| Friday, July 7, 2023 |
| Mississippi is seeing more tornadoes, hail and flooding. Here's why | |
 | Blinding rain, hail, tornadoes and periods of bitter cold in Mississippi; if you feel these events are happening more often, well, you're right. Mississippi's wild weather is just getting wilder. So, why is this happening? It boils down to a changing climate. "First, with climate change and some local issues, we've got a stronger jet stream, said Jamie Dyer, Mississippi State University professor of meteorology and climatology. "You get stronger cold fronts coming down and they cause stronger storms. So, we're getting more of these extremes." Dyer said rising global temperatures are actually moving the jet stream farther north, but at the same time it's causing a wave that dips down into the Southeast more frequently in the spring and fall months. Those changes are affecting our weather patterns. During the warmer months the jet stream is moving farther north, which leaves the southeast U.S. with more tropical conditions, including higher temperatures and humidity levels," Dyer said. "This then leads to more energy available for scattered thunderstorms, we call them airmass thunderstorms, which is what we've been seeing the past few days." And some of that energy produces tornadoes such as those that swept through Mississippi last month. Rain is also becoming more of an issue. Dyer said it's not that Mississippi is seeing higher annual rainfall totals, it's how we receive it. Dyer said Mississippi is seeing fewer rains, but when it rains, it pours and causes flooding, overwhelmed storm drain systems and increased river and agricultural land erosion. |
| ARC's Mike Armour retires as director after nearly 20 years | |
 | For a few days in 2007, Mike Armour was the most powerful elected official in the state. Or close enough anyway. Armour, who was the state director of the Appalachian Regional Commission, was in Washington, D.C. with then-Gov. Haley Barbour. But Toyota Motor Corp. was announcing it had picked Blue Springs as the site of its next manufacturing plant, and Barbour was flying back for the big event. "That was my most fun day," Armour said. "We were up in Washington and Barbour came to me and said, 'We have to fly back for the announcement.' But somebody had to stay for the meeting, and I didn't want to. But it was me and (U.S. Sen.) Thad Cochran who were left in Washington, and Cochran took me and showed me around." During those meetings, Armour sat alongside governors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sarah Palin. "I stayed and collected all the books and handouts, and it was a lot of fun," Armour said. "I guess that's the closest I'll ever be to being governor of Mississippi." On Friday, Armour, 66, announced he has retired as ARC state director after nearly 20 years in that role. "It has been an incredible honor to serve under the leadership of governors Tate Reeves, Phil Bryant and Haley Barbour," he said in an email. "None of this would have been possible without these great leaders and their staffs." |
| Fatal crashes, DUIs reported around Independence Day | |
 | Troop G of the Mississippi Highway Patrol made 15 DUI arrests during the Fourth of July holiday, according to data Public Information Officer Sgt. Derrick Beckom sent to The Dispatch. In the holiday period that ran from 6 a.m. Monday to midnight Wednesday, the troop issued 210 hazard violations, made four drug arrests and one felony arrest. There were six total collisions, one of which was fatal. Statewide, MHP made 53 DUI arrests and investigated 76 crashes. Thirty of those crashes resulted in injuries, with four fatalities, according to the data. The fatal crashes occurred in Chickasaw, Panola, Marion and Itawamba counties. Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office issued three DUI's in that same time frame, Sheriff Steve Gladney said. There were four motor accidents, one with minor injury, and two drug arrests. Fourteen traffic citations were issued. Starkville Police Department conducted 101 traffic stops from 5 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Wednesday, Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady said. There were 18 arrests during this enforcement period and one fatal wreck with three other injuries, still under investigation. |
| Perkins honored for 30 years as Ward 6 Alderman | |
 | Vice Mayor Roy A'. Perkins began his first term as the Ward 6 Alderman 30 years ago on July 6. Mayor Lynn Spruill made two announcements at Tuesday's Board of Aldermen meeting to honor his eight terms in office. First, she and the board made a resolution to rename Hospital Road to Carver Drive as Roy A'. Perkins Way. Second, she proclaimed that today is Roy A'. Perkins Day to celebrate his accomplishments as a longtime public servant. Perkins is the first Starkville alderman to serve the board for three decades. He has also been the vice mayor for four terms and joked that he's "not tired yet." "I think 30 years is a record that is likely to stand unbroken for local politics -- politics of any sort for that matter," Ward 2 Alderwoman Sandra Sistrunk said. Perkins was surprised to hear Spruill's proclamations and said he was thankful for her and the board's appreciation. "I will always remember this. This is one of the greatest days of my life," he said. |
| Lower taxes make Mississippi cheapest state to buy gas | |
| Gasoline might not cost what it used to, but it's still cheaper in Mississippi than anywhere else. Mississippi gas prices sit at an average of $2.95, 50 to 60 cents lower than the national rate, which sits at $3.58, according to GasBuddy, a fuel price tracking website. Gas rates throughout the state are also roughly 10 cents cheaper than neighbors like Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana, which sit between $3.03 and $3.07. In the Golden Triangle, gas prices range from $2.81 to $2.91, 4 cents cheaper per gallon than the average state rate, with Columbus having the highest and Starkville the lowest. Matt Bogue, vice president for Dutch Oil Company, told The Dispatch gas prices in Mississippi are often cheaper than the national average and neighboring states due to lower state taxes on fuel per gallon. All states charge the 18.4-cent per gallon federal excise tax on fuel. Mississippi charges a state rate on top of that of 18.79 cents per gallon, according to the American Petroleum Institute. State excise tax rates in neighboring states range from 20.01 cents to 31.31 cents per gallon. "All state and federal excise taxes are included in the 'pump price' a consumer pays," Bogue said. "Federal taxes and fees are the same everywhere (18.4 cents per gallon on gas), but state taxes/fees can vary dramatically." Bogue also said trucking and shipping demand play a role in fuel costs. Gas rates nationally are also about $1 lower than in summer 2022, and Mississippi rates follow the same trend, GasBuddy reports. |
| Army Corps publishes Notice of Intent to prepare Environmental Impact Statement for Yazoo Backwater area | |
 | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is accepting public comments through August 7th on its notice of intent to prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Yazoo Backwater Area water management project encompassing Sharkey, Yazoo, Washington, and Issaquena, and Humphrey Counties. The notice of intent was published Thursday in the Federal Register, and discusses the "Preferred Alternative" plan unveiled in May. The EIS will examine measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate environmental impacts associated with the unfinished flood control project, which was authorized by Congress in 1941. As outlined in the Army Corps notice, the recurring backwater flooding has demonstrated the need to complete the remaining flood damage reduction feature of the Yazoo Basin and Yazoo Backwater Project. "In the twenty-first century alone, the Yazoo Backwater area has experienced some degree of backwater-induced flooding 19 out of the 23 years. The historic 2019 flood inundated over a half million acres of the Yazoo Backwater Area from February to August. Another backwater flood occurred in February of 2020 and devastated the already flood-ravaged area. The 2020 floodwaters peaked only 2 ft lower than in 2019 and flooded over 450,000 acres of land," the notice states. |
| Amazon to construct Mississippi's first utility-scale wind farm | |
| Amazon is expanding its renewable energy footprint in Mississippi through the creation of the state's first utility-scale wind farm. Located in Tunica County, the facility will include 41 wind turbines powered by winds from the Mississippi Delta and will be a dual-use operation where the agricultural land will continue to be used for farming rice, soybeans, corn, and wheat under and around the turbines. According to developer and owner-operator AES Clean Energy, the project is expected to bring tens of millions of dollars in consistent tax revenue to the county and school district and is already generating local economic benefits. Several local contractors and suppliers have already been hired and the project is expected to create nearly 300 jobs during peak construction. Once fully operational, the project is expected to generate over 1,850 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean energy, which would provide power to approximately 174,600 U.S. homes each year. Amazon currently has more than 400 renewable energy projects worldwide, as well as in several states in the southeast, including Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi. |
| Jobs Report Shows Hiring Eased Slightly in June | |
 | U.S. employers added 209,000 workers in June, a sign of slight economic cooling. Last month's gains were still strong but marked a slowdown from earlier in the year, Friday's Labor Department report showed. May's employment gain was revised down to 306,000. The unemployment rate fell to 3.6% last month from 3.7% in May, indicating the labor market remains tight. Wages grew 4.4% in June from a year earlier. Government, healthcare and construction were among the sectors that added jobs last month. Leisure and hospitality hired workers at a slow pace in June. Employment at restaurants and similar businesses remains below prepandemic levels. Companies adding workers and raising wages keep upward pressure on inflation, which complicates the Federal Reserve's efforts to weaken price pressures by slowing the economy through higher interest rates. "The job market has been surprisingly strong in 2023," said Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank. "People who have lost jobs in tech or real estate have been able to find new jobs very quickly in industries that are still short-handed." Labor-market gains have supported brisk economic activity this year. Better-paid workers spent more on travel, dining out and ballgames. Others bought new cars. The economy grew at a solid 2% annual rate in the first quarter, and many economists estimate similar gains for the April-through-June period. Still, the labor market is cooling in some corners. |
| Voter registration deadline for Mississippi primary is Monday | |
| The deadline for voter registration for the Aug. 8 Mississippi statewide primary is Monday. You can register in person at your county circuit clerk's office or municipal clerk's office by 5 p.m. on Monday, July 10. Mail-in registration applications can be found here, and must be postmarked no later than July 10 for voting in the primary. In-person and mail-in absentee ballots are available at county circuit clerks' offices. To verify eligibility for voting absentee, check this secretary of state's guide or contact your local circuit clerk's office. For absentee voting, your county circuit clerk will confirm you are a registered voter in that county by checking the Statewide Elections Management System, confirming your address, and checking your photo ID. For more information on Mississippi's voter ID requirements, check here. You will also be asked your reason for absentee voting. For those unable to go to their circuit clerk's office during weekdays, Saturday in-person absentee voting dates are July 29 and Aug. 5, from 8 a.m. to noon. |
| Miss. Secretary of State Watson announces 'My Election Day' tool | |
 | Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson has announced the newest elections-related resource, "My Election Day," which was developed to improve the personal election experience for Mississippians. Located on the YallVote.ms homepage, My Election Day includes two key features -- an opportunity to receive election information tailored to your address and a method to track an absentee or affidavit ballot. Upon entering a specific address, Mississippi voters can receive personalized election information, including a sample ballot specific to the address, polling place location, deadlines for upcoming elections and a list of the current elected officials from federal down to county. A link to the Mississippi Legislature's website containing the contact information for your state senators and representatives is also supplied. My Election Day also offers absentee/affidavit ballot tracking as another feature not only for Mississippians but also as an additional election security measure. For those eligible to vote absentee or who vote by affidavit, each step of the process may be monitored from when the application has been received to what happens with the ballot after Election Day. |
| Mississippi justices hear arguments over appointed vs. elected judges in majority-Black capital | |
 | The Mississippi Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday about a state law that has sparked a monthslong dispute over whether white state officials are stomping on local self-governance in the state's majority-Black capital city, Jackson. Cliff Johnson, an attorney for a group of Jackson residents, argued that justices should block the law, which authorizes the appointment of some judges in a state where most judges are elected. Johnson said the Mississippi Constitution requires the election of circuit judges, who hear civil and felony cases. The new law requiring the appointment of judges "runs roughshod" over that mandate, Johnson told the high court. Solicitor General Scott G. Stewart of the Mississippi attorney general's office said legislators acted properly when they created a new court with one appointed judge in part of Jackson, and in requiring that four appointed judges will work temporarily alongside the four elected judges in Hinds County, where Jackson is located. "No elected judge is being knocked out of their position," Stewart said. A separate lawsuit filed by the NAACP challenges the appointment of judges and the expansion of the state police role in Jackson, arguing that the law creates "separate and unequal policing" for the city compared to other parts of Mississippi. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate has temporarily put the law on hold. |
| Still Waiting: No word on whether state can take control of Jackson airport | |
| Josh Harkins looks forward to learning the outcome of the lawsuit that would do away with the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority and replace it with a regional board. "I'm just waiting to hear," said Harkins, R-Flowood, when asked about the latest news with the lawsuit. "I don't know how long it's going to take." Harkins, a senator who represents District 20, was among authors of Senate Bill 2162, which amended the Mississippi Code to abolish the airport authority and replace it with a regional board known as the Jackson Metropolitan Area Airport Authority. "I thought it was a good idea then and I still think it's a good idea," he said. Phil Bryant, who was governor at the time, signed the bill into law in 2016. The U.S. Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments in January 2022 that centered around whether members of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority have standing to file suit. City and state leaders are still waiting on a ruling from the court. The city of Jackson, along with the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority have been fighting the takeover of the airport authority in court since April 2016. The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily blocked the takeover. The Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport sits in the middle of Rankin County, is important to the entire metro area and should have more representatives than just those determined by the city of Jackson, Harkins said. |
| Mississippi Democrats vote to remove leader, appoint new one in wild emergency meeting | |
| In a rare and dramatic emergency meeting, the Mississippi Democratic Party's 80-member executive committee voted Thursday night to remove its leader and appoint a new one in the middle of a major election year. After attendees spent more than an hour screaming over one another, threatening lawsuits, and lobbing personal accusations about fellow party officials, 46 of the party's 80 committee members voted to remove Chairman Tyree Irving following several days of public calls for his ouster. A few minutes later, committee members voted to elect state Rep. Cheikh Taylor of Starkville as permanent chairman of the party. The rare midterm removal and replacement of a major party boss comes in a key statewide election year as Democrats up and down the ballot are vying to wrangle any little bit of power back from Republicans, who have dominated every level of state politics this century. In election years, party leaders often guide political strategy and programming in addition to leading fundraising efforts. Taylor, a second-term state representative from Starkville and executive director of a nonprofit that serves residents of the Golden Triangle, was nominated by several committee members to be their new chair. |
| State Rep. Cheikh Taylor takes the reins of a Mississippi Democratic Party in turmoil | |
| The Mississippi Democratic Party state executive committee met on Thursday evening for an emergency meeting called by a majority of the 80-member committee. The purpose: to remove sitting party boss Tyree Irving. As previously reported, the party squabbling began in earnest following the release of emails given to Mississippi Today that revealed an internal struggle between Irving and the party's executive director Andre Wagner. At the center of the turmoil is $250,000 being sent to the state party from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The funds were reportedly to be used to support Democratic candidates in the 2023 and 2024 election cycles. Irving emailed the DNC following a call, urging the DNC to make an "equal investment" into Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley's campaign. Wagner then sought to clarify Irving's comments, which Irving took issue with in a subsequent email exchange. Irving, citing stress and the "circulation of false and misleading information" impugning his name and reputation, announced Sunday that he would resign effective July 22nd. However, that was not good enough for the majority of the state Democratic executive committee. A majority went forward with the called emergency meeting, intent on removing Irving as party chairman immediately. Ahead of the meeting, Irving sent a notice to executive committee members rescinding his resignation and taking issue with what he believed was an improper meeting. He later called it an "illegal meeting" and threatened a lawsuit over the events of the past week. Yet, the meeting moved forward as scheduled. According to reports from those in attendance, the called meeting held via Zoom went downhill quickly. Members shouted over each other and hurled accusations across the web. One referred to the meeting as a "lynching." |
| President Biden says his policies are bringing green jobs to red states in Midlands visit | |
 | President Joe Biden seemed in full campaign mode and in good spirits during a visit to a Midlands manufacturing plant, playing up the benefits of his economic policy -- what he's dubbed "Bidenomics" -- even in states that voted against him. The president was in Lexington County July 6 to promote a partnership between a California solar energy company and local business Flex's operation, located 20 minutes west of Columbia, to produce thousands of devices used on solar panels called microinverters. The Flex deal is a prime example of the high-paying clean energy manufacturing jobs that don't require a college degree which his economic policies are intended to support, Biden said. He then listed other South Carolina efforts he said the administration's actions encouraged, including the massive battery recycling plant coming to Berkeley County. Biden also made sure to tout his administration's other legislative wins, from the CHIPS Act, which aims to incentivize domestic microchip manufacturing, to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, from which $2.6 billion in federal dollars has already been awarded to projects in South Carolina. Though deep-red South Carolina is not likely in play for the 2024 general election, its new status as the Democrats' first-in-the-nation primary raises its political cachet for Biden, whose allies believe a strong showing in the state will ward off any challengers. |
| Biden administration to launch global coalition to fight fentanyl | |
 | Citing a "grave and growing" danger, the Biden administration plans to unite dozens of countries in a coalition to battle the production and trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs responsible for the deaths of thousands of people here and abroad. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is scheduled Friday to host a virtual meeting of his counterparts from 84 countries to propose law enforcement and public health strategies to confront the massive worldwide opioid trade, the State Department said. "Recognizing the urgent need for collective action, the United States is rallying the international community to address this pressing challenge head-on," Blinken said ahead of Friday's session. Synthetic opioid fentanyl has turbocharged the devastating addiction crisis in the United States and has been found in heroin, cocaine, pills and other substances with often deadly consequences for users. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50, the State Department says. But it is not clear what effect the new coalition will have, especially since one key country involved in the production and smuggling of fentanyl, China, is not expected to participate, and it is unclear whether Mexico, another cog in the supply chain, will take part. The Biden administration regards China as a major producer of the precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl. Beijing counters that the U.S. is seeking scapegoats for its own runaway drug abuse crisis. |
| McCarthy declines to endorse Trump -- looking to avoid a GOP civil war | |
 | Kevin McCarthy is risking Donald Trump's wrath by not officially endorsing his third White House bid, but the speaker is also fulfilling an important mission: sparing the House GOP a civil war over 2024. While scores of McCarthy's members have already backed Trump, plenty of other Republicans are steering clear of the polarizing former president in the GOP primary. That camp includes virtually every swing-seat lawmaker, many of whom fear that embracing Trump could spell their electoral doom next fall -- as well as allies of Trump's rivals, from Ron DeSantis to Doug Burgum. So as much as McCarthy might risk alienating Trump by staying on the sidelines, the California Republican also provides the most political cover he can to his vulnerable members. The pressure on the speaker to choose sides will only grow throughout the summer, though, as Trump locks down support across the House GOP and questions intensify about why McCarthy isn't fully embracing the man who helped deliver him the speakership. Some Republicans already view McCarthy as a Trump backer in all but name. Pro-Trump Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) suggested that the speaker is subtly clearing a path for his members to rally behind the former president by the end of the primary. |
| John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh Are Now the Supreme Court's Swing Votes | |
| The Supreme Court completed its annual term last week with resounding conservative victories, ending a half-century of affirmative action in college admissions, curbing gay rights when they clashed with religious objectors and canceling President Biden's plan to forgive student debt owed by 40 million Americans. Yet, Chief Justice John Roberts, concluding his 17th term in charge, sought to signal that his wasn't purely a partisan court. Roberts wrote opinions frustrating Republican efforts to win new legal advantages in the 2024 elections, rejecting Alabama's plea to roll back Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters and turning down another, filed by North Carolina's legislative leaders, that sought to block state courts from reviewing gerrymandered congressional districts. At Roberts's side in both cases was Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who has proven to be the chief's most reliable ally. They voted with the liberal bloc to leave current election law in place, joined as well in the North Carolina case by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Roberts and Kavanaugh voted together in 95% of cases, while Barrett joined Roberts 89% of the time and Kavanaugh 91% of the time, creating the court's fulcrum, according to Empirical Scotus, a website that provides statistical analysis of the Supreme Court. The mix of decisions make it harder to cast the court as an arm of the Republican Party, something that liberal critics -- including some dissenting justices -- did a year ago after conservatives ran the table on long-sought GOP objectives. |
| FDA grants full approval to new Alzheimer's drug | |
 | The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted full approval to Eisai's and Biogen's Alzheimer's drug Leqembi, or lecanemab, marking the first drug in the class to receive the designation. Nationally, Alzheimer's disease affects an estimated 6.7 million people aged 65 and older. Black people are twice as likely to develop dementia than white people, and Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely. The monoclonal antibody targets amyloid beta plaque buildup in the brain, and is approved for people in the early stages of the disease. The label also recommends genetic testing to measure the risk of side effects and to use caution if a patient is on blood thinners. "Today's action is the first verification that a drug targeting the underlying disease process of Alzheimer's disease has shown clinical benefit in this devastating disease," said Teresa Buracchio, acting director of the FDA's Office of Neuroscience within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "This confirmatory study verified that it is a safe and effective treatment for patients with Alzheimer's disease." The widely expected decision follows a unanimous 6–0 recommendation from FDA's external advisory committee in May, and signals a new era in Alzheimer's research and treatment. The FDA granted the drug accelerated approval in January, which required the companies to submit further proof of the drug's clinical benefit. |
| Trustees vote unanimously to offer U. of Arkansas System president two-year contract extension | |
| The University of Arkansas System board of trustees voted unanimously Thursday to offer UA System President Donald Bobbitt a two-year contract extension, which would take effect when his current deal concludes at the end of this calendar year. "I'm honored and thrilled the board has this faith in me," said Bobbitt, who began his tenure as UA System president Nov. 1, 2011. "I know not everyone on the board always agrees with me on everything, but I'm thankful for the honest feedback I've gotten." Exact details of the contract extension will be written by the system's general counsel for Bobbitt to agree to, and the board of trustees will have to approve it, but the broad strokes include a provision where Bobbitt could be terminated by the board with 90 days of notice, and Bobbitt can depart his position by giving six months' notice, said Morril Harriman, chairman of the board of trustees. The extension contains no increase in compensation for Bobbitt. Bobbitt has faced opprobrium -- including from some trustees -- recently over his handling of a potential affiliation between the system and the University of Phoenix, as well as last year's search for the next chancellor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, the system's flagship and by far the largest school in the state. |
| UGA sells Lake Blackshear property to benefit School of Forestry and Natural Resources | |
 | The University of Georgia has sold the largest undeveloped parcel on Lake Blackshear to an undisclosed buyer for $18.5 million. The money will go to benefit UGA's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. The university received the 2,500-acre property about 40 miles north of Albany in 1989 as a donation from businessman Charles Wheatley. It's been used since then for timber and hunting, yielding $8.2 million from timber sales and other investment earnings. "After years of stewardship, we felt the market was in a good place," Dale Greene, the Warnell school's dean, said Wednesday. "We are very pleased with the outcome, and the funds from the sale will be transformative for our school as we prepare the next generation of foresters and natural resources professionals." The school plans to create three separate funds from the land sale. One fund will be dedicated to modernizing the campus facilities in Athens. The other two will be established as endowments to allow the school to benefit in perpetuity. "It means our faculty can find dedicated support for lab improvements or technology advances," Greene said. "This kind of funding gives our faculty added flexibility when pursuing research funding and special projects, or in recruiting top talent for graduate students." |
| UF has a parking problem. Among the violators: UF employees driving UF vehicles | |
 | Anybody who drives on the University of Florida campus can tell tales of parking and traffic issues. A new phase of safety enforcement, set to begin July 10, aims to mitigate part of the problem in a new way: by cracking down on improperly parked UF-owned vehicles. The Office of the Vice President for Business Affairs, back in March, urged those on campus to not park in places that block access to sidewalks, bike lanes and other restricted areas, such as grass. Such violations cause accessibility and safety issues for people with disabilities, for pedestrians, and for cyclists. Unauthorized parking also can restrict and delay first responder access during an emergency. After reviewing the situation, UF officials have continued to find violators. So now the university, for the first time ever, will be addressing its own bad parking habits by issuing fine-free citations. All other vehicles, such as personal cars and delivery vehicles, have always been subject to parking tickets and will continue to be. "It's time to restore order and control, but in the interest, mostly, of safety," Scott Fox, senior director of Transportation and Parking Services, said. "We have some concerns about bicyclists that can't use bike lanes, and sidewalks that we sometimes see people parked on... Our goal is really to help staff who operate vehicles on our campus make better parking choices," Fox said. |
| New 960-bed student apartment clears latest hurdle in Columbia | |
 | The new "Verve Columbia" student apartment complex set to be built near the University of South Carolina baseball stadium has cleared another hurdle. A Thursday zoning meeting was a minor step for the developer, which asked and received approval for exceptions to certain rules about activity on the ground floor and how far the yard is from the street. The Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals approved the request Thursday. The board previously approved a request from the developer to build a more dense apartment than would have been allowed. The student apartments have been approved for up to 960 beds and are expected to be five stories tall. The approximately $90 million development will be located between Blossom Street, Huger Street and Wheat Street. Guignard Associates owns the property where Budget Truck Rental, S. Mart gas station and the Brickhouse Gym currently sit. A 500-car parking garage is also part of the project, as is a public dog park and 5,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground level. St. Louis-based developer Subtext Acquisitions is leading the effort. If approved, it will join a growing number of downtown student housing options. The university is building on-campus housing as well. Campus Village, the largest development project in USC history, will house nearly 2,000 students on the south campus this fall. |
| 75 years later: Discovery of 'wonder drug' aureomycin at U. of Missouri changed the world | |
 | At some point, chances are everyone has taken an antibiotic to fight an infection. Antibiotics have become almost as common as aspirin, used to kill the bacteria that causes pneumonia and other serious illnesses in both humans and animals. But it may not be widely recognized that the University of Missouri played a critical role in the development of antibiotics 75 years ago when aureomycin was isolated on Sanborn Field. This year, the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the discovery by rolling out events in the fall that spotlight the life-saving drug. Aureomycin was not the first antibiotic ever discovered -- that was penicillin in 1928 after mold was found in a Petri dish of Staphylococcus bacteria. Aureomycin was identified 20 years later as the first tetracycline and has become an important cure for bacterial diseases in cattle, horses, sheep and other livestock. It also has a place in health care for pneumonia, urinary tract and other infections in humans. In 1945, former MU Professor Benjamin Duggar became interested in soil samples from Sanborn Field. A botanist, he was on the MU faculty from 1902 to 1907 before joining the faculty at Cornell, Washington University and the University of Wisconsin. Duggar had a theory that the soil could hold clues to creating new medicines to help control diseases. |
| US Forest Service and historically Black colleges unite to boost diversity in wildland firefighting | |
| Before starting college, Taylor Mohead had never been outside her hometown of Houston, Texas. Now, the recent Tuskegee University graduate is trekking around trees in Hazel Green, Alabama, in fire gear and sweltering heat. The U.S. Forest Service intern is among 20 students from historically Black colleges or universities who are participating in a prescribed burn demonstration under instructors' supervision. They clear paths, light fires and make sure the embers are out when they're done. It's part of an apprenticeship program that will give them the credentials to hit the ground running toward a fire line. It's a grueling way to spend summer break, but Mohead is relishing it. She never pictured herself fighting forest fires. "Look at me. I'm really small. I'm really short. And then being a woman of color, that's something, too. I feel like that's more inspiring," Mohead said, grinning. "I got goosebumps right now." The on-site fire academy is part of the 1890 Land Grant Institution Wildland Fire Consortium, a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and a cluster of HBCUs comprised of Florida A&M University, Southern University in Louisiana, Tuskegee University and Alabama A&M University. The recruitment effort comes as wildfire season around the U.S. grows due to climate change and minorities remain underrepresented in forestry and firefighting. The number of wildfires this year is below the 10-year average, but hot and dry conditions are raising the risk, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. |
| Bans on student IDs for voting proposed in five states | |
 | As the 2024 presidential election cycle gets into gear, many state legislatures are considering whether or not to allow students to use their institutional IDs at the polls. Most states that require voters to show identification in order to vote allow some or all students to use their institution's ID card to fulfill that requirement. But over the past several months, at least five states have either proposed or passed laws that would prohibit students from using their college-issued IDs to vote. The trend is worrying to voting-rights advocates who believe bans on student IDs aim to make it more difficult for young people to vote in upcoming elections. Meanwhile, those who support such prohibitions say that university-issued IDs are less secure and regulable than government-issued IDs, potentially allowing them to be used for voter fraud. The issue has come to a head in Idaho, where a law signed by the governor in March is slated to end a 13-year precedent allowing student IDs to be used for voter identification. Two advocacy groups -- March for Our Lives Idaho and Babe Vote -- have already sued to try to stop the law from going into effect. |
| Refugee Students Gain a New Path to U.S. Colleges. Here's Why That's a Big Deal. | |
 | Refugees will soon have a new path to domestic colleges. A new plan backed by the U.S. State Department will enable qualified students to resettle in the United States, enroll at a participating institution, and obtain legal permanent residency, with the opportunity to apply for U.S. citizenship. The new program, the Welcome Corps on Campus, will allow groups of Americans to privately sponsor refugee students attending college. The effort is meant to provide refugees with two things nearly all of them lack: access to postsecondary education and certainty about where they will live in the future. The first-of-its-kind program will allow refugee students to enter the United States under a new private-sponsorship category of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Unlike the F-1 visa system, which permits international students to live in the United States only temporarily, the new P4 category will enable refugees to stay in the country after completing their studies. International students attending U.S. colleges on F-1 visas aren't eligible for federal aid. But as refugees, students in the program would be eligible. And they would also be permitted to work. The Welcome Corps on Campus expects the first cohort of students to enroll in the fall of 2024. In the months ahead, the program's partners plan to identify academically qualified refugees in two countries -- Jordan and Kenya -- who have already been referred for resettlement. |
| Opinion: Candidates for top state jobs have unique styles | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: The Mississippi election primary is August 8. There are four good candidates for governor and lieutenant governor. I had the privilege of hearing all four speak at the recent annual convention of the Mississippi Press Association. Running for Governor are Republican incumbent Tate Reeves and Democrat challenger Brandon Presley, currently northern district Public Service Commissioner. Should be a good race. Running for Lieutenant Governor are Republican incumbent Delbert Hosemann and Republican challenger Chris McDaniel. Another good race. Each of these candidates spoke over 30 minutes, so the audience got quite the opportunity to observe their personal style and ideological preferences. They are all quite different. |
SPORTS
| Johnie Cooks, Mississippi State football legend, dies at 64 | |
| Mississippi State football's 1980 season featured one of the program's biggest wins in school history. In a game still remembered more than 40 years later, the Bulldogs knocked off No. 1 Alabama, the two-time defending champions, 6-3 in Jackson's Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, ending the Crimson Tide's 28-game winning streak. At the heart of MSU's upset was a linebacker who couldn't be blocked that November day, in Johnie Cooks. Cooks finished the game with 20 tackles, according to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, highlighting one of the best careers in program history. Cooks, the second overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts, died Thursday morning at 64 years old, according to reports. Cooks, a Leland native, played for MSU from 1977-1981, earning numerous accolades as one of college football's best defensive players. On two occasions, 1980 and 1981, Cooks was named a First Team All-Southeastern Conference player, and was named a Second Team All-American those same years. Cooks, who also lettered in basketball and track, was also an Associated Press First-Team All-America and MSU Team MVP in 1981. |
| Mississippi State football legend Johnie Cooks passes away | |
| Legendary Mississippi State football player Johnnie Cooks has passed away at the age of 64. Cooks, who suited up for the Bulldogs from 1978-81, was an All-SEC linebacker on three different occasions. He was named an All-American his senior year before being drafted No. 2 overall by the Baltimore Colts in the 1981 NFL Draft. "Johnie Cooks is without question among the very best to ever put on the Maroon and White while also standing as one of the most decorated college football players of his era," Mississippi State Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. "He truly did it all in his career, from earning accolade after accolade as a Bulldog to winning a Super Bowl in the NFL." Cooks ended his career in Starkville fourth in school history in sacks (24.0) and fifth in total tackles (392). He was the Bulldogs' leading tackler during the 1978 and 1981 seasons, racking up 100-plus stops each year. During his junior year, he recorded a career-high 24 tackles against Auburn. "Johnie will be remembered forever in Starkville as he is cemented as an MSU legend," Selmon added. "We extend our deepest condolences to Johnie's family, as well as all who knew, loved, and admired him." |
| Mississippi St. great Johnie Cooks, Colts' top pick in '82, dies at 64 | |
| Johnie Cooks, a linebacker who starred at Mississippi State before going on to a 10-year NFL career, died on Thursday. He was 64. "When you think of Mississippi State Football, you think of legends like Johnie Cooks," Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett wrote on Twitter. "The Bulldog Family lost an all-time great today. On behalf of our program, we extend our condolences to the Cooks family." The Baltimore Colts made Cooks the No. 2 overall selection in the 1982 NFL Draft. He finished sixth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in the strike-shortened 1982 season and went on to play six-plus seasons for the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts. He spent time with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns to finish his career, playing on the Giants team that beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19 to win Super Bowl XXV. Cooks played in 128 career games, starting 97 of them, and totaled 32 sacks, five fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown) and four interceptions in that time. |
| How Mississippi State football great Jeffery Simmons is giving back | |
| Former Mississippi State football star Jeffery Simmons signed a new contract worth $94 million this spring, and he's spent part of the ensuing summer giving back. Simmons threw a party over the weekend for his hometown of Macon in Noxubee County, and continued with his charity work on Thursday in Starkville, where he held a shopping spree at Academy Sports + Outdoors, presenting 10 kids with $300 gift cards. "My goal is to try to create more opportunity for our youth and give them that self-esteem," said Simmons, who runs a foundation called Give 'Em A Reason that aims to help children. "We all, as a young kid, was told that we couldn't do something, or that you needed to do this and that," Simmons continued. "So I think my goal is to keep trying to empower all these kids." Simmons also will host his annual youth football camp at Starkville Sportsplex, beginning Friday. The free event features instruction from Simmons as well as several other professional athletes, according to its website. Simmons has donated more than $50,000 to upgrade the athletic facilities at Noxubee County High School along with a $75,000 donation to the Starkville Parks and Recreation Department for a turf field at the Starkville Sportsplex. Events like Thursday's shopping spree have become commonplace on the calendar in Starkville. "That was bringing the joy to my heart, just to know that these kids really enjoy this," Simmons said. |
| Mississippi State Football Summer Series: Previewing LSU | |
| The Mississippi State football summer series rolls on, previewing the Bulldogs' Week 3 game against LSU. MSU's Southeastern Conference opener will be first-year head coach Zach Arnett's first major test of the season, with LSU likely to be ranked somewhere in the top-10 when the Tigers come to Starkville. It will be a big opportunity for the Bulldogs to change expectations for their season with an upset victory. LSU leads the all-time series 77-36-3, and has won the last two meetings, including 2022's 31-16 victory over MSU in Baton Rouge. MSU quarterback Will Rogers threw for 214 yards, one touchdown (to Rara Thomas) and one interception. Jo'quavious Marks added one touchdown and 50 rushing yards. Brian Kelly's first season in the SEC began in disaster, losing to Florida State on a missed extra point, then ended with an SEC championship game berth and bowl game win. The Tigers finished 10-4 in 2022, with wins against Southern, MSU, New Mexico, Auburn, Florida, No. 7 Ole Miss, No. 6 Alabama, Arkansas, UAB and Purdue in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. |
| Former Lady Vols basketball star, Mississippi State coach Nikki McCray-Penson dies at 51 | |
| Nikki McCray-Penson, a former Lady Vols basketball star and Mississippi State coach, has died, a Rutgers spokesperson confirmed to Knox News on Friday. She was 51. A cause of death was not immediately clear for McCray-Penson, who spent last season as an assistant for Rutgers women's basketball. McCray-Penson was a two-time SEC Player of the Year at Tennessee in 1994 and 1995 after a decorated career at Collierville High School near Memphis. She spent 16 years coaching after her playing career, which landed her in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Her coaching career included stops at South Carolina as an assistant to Dawn Staley and head coaching jobs at Old Dominion and Mississippi State. McCray-Penson led Tennessee to three SEC regular-season championships, two SEC Tournament titles and a 1995 Final Four appearance. She was a two-time All-American. McCray-Penson previously battled breast cancer in 2013. When she resigned at Mississippi State in 2021, she cited "unspecified health concerns she hoped were behind her," according to ESPN. McCray-Penson was a part of the historic gold medal-winning 1996 Olympic team, which led to the creation of the WNBA. |
| LSU, gymnast Olivia Dunne team up to aid school's female athletes in landing NIL deals | |
 | LSU's top-earning female athlete is starting a fund to help other LSU female athletes get ahead in the name, image and likeness game. Tigers gymnast Olivia Dunne announced Thursday through Bayou Traditions, LSU's NIL collective, that she is starting an entity called The Livvy Fund to "provide LSU female athletes with exclusive industry tips and connections Livvy has built. It is the hub for brands and fans to contribute to and support our Lady Tigers." Livvy is Dunne's nickname. A link to the fund is now attached to the Bayou Traditions home page, with links for people to contribute money to the fund if they wish. Dunne is not only the top-earning female athlete at LSU but in all of college athletics, according to the website On3.com, ranking No. 2 overall with a valuation of $3.5 million. The site ranks Dunne behind only Southern California men's basketball player Bronny James (son of LeBron James) at $6.7 million and ahead of Texas and Newman High School quarterback Arch Manning at $2.8 million. Dunne has a number of high-profile endorsement deals, most prominently with the clothing line Vuori for which she does national commercials, along with Motorola and Caktus AI. |
| ACL Injuries Cast a Shadow Over the Women's World Cup -- and Girls Soccer | |
| The anterior cruciate ligament is only about 1½ inches long. At the Women's World Cup that kicks off July 20, however, that tiny strip of knee tissue will cast an ominous shadow over the host nations of Australia and New Zealand. ACL injuries have knocked the equivalent of a global all-star team out of the World Cup. Gone are high-scoring U.S. midfielder Catarina Macario and 2019 World Cup champion forward Christen Press. The Netherlands will be without star Vivianne Miedema when it faces the U.S. in group stage play on July 26, while France will be missing Marie-Antoinette Katoto. Such injuries have also sidelined three starters from the England squad that won the 2022 European championships: Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and captain Leah Williamson. It's difficult to know whether and how much ACL injuries are rising globally in women's soccer, or whether the current run is an alarming outlier. Such injuries are more common among female athletes, however, and far more common among female soccer players in the U.S., according to research. Researchers began to see the problem surge more than a decade ago. "We did a study showing a 300% increase in ACL injuries in adolescents and teenagers," Dr. Andrew Pearle, Chief of Sports Medicine at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery, said of a study that ended in 2009. "So this is an incredible epidemic." The problem is especially acute at the youth level. ACL injuries are as much as six times more common among female high school soccer players than among male players, Pearle said. A girl who plays soccer year-round has a 16% chance of injuring her ACL during her high school years, he said. |
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