| Wednesday, June 21, 2023 |
| Science, Quickly: Follow a Hurricane Expert into the Heart Of the Beast | |
 | Summer means sun, heat, sand, and the start of hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean from June 1 to November 30. Tropical storms and hurricanes can spin up over the warm waters, bringing punishing winds, torrential rains, and pounding surf when they hit land. Our ability to forecast these massive storms has improved considerably in the last few decades, but they can still throw us plenty of curveballs. To help us understand the secrets of these meteorological mysteries, we're talking to Kim Wood, an assistant professor of meteorology at Mississippi State University. |
| 'The Atlantic is definitely on fire': Unusually hot ocean sparks up early hurricane season | |
| The Atlantic Ocean is hot right now. Hotter than it's supposed to be for this time of year, and hot enough to worry scientists -- particularly ones who monitor hurricanes. Those higher-than-normal temperatures help explain why the National Hurricane Center's tracking map on Tuesday looked a lot more like a snapshot from August than June. It shows two brewing systems east of the Lesser Antilles, including one that has already reached tropical storm strength, Bret. Named storms in June are rare and past ones have typically popped in the Gulf of Mexico or near the Atlantic coast. Many spots have flashed past an important benchmark that usually doesn't happen until later in the season -- 26.5 degrees Celsius, the threshold scientists use to determine whether water is warm enough to support a tropical storm or hurricane. Kim Wood, an associate professor of meteorology at Mississippi State University, called the rate of rising sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic "mind-boggling." "We need a lot more than warm ocean water for [tropical cyclones] to form, and 26.5°C isn't a hard-and-fast threshold, but seeing [sea surface temperatures] already exceed that value for so much of this region is... unusual, as many others have noted," Wood tweeted. |
| Mississippi's watermelon harvest underway as rain increases | |
 | Harvest is in full swing for Mississippi's watermelon producers. "Last week, everything looked good," said Heath Steede, Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension agent in George County. "But we have had rains every day for the past five days, which is starting to negatively affect the crop. This is the point in the watermelon growing season where things can go either way very quickly." Watermelons need a balance of sun, rain and warmth to reach peak ripeness and sweetness. Early-season rains help watermelons grow, but excess rain at this point in production will cause melons to ruin and increase the potential for disease problems. Steede, who works with seven commercial growers in his county, said harvest is in full swing. "Everything from here on out is all according to the weather," Steede said on June 19. "And we're starting to see more disease because of all this rain." Steede said prices for the farmer are up from last year, and consumers of Mississippi watermelons can expect to pay a little more this year. |
| Starkville school keeps learning going with camps for students | |
 | School is out, but learning has not stopped in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District. The Partnership Middle School is hosting a variety of camps for students this week. The Partnership School is offering camps during their summer intermission, teaching students fun topics in non-traditional ways. They are offering camps teaching about chess, creative writing, and neuroscience. The attempt is to teach their students the topics in a more hands-on way. "This provides good opportunities for the students to learn in a non-traditional academic environment. So a lot of times they focus primarily on English language arts and math, and these help the students explore some interests, based on their age group. They get to choose which camps they would like to go to and so it allows them to focus on their interests," said David Nicholson, teacher. The students will also have the opportunity to visit Mississippi State University and OCH Regional Medical Center to learn more about each topic. These camps teach students life skills as well. |
| DA, judge partner to curb juvenile crime | |
 | The 16th Circuit Court District Attorney's Office and the Oktibbeha County Youth Court are seeking to prevent juvenile delinquency, and hopefully, break the cycle of crime long-term. County Court Judge Lee Ann Self Turner and District Attorney Scott Colom requested to apply for a grant to establish the Youth Violence Prevention Partnership at the board of supervisors meeting on Tuesday. County court handles all juvenile cases. "The overarching goal is to establish a comprehensive support system that promotes early intervention, diversion, education, and steering vulnerable youth away from the criminal justice system," Colom told the board. "... I think we have a much better chance of getting the grant if the DA's office partners with the youth court, because that will be a strong signal to the Department of Justice that we take this very seriously." YVPP would be funded by a Justice Assistance Grant from the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention worth between $160,000 and $180,000, if awarded, Colom told The Dispatch. In a press release on Monday, the District Attorney's Office said the program will seek to address the "root causes" of juvenile delinquency, rather than punishments after the problem happens. Turner said the Stop Now and Plan program would provide cognitive behavioral therapy for minors between the ages of 4 and 11 years old who the youth court identify as at-risk. |
| Cinco megasite proposed for 1,500 acres near Golden Horn | |
| The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday morning to pony up $250,000 to start the process of establishing a fifth megasite. The money is about half of the cost to do "due diligence," Golden Triangle Regional Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins told the supervisors during their meeting at the courthouse. A megasite is a large swath of land, usually more than 1,000 acres, dedicated to industrial developments for several companies to build and operate on. The megasite program is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The Golden Triangle already has four other megasites, which are home to Steel Dynamics, Aluminum Dynamics and Paccar in Lowndes County and Yokohama Tire in Clay County. The so-called "Cinco" megasite is planned for land north of Highway 82, Higgins said. The site encompasses about 1,500 acres bounded by North Frontage Road in the south, Steger Road and Golden Horn Road in the east, Swoope Road in the north and the area across from Paccar and east of the catfish ponds on the west. The Golden Horn Restaurant is not included in the site, Higgins said. Higgins said the LINK and the Lowndes County Industrial Development Authority have an option on the Cinco land, but preliminary work is needed to make sure it is suitable to develop. |
| U.S. Navy Seabees Harden Base Against Gunfire in Gulfport, Mississippi | |
| Facing a persistent security threat around its perimeter, a U.S. Navy support base has set up a blockade of shipping containers to prevent stray bullets from harming personnel and dependents -- not in Iraq, but in Gulfport, Mississippi. Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport is located on the city's west side. Its primary mission is support for the Naval Construction Forces, also known as the "Fighting Seabees," and it is known locally as the "Seabee Base." A neighborhood of detached single-family homes sits at the southwest corner of the base, just across the street from the William Bell Apartments, a HUD-subsidized affordable housing complex constructed in 1970. Though Gulfport is safer than the state capital of Jackson, it has an elevated crime rate overall, approximately twice the national average. Gunfire in low-income neighborhoods in Gulfport is a regular occurrence, including periodic armed confrontations at the William Bell complex. The perpetrators are often teenagers, including one 16-year-old arrested last year at the apartment complex for a fatal shooting. In a recent incident, "one of the bullets, or several bullets, struck one of the houses over there" on the Seabee base, Gulfport Councilman Kenneth Casey told local WLOX earlier this year. (NBC gave the number of naval base houses struck by stray gunfire as five separate units.) In response to the violence, base security patrols have been increased, and the street intersection nearest the threat has been blocked off with shipping containers. |
| PSC race: Brown dwarfs Newman in campaign funding, most from personal coffers | |
 | Three-term Republican Rep. Chris Brown is far outpacing his GOP opponent, Tanner Newman, in their race to become the next public service commissioner for the northern district, according to mandatory campaign finance reports filed late last week. Most of that funding -- more than half-a-million dollars -- comes from Brown's own coffers. Brown has three filings in which he raised money $816,046 in contributions within his Chris Brown for Mississippi filing. Brown spent about $198,122 in spending, $129,963 of which went to J. Russell and Associates, a Georgia-based event planning and public relations company. Meanwhile, Newman reported $103,131 in contributions and $65,704 in spending. Of the total cash balance, Newman raised $33,306 between May 1 and May 31. Newman reported $25,500 of his own money went into the campaign during his May 10 report. Though Brown has a significant lead in funds, most of his contributions come from the already significant war chest he built over the last three terms in the Legislature. Of the $816,046 he reported, $681,000 came from Brown or his campaign accounts. Another $200,000 from his now-closed campaign accounts went to repay an unnamed loan. |
| Tornadoes clobber Mississippi. Hours later, its governor attends Republican fundraiser in Alabama | |
 | Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves traveled to Alabama for a Republican fundraising event as people in his state were still reeling from back-to-back tornadoes that killed one person, injured dozens and destroyed homes and businesses, and in the midst of lingering power outages from severe thunderstorms. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Reeves headlined a Republican Governors Association fundraiser on Monday at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Birmingham, according to an invitation obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. Ticket prices ranged from $5,000 for one person to $50,000 for four people. Reeves is policy chairperson for the RGA and is seeking a second term as governor this year. His campaign manager Elliott Husbands said in response to questions Tuesday that the event was planned long ago, and money raised there was not earmarked for any specific campaign. Reeves has stayed in contact with Mississippi Emergency Management Agency leaders since storms started pounding the state last week, including during his Alabama trip that lasted about three hours, Husbands said. Brandon Presley, Mississippi's northern district public service commissioner, is the Democratic nominee for governor. His campaign communications director, Michael Beyer, on Tuesday criticized Reeves for attending the Republican Governors Association event. |
| The sleeper legal strategy that could topple abortion bans | |
 | Revs. Jan Barnes and Krista Taves have logged hundreds of hours standing outside abortion clinics across Missouri and Illinois, going back to the mid-1980s. But unlike other clergy members around the country, they never pleaded with patients to turn back. The sight of the two women in clerical collars holding up messages of love and support for people terminating a pregnancy "so infuriated the anti-abortion protesters that they would heap abuse on us and it drew the abuse away from the women," recalled Taves, a minister at Eliot Unitarian Chapel in Kirkwood, Missouri, as she sat on a couch at Barnes' stately church in this quiet suburb of St. Louis. "I thought: 'Whoa, these people really are not messing around.' But then I thought, 'Well, I'm not messing around either.'" So when Missouri's abortion ban took effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, Barnes and Taves decided to fight back. Along with rabbis and ministers across several denominations, they joined a first-of-its-kind lawsuit arguing Missouri blurred the line between church and state, imposed a particular Christian idea of when life begins over the beliefs of other denominations, and threatened their ability to practice their religions. As the nation nears the one year anniversary of the fall of Roe, the Missouri case is one of nearly a dozen challenges to abortion restrictions filed by clergy members and practitioners of everything from Judaism to Satanism that are now making their way through state and federal courts -- a strategy that aims to restore access to the procedure and chip away at the assumption that all religious people oppose abortion. |
| Congress, White House race to get arms around AI systems | |
 | Lawmakers are scrambling to catch up on emerging artificial intelligence technology, with House members this week proposing a national commission and the Senate majority leader prepping a regulatory framework. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., is set to unveil a framework for regulating the development of artificial intelligence on Wednesday. Dubbed "Safe Innovation in the AI Age," his plan will outline ways to "protect, expand, and harness AI's potential," his office said. "I will talk about some steps we must take to stay ahead of AI's rapid development," Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday. "Many of AI's impact are truly exciting ... It will reshape how we fight disease, tackle hunger, manage our lives, enrich our minds and ensure peace," he said. "But we cannot ignore AI's many dangers." Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., on Tuesday introduced legislation to create a national commission to study the technology. The proposal by Lieu and Reps. Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., would create a 20-member commission to examine how the U.S. can maintain leadership while setting up guardrails to prevent harms, examine which federal agencies oversee aspects of AI and study efforts to regulate it elsewhere in the world. |
| Biden calls Xi a dictator; Beijing slams remark as 'provocation' | |
 | China called President Biden's suggestion that its leader is a dictator "extremely absurd and irresponsible" on Wednesday, potentially undoing recent hard-won efforts to calm tensions between the two superpowers. Biden's comments came barely a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Xi Jinping in Beijing, in a bid to forge a tentative way past the tensions that have bedeviled relations since a Chinese spy balloon floated across the United States in February. Biden referred to Xi as a dictator while speaking at a campaign event on Tuesday, where he said the Chinese leader had been embarrassed by the spy balloon because he was unaware it had gone off course. "The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two boxcars full of spy equipment in it is he didn't know it was there," Biden said. "That's what's a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn't know what happened." Though Blinken said following his meetings with Chinese officials this week that Washington considered the matter of the balloon closed, Biden's comments struck a nerve in Beijing. John Delury, a professor of Chinese studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, said Biden's remark could "imperil the diplomatic initiative." While Blinken's mission did not result in tangible agreements or declarations, the "substance was the diplomacy," Delury said. "It was meeting and being respectful and cordial and sitting down face to face." Such an inflammatory remark so soon after the visit, Delury said, "does jeopardize some of what was done." |
| Glenn Youngkin eyes total control in Virginia | |
| Virginia hasn't gone for a Republican for president in nearly 20 years. But after Glenn Youngkin's upset victory there two years ago, the GOP is verging on total control of state government. It's a potential sea change with major implications for 2024. And it's turning Virginia's off-year elections -- which kick off with primaries on Tuesday -- into some of the most hotly contested races in the country. If Republicans achieve dominance, Youngkin could see his star rise even further. Youngkin, who hasn't entirely closed the door on running for president, could use total control of the state legislature to pass a conservative agenda in a blue-leaning state. And of course, what happens in Virginia is always viewed as a sign of things to come. "This is not just about the biggest election of 2023, here in Virginia, it's also the first battle of 2024," said Susan Swecker, the chair of the state Democratic Party. "Because trends [in Virginia] tell us a lot about the next year, whether it's in Virginia or nationally." Youngkin has been raising millions of dollars into his PAC and cutting an early ad campaign in mid-May in battleground seats that pumped up his political agenda. He has been trying to mold the state Republican Party in his image, endorsing downballot candidates, with releases from his PAC pointedly noting that he has waded into 10 contested Republican nominations. Youngkin is undoubtedly exercising an unusual level of control because he sees his success this November as closely tied to his political future. |
| Trump's advantages are huge in the 2024 GOP primary right now | |
 | For anyone to defeat former President Trump in the Republican primary, they are going to have to overcome the significant advantages he has with key pillar GOP voter groups, the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds. Despite, or perhaps because of, his legal problems, Republican primary voters continue to say they like Trump -- better than anyone in the field. And any argument that he is too weak a candidate to win a general election doesn't appear to hold much water with the party faithful. Almost two-thirds say they would rather have a candidate who stands on principle than has the best chance to defeat President Biden. On the Democratic side, President Biden is significantly better liked than the token opposition he faces, and he has seen his approval rating stabilize. He still faces challenges with independents and younger voters, however – key groups for his reelection fortunes. Potential Republican primary voters like Trump and former Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by a much wider margin than any other candidates to this point. But Trump has huge advantages with rural voters, white evangelical Christians, GOP women, those without college degrees and those who make less than $50,000 a year. DeSantis, on the other hand, has decidedly smaller edges with college-educated Republicans, GOP men and voters who live in cities and suburbs. |
| Sen. Lindsey Graham has message for Donald Trump: Stop focusing on grievance politics | |
 | During a recent phone call with Donald Trump, Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham nudged the former president to consider changing course when it comes to his 2024 White House bid. "I told him to talk more about the future," Graham said before issuing a warning to the early GOP frontrunner: "Grievances just give an opening to your opponents." Graham shared the details of the June 18 call during an interview with The Post and Courier on June 20. The South Carolina Republican is one of Trump's most vocal backers. He frequently defends Trump on national television and is also a key member of his leadership team South Carolina, an early primary state. Despite Graham's private and public urging, Trump has made settling past political scores a key feature of his 2024 presidential campaign. Graham said the former president wanted to discuss his upcoming South Carolina rally in Pickens. The July 1 event will be Trump's second campaign appearance in South Carolina but the first that has been open to the public. Graham said they also discussed Trump's current standing in the early primary state, which is also home to two of Trump's challengers for the Republican presidential nomination: Former Gov. Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott. Graham's comments came after he spoke at length with local reporters in the Charleston area on June 20, where he stressed that South Carolina is a must-win state for anyone hoping to be the GOP presidential nominee. |
| Federal judge strikes down Arkansas' gender-affirming healthcare ban as unconstitutional | |
| A federal judge in Little Rock struck down Arkansas' first-in-the-nation ban on gender affirming healthcare treatments for minors as unconstitutional on Tuesday, saying the law violates the Constitutional rights of transgender youth, their parents, and their medical providers. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge James M. Moody held that the plaintiffs -- four transgender youths, their families and their doctors -- had prevailed on all their claims and ruled the ban violates the Equal Protection Clause, the Due Process Clauses, and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Two years ago in July, in a rare ruling from the bench, Moody granted a temporary injunction to block the law from going into effect until the case was resolved. That ruling came two weeks before the law was set to go into effect. A ruling last year by a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Moody's temporary injunction and an appeal by the state for an en banc hearing -- meaning before the full 8th Circuit -- was rejected. Tuesday's ruling makes the injunction permanent. The law, Act 626 of 2021, had it gone into effect, would have prohibited doctors from providing or referring transgender young people for medically necessary health care related to the medically recognized condition known as "gender dysphoria." |
| As Mississippi Riverfront development booms, wetlands become crucial to stave off flooding | |
| The Mississippi River has been having a bit of a moment. "People all over the world want to come and see this iconic natural phenomenon that is the Mississippi," said Colin Wellenkamp, executive director of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative. "It has a larger international following than the Grand Canyon." No longer is the nation's largest river seen as only a corridor for commerce. More and more, people want to interact with the Mississippi and the scenery along its 2,340 miles through activities like birding and canoeing, as well as parks and public spaces right next to the water, Wellenkamp said. Communities up and down the river are eyeing multi-million dollar developments that tap into this desire and attract tourists and business. But the cities Wellenkamp works with face one unavoidable problem: The Mississippi floods, and climate change is making those floods carry more water and last longer. "So many of my cities have seen new projects wash away" when there's too much water, Wellenkamp said. And when there's too little, those projects "get stuck in the mud, because the water is way out there in the channel because it's a drought." After major flooding in 2019, his organization started focusing more on wetlands restoration to better manage the river's water. |
| An 'average' American income may no longer cut it | |
 | An average American income isn't enough for a comfortable living in 2023, according to two recent reports. The typical U.S. family earns about $71,000 a year, according to the Census. Yet, the average American believes a family needs at least $85,000 in annual household income to get by, according to a recent Gallup poll. That finding tracks with a recent study from SmartAsset, the financial technology company, which found the average American worker needs $68,499 in after-tax income to live comfortably. (That works out to around $85,000 in total income, assuming a 20-percent tax hit.) The two releases draw on a common premise: Many Americans earn too little in 2023 to attain a decent standard of living in their communities. American households are feeling the pinch after three years of relentless economic headwinds. American families would have good reason, economists say, to dial up their expectations for what it takes to live comfortably. Salaries haven't kept pace with inflation. Rising interest rates have pushed up housing costs. The SmartAsset report found that the average income to maintain a "comfortable lifestyle" rose by 20 percent between 2022 and 2023, from $57,013 to $68,499 in take-home pay, in the 25 largest metro areas. Cars, too, are becoming luxury purchases. The average price for a new vehicle hit $49,500 at the end of 2022, up from $38,948 three years earlier, according to the Kelley Blue Book. |
| Hal's St. Paddy's Day Parade and Festival raises thousands of dollars for Children's Of Mississippi at UMMC | |
| Jackson's annual street party with a purpose has helped raise thousands of dollars to support children and their families in Mississippi. This year's Hal's St. Paddy's Parade and Festival raised $100,000, which was presented to Friends of Children's Hospital at UMMC Tuesday. Malcolm White and Sweet Potato Queen Jill Conner Browne joined the check presentation along with volunteers and supporters for Friends of Children's Hospital. White said, "We are steady planning year 41, upcoming 4th Saturday in March. We're really excited. We already actually have a bit of a theme and a Grand Marshal in mind. So stay tuned for that. We'll gather you up once we make that final decision". Jill Conner Browne said, "I want to encourage everybody to get involved not just to come to the parade or participate in the parade but think of things that you can do in your group, in your church, in your school, wherever, to raise money for our hospital. Children's of Mississippi that is the only hospital in the state where any child can be and is treated regardless of ability to pay." This year was the 40th anniversary of the annual parade and festival. |
| New Co-Lin president introduces himself to county's board of supervisors | |
 | The new president of Copiah-Lincoln Community College introduced himself to the Adams County Board of Supervisor on Monday, emphasizing his desire to continue the long and prosperous relationship between the county and Co-Lin. Dr. Dwayne Middleton is the ninth president of Co-Lin. He begins work on July 1, succeeding Jane Hulon Sims, who resigned in the spring. Middleton has served as executive vice president of Copiah-Lincoln Community College since 2021, overseeing all campus vice presidents and all campus operations. He served as vice president of Co-Lin's Simpson County campus for seven years and prior to that, a variety of other positions during his 30 years at Co-Lin. Middleton is a Co-Lin graduate and was on its men's basketball team. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, a master's from Alcorn State University and a doctorate in community college leadership from Mississippi State University. "We are so proud that Adams County is part of the Co-Lin District. We want to make sure you realize we want all students from Adams County to attend Copiah-Lincoln Community College. That's private and public school students if at all possible. We need your help in moving forward," Middleton said. He said touted the affordability of an education at Co-Lin. |
| What the New, Low Test Scores for 13-Year-Olds Say About U.S. Education Now | |
 | The math and reading performance of 13-year-olds in the United States has hit the lowest level in decades, according to test scores released today from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the gold-standard federal exam. The last time math performance was this low for 13-year-olds was in 1990. In reading, 2004. Performance has fallen significantly since the 2019-2020 school year, when the coronavirus pandemic wrought havoc on the nation's education system. But the downward trends reported today began years before the health crisis, raising questions about a decade of disappointing results for American students. The federal standardized test, known as NAEP, was given last fall, and focused on basic skills. The 13-year-olds scored an average of 256 out of 500 in reading, and 271 out of 500 in math, down from average scores of 260 in reading and 280 in math three years ago. Achievement declined across lines of race, class and geography. But in math, especially, vulnerable children -- including Black, Native American and low-income students -- experienced bigger drops. The latest NAEP results are the federal government's final major release of data on pandemic learning loss. The scores add to educators' understanding of the challenges that lie ahead for children of different ages and demographic groups. |
| Steven Hood named vice president of student life at U. of Alabama | |
 | After serving as interim vice president for the division of student life at the University of Alabama since late winter, Steven Hood has been announced to that leadership post. He's worked more than 20 years in student affairs, including roughly 12 years at UA. The division he leads provides opportunities for students to continue learning and growing outside the classroom, through a variety of programs. Hood earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of West Alabama, after some time working in private industry. He then served as residence life area coordinator at Samford University in Birmingham while working on his master's degree in public administration from Troy University. He worked as director of housing and residence life, and assistant vice-chancellor for student housing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, earning his doctorate in education there. In 2011, Hood came to UA as executive director of housing and residential communities. Since then, he's served in a variety of leadership roles under student life, including interim director of the Community Service Center, interim vice president of Student Affairs, interim executive director of the Career Center, interim executive director of the Student Health Center and Pharmacy, and senior associate vice president for Student Life. |
| U. of West Alabama freezes tuition for sixth consecutive year | |
| The University of West Alabama will freeze tuition for the sixth consecutive year. The decision was made at UWA's June 5 board of trustees meeting, which included the approval of the school's $92.2 million budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year. "We want to make a high-quality educational experience as affordable as possible and for as many students as possible," said UWA President Ken Tucker in a news release. "As a public institution, we also have an obligation to operate as efficiently and responsibly as we can, and we believe that we've outlined a budget that will meet all of these needs." UWA has more than 1,320 undergraduate students at its 600-acre campus in Livingston in Sumter County. Last week, the University of Alabama System also announced a tuition freeze for the 2023-24 fiscal year, a move that affects the Tuscaloosa campus as well as the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The UA System's decision, approved by the board of trustees on June 9, applies only to in-state students. Out-of-state students will have a 3% increase at all three of the system's campuses. "... the tuition freeze for Alabama residents demonstrates our appreciation for the hardworking people of our state," UA System Chancellor Finis St. John. |
| U. of Arkansas dissolves DEI office | |
 | Lawmakers in Florida, Texas and Ohio have passed bills this year requiring their public institutions of higher education to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion offices. The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville didn't wait on legislative mandates; last week, the university dissolved its DEI division on its own. But the DEI office's staff and resources will be retained and reallocated to other offices, primarily in human resources and student success. Mark Rushing, associate vice chancellor for university relations, said administrators were discussing what that relocation would look like with the affected employees, including the current vice chancellor of diversity, equity and inclusion, Angela Mosley Monts. In a letter announcing the decision, Chancellor Charles Robinson stressed that it was made not in response to political pressures, but as the first step in a strategic plan to emphasize student success and faculty recruitment. Responses to the University of Arkansas announcement were mixed and, at times, confused. Some saw it as a victory in the intensifying war against DEI in higher ed, some as a capitulation to right-wing political bluster and others still as a defensive measure or sleight of hand to dodge lawmakers' scrutiny while continuing the work and ethos of the office under different names. Stephen Caldwell, chair of the Faculty Senate, said all of those responses miss the bigger picture. "The chancellor has been very clear about doing this for months, reframing the debate around diversity, equity and inclusion -- because that's what it has become, a debate -- as one about student success," he said. |
| Are Other States Poaching Florida's College Administrators? | |
 | Miriam L. Wallace is worrying about something she hasn't worried about in nearly three decades: moving. Wallace joined the faculty at New College of Florida in 1995, and she's been in Sarasota ever since. Over the years she's brought in tens of thousands of grant dollars, led the gender-studies program, and climbed the leadership ranks. Eventually she became chair of the humanities division, a job she's held for the past six years. This month she's packing her bags. "I just didn't feel that I could stay here," she told The Chronicle. "I definitely felt pushed from behind." Wallace -- who is now off to an arts and sciences deanship at the University of Illinois at Springfield -- is one of several senior administrators to leave Florida in recent months as Republican politicians try to impose a new vision on the state's public colleges. State legislation has aimed to restrict teaching and programs related to diversity and race, and to reshape faculty tenure. New College in particular has been thrown into turmoil as conservative activists stage what critics describe as an ideological takeover. Parsing out why a person leaves a job, particularly when it comes to the contingent world of college leadership, isn't straightforward. But the steady trickle of administrators departing to other states -- at least half a dozen so far this year -- is adding to fears among many academics that the Sunshine State could face a mass higher-ed exodus. |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center gives trans patient medical records to Tennessee Attorney General | |
 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center has turned over transgender patient medical records to the Tennessee Attorney General's office, which confirmed Tuesday it is conducting an investigation into potential medical billing fraud. VUMC, through a spokesperson, confirmed to The Tennessean on Tuesday the facility provided patient medical records to the attorney general. The Tennessean reviewed a VUMC notice informing patients of the move, which the facility said was the result of an investigation into "billing for transgender care services provided to individuals enrolled in State-sponsored insurance plans." The state requested medical records from Jan. 1, 2018 to the present. The attorney general's office said VUMC began providing relevant records in December 2022, and the state's investigation is focused on the facility and certain providers, not patients. The state has legal standing to seek the private medical records, per a health care legal expert. However, the move has sparked privacy concerns among families whose children sought treatment at VUMC amid an increasingly contentious political climate surrounding transgender issues in Tennessee, where multiple legal battles are ongoing over state policies. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said last fall his office planned to investigate VUMC's practices after conservative advocates published allegations that VUMC punished those who objected to its gender-affirming treatment program for children and that some treatments were used as money-making schemes. Vanderbilt denied the allegations, but the story sparked a major backlash among Tennessee conservatives. |
| Abbott deploys A&M Vet Emergency Team following Texas Panhandle tornado | |
 | The phone rang early Monday morning, confirming what Beth Bernardo had been expecting -- the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team had been asked to deploy to Perryton, a Texas Panhandle community that was hit by a tornado last Thursday. The team's mission would be helping animals injured in the disaster. "These people have lost their homes, some of their family," said Bernardo, VET logistics coordinator. "Everything that they have known in their life is completely gone or completely changed. ... That little bit of hope we can give them by being able to support their animals and support their pets, essentially their other family, has just been incredible." The team, deployed by Gov. Greg Abbott, departed from A&M's RELLIS campus Monday afternoon to help provide veterinary medical support for animals injured in the Perryton tornado. The team will be in the area for two to three days as they help animals who have suffered lacerations, cuts, scrapes and fractured legs caused by blowing and falling debris, said Dr. Wesley Bissett, founding member and director of VET. VET is comprised of faculty, staff and students from the A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS). In response to human and natural disasters, the team deploys around the country at the request of local, state and federal officials. This team has responded to four tornado-affected areas. |
| Women pushed into ravine at German castle were recent Illinois college graduates | |
| A U.S. hiker who fell to her death during a savage attack in Germany and a friend who tried to protect her had just graduated together from the University of Illinois with computer degrees. Authorities haven't released the names of anyone involved in the June 14 incident due to German privacy rules. But the Rev. Mark Zhang of Living Water Evangelical Church in Naperville, Illinois, said Tuesday that 21-year-old Eva Liu and her parents attended the church and Liu's parents told him that she had been killed. "It's a very tough situation," Zhang said. "Our words are powerless. We just mourn together with them and pray for them. When one family suffers, our whole church suffers." Weihan Chang of Normal, Illinois, said that his daughter, 22-year-old Kelsey Chang, survived the attack. She was released from a hospital on Sunday and was on a plane bound for home Tuesday. He said he hadn't had a chance to talk with her very much. According to authorities, Liu and Chang were hiking near Neuschwanstein castle in southern Germany on the afternoon of June 14. The two women encountered a 30-year-old man from Michigan on the path. He lured them onto a trail leading to a viewpoint, according to police. At some point he attacked Liu. When Chang tried to help her the man threw Chang off a cliff. She fell almost 165 feet (50 meters). The man then apparently tried to sexually assault Liu before throwing her off the cliff as well. Mountain rescue teams were able to reach the women but Liu died in a hospital that night. |
| U. of Wisconsin president warns of campus closures, tuition hikes if GOP cuts budget | |
| The University of Wisconsin System's top leader says he may have to close campuses and raise tuition if the Legislature's Republican-controlled finance committee follows through with proposed budget cuts. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has called on the committee to cut $32 million from the system over the next two fiscal years, an amount he says is equal to what it spends on diversity and equity officers biennially. The committee is expected to vote on including the cut in the 2023-25 state budget as it wraps up its work on the spending plan Thursday night. Ten of the system's 13 campuses are expected to face a combined $60 million deficit by the summer of 2024. UW System officials had asked for $435.9 million in additional state aid in the budget. System President Jay Rothman told the Senate universities committee on Monday that the $32 million cut could mean campus closures, ending programs and raising tuition, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. "It's just that simple," Rothman said. "We do not have the resources to continue to simply do what we have done before." Vos told reporters last week that he believes diversity efforts have become liberals' "new religion" and that tax dollars shouldn't support them. The conflict is part of a broader cultural battle over college diversity initiatives playing out nationwide. |
| U. of Michigan has one of the largest DEI operations in the country. Yet Black enrollment has barely budged, and students still feel isolated | |
| Across the country, Republicans have attacked diversity, equity and inclusion offices on college campuses as being discriminatory, ineffective, and a waste of taxpayer money. They've introduced dozens of laws in 21 states to try to dismantle the work of these offices and, in some cases, shut them down. Some universities have responded by suspending DEI policies and programs, others by removing the word "diversity" from the names of offices and the titles of officers. The opposite is happening at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, an institution that has played a pivotal role in the decades-long debate over race and college access. Instead of cutting back, it's doubling down on its commitment to one of the nation's most expansive DEI efforts. The university has been detailing its work on a public website and in campuswide and community meetings. Employees whose jobs in some way touch on diversity were worried about the growing attacks, says Tabbye M. Chavous, who in August became vice provost for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Michigan's DEI structure, with $85 million in initial funding and more than 100 employees contributing at least part time to diversity efforts, is widely considered among the most ambitious and well-funded offices in the nation. In 2021, the Heritage Foundation reported that Michigan had 163 people in DEI roles, making the university's the largest "DEI bureaucracy" in the country. Yet despite the size and scope of its efforts, Black students say the university has failed to meet their needs, especially when it comes to enrolling them in what they consider a critical mass -- enough that they're not isolated and forced to feel like spokespersons for their race. |
| Duke University to provide full tuition for NC and SC families with incomes below $150,000 | |
| Duke University announced Tuesday it will provide full tuition grants for undergraduate students from North Carolina and South Carolina whose family incomes total $150,000 or less. The grants go into effect beginning in the fall 2023 semester. Duke expects about 340 students will benefit from the tuition grants in the 2023-24 academic year. "We want to make it easier for families to choose Duke," said Gary Bennett, dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. "Attending college can expand a family's opportunities for generations, and we aim to make the Duke experience as widely accessible as we can." According to the university, Duke has more undergraduate students from North Carolina than from any other state. The financial assistance is funded through university resources and is expected to increase grant assistance to North and South Carolina students by about $2 million for the 2023-24 academic year, according to Duke. Duke estimates investing an additional $6 million to $7 million per year to provide increased assistance over the next five years. |
| Youngkin's likely next pick for UVa Board of Visitors another controversial figure | |
| Gov. Glenn Youngkin is close to appointing four new members to the University of Virginia's Board of Visitors, according to sources close to the governor. And Joel Gardner, a vocal critic of UVa -- especially its diversity initiatives -- is slated to be one of those appointees to the body that governs the school, those close to the decision-making process told The Daily Progress. Gardner, a double Hoo, has written essays calling for greater intellectual diversity among students and faculty. He also said that diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies have reached "quasi-religious status at UVA" and voiced support for those who have written about the "Downside of Diversity." Gardner also has linked the increasing rate of depression and anxiety in UVa's student body to "increased politicization" of campus and more social justice inanities. Gardner, if appointed, would signal a more conservative turn for the board at UVa. Last June, the governor appointed four new members who have advanced conservative ideals on the board. While on the board, these new members have clashed on numerous policies surrounding political ideology and student and faculty diversity with the board's majority of members who were appointed by and supported Democrats. Gardner has outlined policies he thought the board should adopt in the past and is expected to push for them if appointed. Most notably, he has been a vocal supporter of UVa adopting the so-called "Chicago Principles" of free speech. |
| Campus assault suspect eludes arrest for 2 years, after 'So I raped you' Facebook message | |
| Two years after a former Gettysburg College student finally saw charges filed over her 2013 campus sexual assault, the man suspected of sending her a Facebook message that said, " So I raped you," remains on the run. Shannon Keeler, 28, and her attorneys question how Ian T. Cleary has avoided capture in an age when people are tracked by their cellphones, internet connections, security cameras and credit card purchases. Investigators, led by the U.S. Marshals Service, believe the 30-year-old from Silicon Valley is likely overseas and on the move. "How is he financially supporting himself? How is he able to travel abroad without detection? Has he assumed a false identity?" asked Andrea Levy, legal director of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, who represents Keeler. "Who's helping him?" For years, local officials declined her pleas to file charges, even after she showed them the startling Facebook messages she discovered in 2020. They reversed course weeks after she went public in an Associated Press story that examined the reluctance of local agencies to prosecute campus sexual assaults. As the #MeToo movement continues to shape society -- and some adults, including accusers of Bill Cosby and Donald Trump, use the courts to seek monetary damages if it's too late for criminal charges -- college students are also seeking accountability. |
| Don Triplett's remarkable life ends but he leaves a wondrous, poignant legacy of hope | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Donald Gray "Don" Triplett of Forest, Mississippi was for the whole of his life "different." But like many who are different, Don quietly transformed those differences into something truly special. Triplett, 89, died peacefully at home in Forest on June 15 following an extended illness. He was a lifelong resident of Scott County. Don was born on Sept. 8, 1933, and his parents, Beaman and Mary Triplett recognized early in Don's life that he was in many ways different. But they worked diligently to equip him with the means to achieve a happy and productive life. Remarkably, they did so even though Don would later be confirmed as the world's first patient to be clinically diagnosed with autism. The Autism Research Institute defines autism as "a developmental disorder with symptoms that appear within the first three years of life. Its formal diagnostic name is autism spectrum disorder. The word 'spectrum' indicates that autism appears in different forms with varying levels of severity. That means that each individual with autism experiences their own unique strengths, symptoms, and challenges." Don's redemptive, fascinating sojourn with his family and Mississippi hometown was chronicled in a book that was the 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist for general nonfiction "In A Different Key: The Story of Autism" by John Donvan and Caren Zucker. A New York Times bestseller, the book gave rise to an award-winning documentary film with the same title. |
SPORTS
| Hail State Happy Hours return in 2023 | |
| Hail State Happy Hours are back, and Tuesday night in Starkville is the place to be for the start of the annual Alumni Association tradition. The Mississippi State Alumni Association, in conjunction with MSU Athletics, is hosting the nine-city event, which begins at Georgia Blue in Starkville. Each stop includes meet-and-greet opportunities with MSU coaches representing the department's different sports. All Happy Hour events will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m., and for those in the Golden Triangle, Mississippi State has everyone covered. Columbus, Starkville and West Point all have stops along the way, with the tour going to Anthony's in West Point on June 27 and stopping at Zachary's in Columbus on July 11. Hail State Happy Hours will also make stops in Alabama and Tennessee among its nine destinations. The tour will run through August 3 and coincides with four different minor league games as well. Those include the Memphis Redbirds on June 29, the Biloxi Shuckers on July 14, the Birmingham Barons on July 18 and the Mississippi Braves on August 3. |
| Auburn to begin $30 million renovation of Plainsman Park in July | |
 | Auburn will soon begin a $30 million renovation of Plainsman Park, a project expected to be completed in stages at various points from 2024-26. The Jackson, Miss., firm of CDFL Architects + Engineers is directing the project, which is set to begin in July according to an Auburn athletic department announcement. The facelift will include the addition of three new "premium" clubs, seating space atop the left field "War Eagle Wall," additional seating for students in right-center field, expansion of the stadium concourses and improved team meeting and training facilities. "This renovation is a vital part of enhancing the Auburn baseball experience at Plainsman Park for our donors, fans, students and most importantly our student-athletes," Auburn Athletics Director John Cohen said. "The scope of these enhancements will touch all areas and help make the gameday experience uniquely Auburn." Plainsman Park opened in 1998 on the site of Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field, on which the Tigers have played for more than 70 years. There have been numerous upgrades over the years, including the addition of a state-of-the-art video message and replay board in 2017 and the Josh Donaldson Hitting Lab in 2021. The Tigers hosted a regional for the second straight year this past season, losing their first two games to finish the season 34-23-1. |
| Alabama baseball: More details on why UA fired ex-coach Brad Bohannon | |
| Alabama athletics announced it had initiated the termination process for former coach Brad Bohannon on May 4, and the letter notifying Bohannon reveals more details why. The Tuscaloosa News obtained the letter Tuesday in an open records request. Athletics director Greg Byrne sent the letter to Bohannon and wrote that the letter served "as notice of the University of Alabama's decision to initiate the process of terminating your Employment Contract for cause." Byrne said the athletic department believed "sufficient evidence" existed to support firing Bohannon for cause under 10 subsections of Bohannon's contract. Byrne wrote that other examples of prohibited conduct in the UA employee handbook also supported firing Bohannon for cause. An investigation revealed Bohannon was on the phone with a father of a University of Cincinnati baseball player who was placing large wagers on Alabama baseball against LSU on April 28 in Cincinnati. Alabama pitcher Luke Holman had been scratched late from the starting lineup for that Friday game, which Holman later confirmed was for a back issue. Bohannon had his contract officially terminated May 18. Bohannon has not returned multiple requests for comment from The Tuscaloosa News. |
| 2023 MCWS: It's down to the final four teams | |
| Tuesday was elimination day at the 2023 Men's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, where TCU and LSU joined Florida and Wake Forest as teams still alive in the tournament. TCU sent Oral Roberts home with a 6-1 win in the first elimination game of the day. The Horned Frogs will face No. 2 seed Florida on Wednesday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN). No. 5 seed LSU, a 5-0 winner against Tennessee in Tuesday's second elimination contest, will play top seed Wake Forest in Wednesday's other semifinal (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). The MCWS will continue throughout the week, with all games being featured on ESPN networks. |
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