th in 2014. A press release from the Children's Foundation of Mississippi, a partner in the report, attributed the most recent improvement to the increased high school graduation rate. "The overall rank for education is quite a bright spot," said Linda Southward, executive director of the Children's Foundation of Mississippi. Commenting on the results generally, Southward also said the four areas of the report are very interconnected because of the essential role of the family in a child's life. She tied the overall scores to the high child poverty rate of 28% in Mississippi. |
| UA Fayetteville's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division personnel to be spread among other offices, departments | |
| The personnel and resources of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus's Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will shift into other departments and offices in the fall, Chancellor Charles F. Robinson said in a letter on Tuesday. The realignment, which Robinson described as the first under the university's broader "150 Forward" strategic plan, comes as educational institutions in Arkansas and other parts of the country face increasing scrutiny over matters involving race, gender and sexuality. The restructuring will take effect Aug. 1, UA-Fayetteville spokesman John F. Thomas said in an email on Wednesday. All of the division's employees will be given the opportunity to be reassigned. Those personnel and resources will be incorporated into Student Success; Student Affairs; Human Resources; the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance; and University Advancement, according to the letter. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance will also be "formally aligned" with Human Resources, though the office will continue to report directly to the chancellor. In his letter, addressed to "Campus Community and Friends," Robinson said the planning process "has affirmed that equal opportunity, access and belonging are critical to our land-grant mission and university values." Thomas said that, as a state institution, the university is "respectful" of laws, regulations and various viewpoints. However, he added, "from an educational standpoint and as an employer, we believe that this is the best way to fulfill our land-grant mission of access and opportunity for all." |
| U. of Oklahoma approves third consecutive tuition increase | |
| A 3% tuition increase has been approved at the University of Oklahoma, guaranteeing students' costs will rise for the third consecutive year. University leaders say the increase is necessary to cover rising recurring costs, including faculty and staff raises. Although OU received $8.8 million more from the Oklahoma Legislature this year, administrators said state funding levels aren't as consistent as tuition revenue. "We think this is integral to the success of the university," Chief Financial Officer Matthew D. Brockwell said. "We need to have funding for our strategic imperatives and to take care of our people." The OU Board of Regents unanimously voted in favor of the measure while meeting Wednesday at the POSTOAK Lodge & Retreat outside of Tulsa. The board approved a $1.17 billion budget for OU's Norman campus, including $10 million in merit-based raises for faculty and staff, and an $882 million budget for the Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. Tuition rose last year by 3% for out-of-state students and by 2.75% the year before for Oklahoma residents and non-residents. This year's increase adds $5 per credit hour for in-state undergraduates and $21.75 for out-of-state undergraduates. That brings the total cost to $169 per credit hour for Oklahomans and $738 per credit hour for students from other states. |
| Gov. Abbott signs DEI bill into law, dismantling diversity offices at colleges | |
| Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a bill aimed at dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, offices and programs in higher education, after months of debate on the Senate and House floors. "With this bold, forward-thinking legislation to eliminate DEI programs, Texas is leading the nation, and ensuring our campuses return to focusing on the strength of diversity and promoting a merit-based approach where individuals are judged on their qualifications, skills, and contributions," Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, said in a statement. Creighton introduced the bill to the Senate early March. "What sets SB 17 apart from other proposals is that the legislation delivers strong enforcement with mandates to return Texas colleges and universities to their core mission -- educate and innovate," Creighton said. Abbott has not released a public statement about signing the bill and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The bill was challenged by Democrats every step of the way, from the Senate higher education subcommittee to the House floor. But starting in January 2024, Texas campuses must eliminate DEI offices, mandatory DEI statements and training. UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell is one of the few college leaders to make a public statement about the bill prior to the governor signing it in early June. He asked for the community's patience while his team works to understand "the contours of the new legal framework and how the UT System will implement its oversight under the new legislation." |
| Wisconsin Republicans Take Aim at Funding for Diversity | |
 | Wisconsin on Tuesday became the latest state where the legislature is targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion work. And Republican legislators there are taking a different tack to do so than the one pursued by their colleagues in Florida, Texas, and more than a dozen other states: the budget. The state's top Republican told the Associated Press that he'd like the budget-writing committee to slash about $32 million in funding to the University of Wisconsin system over two years, which he said was equivalent to what the system would spend on DEI-related work in the same time period. "I hope we have the ability to eliminate that spending," said Robin J. Vos, the speaker of the State Assembly. "The university should have already chosen to redirect it to something that is more productive and more-broadly supported." While lawmakers elsewhere have proposed bills that would prohibit DEI offices and efforts, Vos and his colleagues are seeking to cut off the public-university system's ability to bankroll them. Officials in other states, like Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Oklahoma, have required colleges to account for how much money they spend on their DEI programs, but have not yet been successful in cutting spending on them. But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, did the same in late December en route to banning public institutions from spending on DEI last month. Though targeting DEI work through a state budget may seem like a less-direct threat than writing a bill banning spending on diversity, the chilling effect it creates is the same, said Paulette Granberry Russell, president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. |
| Harvard Medical School morgue manager accused of stealing, selling human body parts as part of 'nationwide network' | |
| A manager of Harvard Medical School's morgue and his wife are accused of stealing human body parts -- among them heads, brains, skin and bones -- from donated cadavers and selling them, according to a federal indictment. Cedric Lodge, 55, was identified as the morgue manager in a federal indictment filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Lodge and five others, including his wife, Denise Lodge, 63, are facing charges of conspiracy and transport of stolen goods. Lodge and his wife were part of a "nationwide network" of people buying and selling human remains that came from Harvard and an Arkansas mortuary, according to the prosecutor's office. "Some crimes defy understanding," U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam said. "The theft and trafficking of human remains strikes at the very essence of what makes us human. It is particularly egregious that so many of the victims here volunteered to allow their remains to be used to educate medical professionals and advance the interests of science and healing." Also facing charges is the owner of Kat's Creepy Creations in Peabody, Katrina Maclean. Her Instagram page advertises "creations that shock the mind & shake the soul," including bone art. Two Pennsylvania men, Joshua Taylor and Jeremy Pauley, are also accused of being part of the buying and selling network. |
| The hidden costs of transferring to a 4-year college | |
| A stellar high school student in Brockton, Massachusetts, William Kimani earned so many credits at a nearby community college that he graduated from high school with an associate degree too. The son of Kenyan immigrants, he thought it would save him time and money when he enrolled at the University of Chicago and transferred his credits. Instead, he learned a hard lesson in college economics: The university told him none of the two-year associate degree credits would count toward his bachelor's degree. "Zero," Kimani said on a recent morning, recalling the blunt email he received from college administrators in Chicago. It "was quite painful because I feel like the degree that I worked towards was a lot of work -- a lot of effort." In a statement, a spokesperson for the university said transfer credits must come from institutions that grant bachelor's degrees. One of the supposed benefits of attending community college is that it offers an affordable path to a four-year degree, but that's not the reality for many students. Some highly selective four-year colleges have policies that allow them to determine which credits count after a student enrolls. But others -- like the University of Chicago -- reject all credits from two-year institutions. It's a practice that costs students thousands of dollars per credit and prevents them from graduating on time with less debt, while colleges profit off their enrollment. |
| Senate Republicans introduce plan to tackle student loan debt | |
 | Senate Republicans are unveiling their own plan to tackle student debt as the Supreme Court is set to rule soon on President Biden's student debt relief program. The GOP package, called the "Lowering Education Costs and Debt Act," consists of five bills that the senators say will address the root causes of the student debt issue such as the increasing price of college and students taking out loans they can't afford. The package was introduced by five Republican senators: Bill Cassidy (La.), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; Chuck Grassley (Iowa), John Cornyn (Texas), Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) and Tim Scott (S.C.). The first two bills in the package specifically deal with how colleges give students information before they decide to attend. The "College Transparency Act (CTA)" would reform the college data reporting system so students have better information about outcomes at schools before committing to a university. The "Understanding the True Cost of College Act" will require schools to have a similar style for their financial aid letters with a breakdown of the aid so students can better compare offers. The last three bills deal directly with student loans, including how information is given to borrowers and limiting some borrowing. |
| Republicans seek to overhaul federal student loan system | |
 | If the Biden administration's plan to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loans fails at the Supreme Court, Senate Republicans say they have an answer for what policy makers should do next to address the student debt crisis. Louisiana senator Dr. Bill Cassidy unveiled a package of bills Wednesday that he and other Senate Republicans said would rein in the cost of a college education and address the root causes that are driving students to take on more loans. The Lowering Education Costs and Debt Act, which is a collection of five bills, gives a good look into Cassidy's priorities as ranking Republican on the Senate education committee. "Student loan debt is an anchor on people's feet, and that is what is keeping them from mobility," Cassidy said at a press conference. "We're trying to make it so that this person has a future untethered by student loan debt, which predictably they would not be able to pay back." Cassidy, who sponsored a resolution that would've blocked Biden's debt-relief plan, criticized that plan as a Band-Aid that "saddles taxpayers with a burden again in five years." Cassidy and other Republican co-sponsors including Texas senator John Cornyn, Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville and Iowa senator Chuck Grassley largely pointed to colleges and universities as a key cause of the student debt crisis. |
| Court hears arguments over records related to Biden gift of Senate papers to U. of Delaware | |
| The state Supreme Court is mulling whether the University of Delaware was justified in denying requests from Judicial Watch and the Daily Caller News Foundation for records related to the school's receipt of President Joe Biden's senatorial papers. The justices heard arguments for the second time Wednesday in a long-running legal battle over the records, which have been the subject of multiple FOIA requests. That battle is playing out amid increased scrutiny of the handling of government documents by elected officials, including this week's indictment of former President Donald Trump for allegedly mishandling and retaining classified documents at his Florida estate. Meanwhile, the discovery of documents with classified markings at Biden's Delaware home and at his former Washington office is the subject of a n investigation by a special counsel. The FBI searched the University of Delaware earlier this year for classified documents as part of its investigation into the potential mishandling of government records by Biden. Biden donated his senatorial papers to his alma mater in 2012, when he was vice president of the United States. The donation includes more than 1,850 boxes of archived papers and 415 gigabytes of electronic records from his 36 years in the Senate. The donation is subject to a gift agreement that prohibits the records from being made publicly available until two years after Biden "retires from public life." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's 2024 SEC Football Opponents Revealed | |
| Mississippi State learned its 2024 Southeastern Conference opponents on Wednesday night. The announcement was made LIVE on SEC Network's SEC Now: 2024 Football Opponents Reveal show. The Bulldogs will play home games against Arkansas, Florida, Missouri and Texas A&M. They will travel to Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas. Dates of games will be announced later this year. SEC teams in 2024 will play eight conference games plus one required opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 or major independent during the 2024 season when the SEC becomes a 16-team conference. As previously announced, the Bulldogs will host Eastern Kentucky (Aug. 31), Utah State (Sept. 14) and UMass (Oct. 19) and travel to Arizona State (Sept. 7). The slate of conference home and away designations in 2024 was built with the provision that no school will travel to the same location to which it traveled in 2023. The 2024 SEC opponents were determined based on two primary factors: traditional opponents and balance of schedule strength. It was also previously announced the SEC will eliminate divisional standings beginning in 2024. |
| Mississippi State football's 2024 SEC schedule includes trip to Texas; No Alabama, Auburn or LSU | |
| The 2024 Southeastern Conference football season begins a new era, with new teams in Oklahoma and Texas and a new league schedule format without divisions. The conference voted at this month's SEC Spring Meetings to keep an eight-game league schedule for the 2024 season, with opponents being selected based on traditional rivalries as well as "fairness and balance." For MSU it meant its annual Egg Bowl rivalry against Ole Miss would remain on the schedule, along with its four non-conference games against Eastern Kentucky, Utah State, Massachusetts and at Arizona State. With Wednesday night's schedule reveal, the rest of the Bulldogs' schedule was finally known. Here is the full list of Mississippi State's home and away opponents for 2024: HOME: Eastern Kentucky, Utah State, Massachusetts, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Florida, Missouri. AWAY: Arizona State, Ole Miss, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas. Texas and MSU haven't played since 1999 at the Cotton Bowl. The Bulldogs haven't been to Austin since 1992. Florida and MSU haven't played since 2018 with the Gators winning the most recent matchup. It will be Florida's first trip to Starkville since 2018. Missouri and MSU haven't played since 2020 with the Bulldogs winning the last two matchups. The Bulldogs haven't been to Columbia since 2015. Tennessee and MSU haven't played since 2019. The Bulldogs haven't been to Knoxville since 2019. |
| Three initial takeaways from Mississippi State's 2024 SEC schedule | |
| Mississippi State found out its entire slate of 2024 football opponents when the Southeastern Conference announced league schedules for next year Wednesday night. The Bulldogs will host Texas A&M, Florida, Arkansas and Missouri to go along with home non-conference games against Eastern Kentucky, Utah State and Massachusetts. MSU will travel to Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas to go along with a non-conference road trip at Arizona State. From a fan perspective, MSU's 2024 road schedule is incredible. From a football perspective, the Bulldogs may have trouble winning games away from Davis Wade Stadium in two years. MSU will travel to Georgia, Tennessee and Texas to go along with its annual Egg Bowl matchup at Ole Miss and a non-conference road game to Arizona State. All fantastic college football venues. All fantastic college football programs. Each of the current 14 SEC teams were slated to play one of, and in some cases both, Texas and Oklahoma when they enter the conference in 2024. The Bulldogs got Texas, which likely pushes their first-ever meeting against Oklahoma to 2025. |
| Bulldogs to co-host tournament in Biloxi | |
| News broke on Wednesday that Mississippi State men's golf will be hosting a top-tier collegiate invitational this fall in Biloxi. Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Southern Miss will co-host the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational, scheduled for Oct. 15-17 at the Fallen Oak Golf Course. The 12-team field also includes LSU, Auburn, UNLV, Wisconsin, Kansas, UCF, Colorado, Iowa and SMU. All but one team in the field earned a team or individual NCAA regional bid in 2023. There will also be a collegiate amateur round on October 14, prior to the three-day invitational. Fallen Oak is considered a top-100 golf course in the country according to Golf Digest and has been consistently ranked among the top golf courses in Mississippi in recent years. |
| The Secretive Golf Club Finally Opening Its Doors for the U.S. Open | |
| Before four-time major winner Rory McIlroy arrived at this U.S. Open, he had never played Los Angeles Country Club, and he had to resort to studying the course the same way an everyday golf fan would. "I've watched some videos on YouTube," McIlroy said. McIlroy having to surf the internet to prepare for a major championship echoes why fans are buzzing so much about this U.S. Open -- and it has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia, LIV and the head-spinning agreement with the PGA Tour. For the general public, which apparently even includes the likes of McIlory, it's the first peek into one of the most revered yet secret golf clubs in the U.S. Unlike so many of the most esteemed golf properties, Los Angeles Country Club hasn't hosted a major before. It last hosted a tournament on what's now the PGA Tour in 1940. The winner of that tournament, Lawson Little, died 55 years ago. Which means there isn't exactly much institutional knowledge about the grounds among players. Now LACC's north course is opening its doors to a bigger audience than ever, giving pros and fans alike a rare glimpse into a club established in the 19th century but hardly seen since the first half of the 20th century. "In some ways it's our big unveiling," says club president Gene Sykes, a top Goldman Sachs executive who is also the chairman of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. |
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