| Friday, July 14, 2023 |
| Infrastructure changes announced ahead of construction near Ruby, Hurst halls | |
 | Upcoming construction of a new residence hall near Ruby and Hurst halls will cause various area infrastructure closures and changes for the next two years. A partial road closure for Hurst Lane and a change to Ruby Lane's travel direction began July 12 and will last through July 2025. Travel along Ruby Lane is now reversed, with drivers entering the roadway from Bailey Howell Drive, north of the residence hall, and traveling north to south, eventually merging onto Hurst Lane. The construction area, located near the intersection of George Perry Street and Barr Avenue at Suttle Hall's former site, will be closed through summer 2025. This closure includes the portion of Hurst Lane that accesses George Perry Street. Drivers and pedestrians are encouraged to use caution when traveling through the area. Contact the Facilities Management Service Desk at 662-325-2005 if you have any questions. |
| Statewide, county candidates to appear at Sturgis forum Saturday | |
 | Candidates for statewide and county offices will have a chance to stump Saturday at a forum at Diane Jackson Memorial Park in Sturgis. The event, sponsored by the Sturgis School Alumni Association and the town of Sturgis, starts at 10 a.m., according to alumni association President Crandall Woodson. The forum will feature candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, Northern District public service commissioner, District 15 senator, 16th Circuit district attorney, as well as Oktibbeha County sheriff, District 4 supervisor, tax assessor and District 3 constable and justice court judge. It is free and open to the public, Woodson said, and is an attempt to restart a past tradition. "Growing up here I remember we used to have a big political rally," Woodson said. "It was a big deal, similar to what goes on at the Neshoba County Fair. ... We think it's important for people to hear candidates live in and in person, and for candidates to visit our little town." |
| City of Meridian hosts work session to examine salaries in each department | |
 | The City of Meridian held another work session Thursday morning to discuss salaries for each of the departments throughout the municipality. The city had the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development at Mississippi State University take a deeper look at salaries in all 34 departments and 180 job titles. Matthew Peterson, the Research Associate with the institute, shared some suggestions with council members, the mayor, and the department managers within the city. "Essentially, take a look at your folks who were paid way below the average and see if we can't bump them up. I would primarily base it on the turnover rate. For example, if a department is having a lot of turnovers in a particular position, look at where the survey landed. If they're probably significantly below the average, you're going probably to want to give them a pay bump. If you want to try to retain more employees," said Peterson. The institute would be working as a consultant agency to help the City of Meridian improve salary wages across the board to combat turnover rates and do some reclassification of job titles. |
| Equine massage techniques go beyond just holding your horses | |
| While most wouldn't think of massages happening in a barn, local resident Samantha Colyer is using massage therapy to help horses, not humans. "I like people, to a certain extent, but animals are so much more loving," Colyer said. "The fact that they don't have a voice to speak for themselves makes me want to help them." Colyer is a single mother and Marine Corps veteran who started working on an Oktibbeha County farm in January. In March, she began pursuing an equine massage therapy certification as a way to help the animals she loves, since she has previously benefited from equine assisted therapy provided to veterans at Mississippi State University. "There's a difference between equine assisted therapy and equine therapy," Colyer said. "Equine assisted therapy, you're using the horse as a tool to help a person. Whereas in equine therapy, which I do currently, I massage the horses. I work on their bodies, I work on their muscles, and I help stretch them." Bricklee Miller, director for the Mississippi Horse Park, said though there are not many practitioners of equine massage therapy in the area, higher-level competitive events at the horse park commonly include vendors who provide massage therapy, along with shockwave therapy to keep their horses in peak athletic condition. "We have all types of vendors that set up and do different types of therapy on horses during the events," Miller said. "It depends on the event, but ... we have had massage therapists on the grounds before." |
| Microtel employee threatens customer with gun | |
| A Microtel employee faces a slate of misdemeanor charges after allegedly cocking and pointing a handgun at a customer during a dispute over a room price. Jemarquis Jackson, 27, of West Point, was arrested Wednesday evening, according to Starkville Police Department Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady. He is charged with display of a deadly weapon, concealed carry of a weapon and disorderly conduct. Lovelady said officers responded at about 5:47 p.m., following an argument between Jackson, his mother, who was also a Microtel employee, and a customer over room charges. In the call, officers were notified that a man had cocked a handgun and was brandishing the weapon in the Microtel's lobby. No shots were fired, and nobody was injured, Lovelady said. |
| Ex-SOCSD teacher indicted on 21 counts of child porn in Georgia | |
| former Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District teacher has been indicted in Georgia on 21 federal child pornography charges. Michael Dendy, 32, was indicted Tuesday on five counts of production, seven counts of distribution, eight counts of receipt and one count of possession of child pornography. The indictment notes the charges involve 16 minors. Dendy was arrested Jan. 20 by Washington County (Georgia) Sheriff's Office and was denied bond. He is in custody at Washington County Jail. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office from the Middle District of Georgia, Dendy was a teacher at Washington County High School in Sandersville, Georgia, from August 2020 until his arrest. He is still listed as Washington County High School's drama department chair on the school's website. Dendy was a theater teacher at Starkville High School from 2014 to 2016 when he resigned, though he claimed he was unfairly forced to leave the district. In late 2016, SOCSD banned him from all campuses following visits to school facilities after his resignation that caused "disruptions." Parents and guardians of children who may have encountered Dendy are encouraged to call the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) tip line at (866) 347-2423, the press release said. |
| People rescued from cars and homes as torrential rain causes flash flooding in central Mississippi | |
 | Torrential rain fell for several hours Thursday in central Mississippi, flooding roads, homes and businesses in Winston County and Louisville, where the mayor declared a state of emergency. "Please do not travel anywhere in Louisville or Winston County unless it is an absolute emergency," Mayor Will Hill said Thursday morning on Facebook. "This is not a typical flash flood and like no thing we've experience(d) in our area, maybe ever." Winston County Sheriff Jason Pugh said law enforcement officers rescued at least eight people from vehicles and removed several others from homes as the water rose. No deaths or serious injuries had been reported in the county by the evening, the mayor said. "We are on the opposite end of the storm now with blue skies and calm weather and the water has subsided," Hill said. "But what we experienced was not just a 100-year flood but a 1,000-year flood. He added that 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain had fallen "in a very short time." The mayor said the immediate focus was on safety and he and others had just gotten a first look around the city of about 6,000. He estimated that a couple hundred homes had water damage, as well as some businesses. The Mississippi Department of Transportation issued flash flood warnings on some state highways in Winston and Neshoba counties. |
| MHP troopers respond to multi-vehicle crash on Highway 82 | |
 | An accident involving several vehicles brought traffic to a stop on Highway 82 in Lowndes County Thursday morning. It happened shortly after 8 a.m. in the eastbound lane just after the Macon/Meridian exit. Our crew saw at least four vehicles off the road. One was a van from Springhill Baptist Church in Starkville. At least two people were taken from the scene in an ambulance. Sgt. Derrick Beckom with Troop G of the Highway Patrol said troopers have responded to seven crashes, all because of the weather. So far, no serious injuries have been reported. Beckom reminded drivers to take it slow during heavy rain and turn around if they can't see the road ahead of them. |
| Mississippi farmers to benefit from federal funds, want more support from the state | |
 | The Department of Agriculture and Commerce is offering Mississippians an opportunity to ask questions about a new federal program that will supply grants to farmers. Farmers from all over the state gathered in the Sparkman Auditorium at the Mississippi Agriculture Museum for a listening session hosted by Commissioner Andy Gipson focused on a new federal program. The USDA-funded Resilient Food Systems and Infrastructure Program aims to strengthen middle-of-the-supply-chain infrastructure. The consensus among the farmers was that the federal funds are essential and appreciated, but there is much more the state could do to help small farms. Jamie Redmond is with Salad Days LLC, a produce farm that mainly sends out lettuce to restaurants and stores in the state. He says small farms face challenges when dealing with certain aspects of the business, such as grant writing and compliance. "It's like it's a whole business within itself, when it shouldn't be to get government help from tax dollars that everybody has paid in. It's so difficult that you have to go hire somebody to understand it and you still don't understand it after it's been written," he said. Gipson says he will be urging the state Legislature to add funds to the federally funded program, which is capped at just over $6 million. |
| 'Mississippi has momentum': New $64 million project to bring 84 new jobs to the Pine Belt | |
 | Pine Belt leaders on Thursday celebrated a $64 million investment that would bring a 198,000-square-foot cold storage facility and 84 jobs once construction is complete. Local and state officials welcomed Cold-Link Logistics during a groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site. Ellisville Mayor Lynn Buckhaults said the city could not have done it without the help of the governor and state lawmakers, the Mississippi Development Authority, Jones County Board of Supervisors and Economic Development Authority and the many others who contributed to the project. "This is a perfect example of leadership working together to make something like this possible," Ellisville Mayor Lynn Buckhaults said. Gov. Tate Reeves agreed. "I'm proud of the teamwork from the city to the county to the state and everyone who worked to make this project a reality," Reeves said. "It's another great day and another great win for the state of Mississippi and the Pine Belt." The Ellisville unit will be Cold-Link's 10th facility and its second in Mississippi. The first is in Southaven, said Michael Mandich, president and founder of Cold-Link Logistics. "It is no secret that poultry and other food (produced) in Mississippi are a huge economic part of this state, so we wanted to plant a flag here," Mandich said during a groundbreaking ceremony. "We couldn't be more thrilled to invest in this community." |
| Will inflation continue to come down? | |
 | A lot of signs, including Wednesday's consumer price index, are pointing to the idea that inflation is easing. It was 3% year over year in June. That's partly because some of the sectors that have seen the most overheated price jumps have cooled down. It's been a long time since we've heard the phrase "transitory inflation." Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell decided the label wasn't so accurate in late 2021. But Moody's Analytics economist Mark Zandi thinks the T-word is still the right way to describe this period. "Certainly didn't feel that way because it's taken a long time to work through those effects because those shocks were so massive and they were global," Zandi said. He was talking about the pandemic supply chain snarls, which affected the cost of goods, and the initial impact of the war in Ukraine, which affected the cost of energy and food. These played an outsize role in inflation but have largely subsided. "We're probably two-thirds of the way there. And that last third is going to take a bit of time, I think," Zandi said. Part of what's left in that last third includes the transitory category that's come to define this time: used cars. Omair Sharif is president of Inflation Insights. "It has had such a dramatic impact on these month-to-month readings, but we are finally starting to see a bit more caution in that particular market," Sharif said. |
| Delbert Hosemann has 10 times as much cash on hand as Chris McDaniel | |
| With less than a month until they face off in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor, incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and challenging state Sen. Chris McDaniel filed their June campaign finance reports with the secretary of state. Those reports showed Hosemann with a strong lead in both June fundraising and overall cash-on-hand, after the first-term lieutenant governor already came into the month with a big advantage. Both candidates spent more than they raised in July, as their heated primary enters the home stretch. Hosemann reported raising about $548,000 in June -- more than five times as much as McDaniel -- while spending about $835,000. Hosemann spent nearly two and a half times as much money in the month of June as McDaniel reported having on hand. Disbursements included nearly $18,000 to the Country Club of Jackson for an event, $63,000 to an Alexandria, VA production and consulting agency and four separate charges from a New Albany company for advertising: two of nearly $188,000, one of $150,000 and one of about $59,000. Hosemann's cash on hand sits at more than $3.4 million, down from about $3.7 million at the end of May, but still more than 10 times McDaniel's total. McDaniel reported raising about $98,000 in June, while spending more than $146,000. McDaniel's cash on hand sits at about $338,000, down from about $386,000 at the end of May. |
| Delbert Hosemann cries foul over BLM endorsement posts, calls it 'typical' dirty trick by Chris McDaniel | |
| Incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann is crying foul over a flyer he says was disseminated by opponent Chris McDaniel's campaign that purported to show Hosemann was endorsed by Black Lives Matter. The move appears to be aimed at white Republican voters in the Aug. 8 GOP primary in a key battleground area: DeSoto County and the Mississippi suburbs of Memphis. Hosemann said it's "typical of my opponent's campaign style." McDaniel's previous unsuccessful statewide campaigns have been marred by his supporters' dirty tricks -- which at times required law enforcement to get involved and resulted in felony convictions and a jail sentence for one. Black Lives Matter is a movement which launched a decade ago in response to the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a Black teenager. BLM activists have staged protests nationwide to advocate for defunding police and supporting Black people and communities facing police brutality and unjust interactions with the criminal justice system. The movement has drawn ire from Republicans, who frequently try to discredit BLM ideology and have referred to it as "Marxist." McDaniel's campaign claims it has been trying to verify whether the BLM endorsement is real and "has intentionally not distributed claims we have not directly confirmed that could invoke undue harm to our fellow Republicans." But one of his regional campaign chairs posted the flyer on Facebook, as did a state senator who has served as a surrogate for McDaniel on the campaign trail. They have both since deleted their social media posts of the flyer, but it appears to have been widely distributed by McDaniel supporters. |
| Local politicians, state officials sound off on NMHS layoffs, Medicaid expansion | |
 | As news leaked Thursday of layoffs at North Mississippi Health Services, local elected officials and statewide candidates for office disagreed on whether Medicaid expansion could have made a difference. Mississippi is one of only 10 states that has refused to accept federal matching funds to expand Medicaid coverage. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley said in a statement "(i)n two days alone, we've learned of one hospital closing while another is experiencing layoffs. Tate Reeves is glaringly absent." He pledged to expand Medicaid to "keep hospitals open, provide affordable health care to 220,000 working Mississippians, and create thousands of good-paying jobs across our state." As of press time, the Reeves campaign had not responded to a request for comment. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, fresh from a meeting with officials at Baptist Memorial Hospital in New Albany, said conversations with hospital administrators around the state revealed shared economic and health crises. He promised hearings this fall on health care to find a holistic solution in the coming legislative session. "To a person, all of them told us some type of expansion -- whatever you call it -- would produce more dollars. It would not necessarily solve the hospital crisis," said Hosemann. |
| 'Tate Reeves doesn't understand': Hospital CEO slams governor for refusing Medicaid expansion | |
| Hours after yet another Mississippi hospital announced it was laying off workers this year, the leader of a hospital in the Mississippi Delta criticized Republican Gov. Tate Reeves for refusing to expand Medicaid access to the working poor. Iris Stacker, the CEO of Delta Health Systems in Greenville, spoke at a Tuesday campaign event for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley and said if the federal program covered more people, then the local economy would be more robust. "We don't understand why Tate Reeves doesn't understand why he needs a healthy workforce," Stacker said. Hospitals across the state have recently slashed their staff, discontinued medical services or closed their doors permanently because of financial pressures within their organizations. One of the primary reasons Stacker and other hospital leaders support Medicaid expansion is their belief that it would reduce the amount of uncompensated care that medical workers provide to patients without health insurance. The 40 other U.S. states that have expanded Medicaid have seen a significant drop in uncompensated care costs post-expansion. Louisiana, which expanded Medicaid in 2016, saw a 55% decrease in uncompensated care costs for rural hospitals. The governor's office and his campaign did not respond to a request for comment, but he has repeatedly objected to the program's expansion, derisively calling it "welfare" or labeling it "Obamacare." Instead, Reeves believes a law requiring medical facilities to seek approval from a state agency before they create a new health care center should be eliminated. |
| Residents organize to 'save' capital | |
| A group of Jacksonians concerned about the city's future say they aim to "create a tidal wave" that will foster change and healing in the capital city. "Mississippi needs a strong capital city," said Val Vickery, an organizer of Jacksonians 4 Jackson. Vickery and her husband live in the Fondren area of Northeast Jackson and have been residents for decades. "I have always seen Jackson as a city worth investing in," she said. Vickery said it is important that the group recruit members from all seven wards in the city of Jackson. "We are trying to build consensus," Vickery said. "We walk a fine line of non-party politics and non-denominationalism. We desire to build momentum so there becomes a tidal wave of like-minded people regarding integrity and the demand that our leaders represent those values." Johnny Beason, an active member of the group, lives in south Jackson in the Hibernia Hills neighborhood on Gaylyn Drive. Originally from Newton, Beason came to Jackson in 1972 as a student at Jackson State University. Beason stayed in town after he graduated in 1974. "We as an organization want to let the current leadership of the city know they have failed us," Beason said. "It is nothing personal." He said he wanted leadership in the city that could "turn the city around." Beason cited crime and "crumbling infrastructure" as key issues he feels the current city leadership has been negligent in addressing. |
| Henifin vows better communication in emotional response to transparency claims | |
| Interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin responded to claims Thursday he hasn't been transparent with the public, saying he will "get better." "There's a difference between communication and transparency," he said. "I think we've been very transparent. We may not have been communicating this very well [but] we will get better." Henifin choked up as he read from a prepared statement, prior to being questioned by the judge. For two days, Henifin heard from community leaders, city employees, contractors, and residents about his lack of transparency in managing the city's water system. He told U.S. District Court Judge Henry Wingate he's only been on the job eight months and his first priority is stabilizing the system. "I know we have a long way to go to win the trust of our customers," he said. "They want water that's safe, pressure that's reliable, and a bill that's accurate. And we're committed to [making] that happen." Henifin's comments wrapped up two days of hearings that were at some points contentious. On Wednesday, Wingate admonished City Attorney Catoria Martin for interrupting him and for turning her back on the court while he questioned a witness. Thursday was more subdued, but still had its moments, with Wingate at one point threatening to sanction anyone speaking out of turn. "That's not how you behave in my courtroom," he said. "I don't expect anyone to chime in." The judge's comments came after Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba attempted to clarify statements made by the city attorney. |
| Americans are widely pessimistic about democracy in the United States, an AP-NORC poll finds | |
| Only about 1 in 10 U.S. adults give high ratings to the way democracy is working in the United States or how well it represents the interests of most Americans, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Majorities of adults say U.S. laws and policies do a poor job of representing what most Americans want on issues ranging from the economy and government spending to gun policy, immigration and abortion. The poll shows 53% say Congress is doing a bad job of upholding democratic values, compared with just 16% who say it's doing a good job. The findings illustrate widespread political alienation as a polarized country limps out of the pandemic and into a recovery haunted by inflation and fears of a recession. In interviews, respondents worried less about the machinery of democracy -- voting laws and the tabulation of ballots -- and more about the outputs. Overall, about half the country -- 49% -- say democracy is not working well in the United States, compared with 10% who say it's working very or extremely well and 40% only somewhat well. About half also say each of the political parties is doing a bad job of upholding democracy, including 47% who say that about Democrats and even more -- 56% -- about Republicans. |
| GOP's move to end Pentagon social policies imperils House defense bill | |
 | Congress's decades-long streak of bipartisan support for its annual defense policy and spending plan appeared on the brink of collapse Friday after House Republicans' move to bar the Pentagon from reimbursing military personnel who travel out of state to obtain an abortion, a step that Democrats said would force them to vote en masse against the $886 billion legislation. Republicans, who maintain a narrow majority in the House, voted late into the night Thursday, approving other amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would prohibit federal funds from being used for specialized health care required by transgender troops or their families, and for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs operated throughout the Defense Department. Those moves, too, pushed by the GOP's hard-right wing, are nonstarters for many Democrats who have argued that the Pentagon's efforts to recognize and attract a diverse workforce are necessary, both to right a history of discrimination, and to bolster the armed forces as they struggle to recruit and retain top talent. Anger surged on the House floor amid the debate over other hard-right proposals that did pass, transforming the chamber of America's democracy into a battleground in the country's increasingly polarizing culture wars. Republicans accused Democrats of "idiocy" and "weakening" the nation's armed forces with policies promoting diversity and protection of LGBTQ rights. Democrats called their Republican colleagues "racist" and "bigoted." |
| A Top Man of God in Iowa Wants Someone Other Than Trump | |
 | Bob Vander Plaats, a former high school accounting teacher who is arguably this state's most influential Christian conservative leader, knows the power of division. That is why he wants lower performing Republican presidential candidates to exit the race later this summer or fall in hopes that a single, stronger challenger can emerge to keep Donald Trump from winning the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses that start the 2024 nomination process. "The more candidates, the merrier for the former president," Vander Plaats said ahead of a major evangelical Christian gathering here Friday that will feature virtually all the major GOP presidential candidates, except Trump. "Division allows him to win." Vander Plaats, who is contemplating an endorsement of someone other than Trump around Thanksgiving, has a record of picking winners -- in Iowa, at least. He backed Ted Cruz in 2016, Rick Santorum in 2012 and Mike Huckabee in 2008, all of whom won the caucuses before failing to secure the GOP nomination. Vander Plaats said many Christian conservatives aren't convinced Trump can win a general election. "They want a strong candidate that shares their values and convictions, but they also want a candidate who can win," he said. Vander Plaats said he knows many GOP presidential candidates feel as if they have been called by God to run for the White House. But, citing a biblical psalm, he said they must also ask themselves whether their calling is being confirmed by others. "If it's not, then you probably need to choose to get out and endorse somebody," he said. |
| GOP White House hopefuls face mounting pressure to stop Trump in Iowa | |
| As the six-month sprint to the Iowa caucuses begins, the sprawling field of Republican presidential candidates is facing growing pressure to prove they can become serious challengers to former President Donald Trump. The urgency is particularly acute for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who entered the race in May with expectations that he would quickly become Trump's top rival. For now, however, he has struggled to generate the level of enthusiasm that Trump commands from the GOP base, contributing to uncertainty that DeSantis will become the threat to the former president that he was once billed to be. "That's what DeSantis wanted to be. It's possible he may be that still," said Gentry Collins, a seasoned Iowa and national Republican strategist who ran Mitt Romney's 2008 caucus campaign. "But it sure doesn't look like that to me -- it's become clear that there isn't room for another alternative to Trump." DeSantis is among six White House hopefuls who will be in Iowa on Friday to appear at the Family Leadership Summit, one of many events that will be held in the state in the coming weeks as voters begin to more seriously consider their options. Trump is not attending, opening him to criticism from some Republicans that he's ignoring the forums that are a staple of Iowa presidential politics. There's still time for any of the contenders to mount a more robust challenge to Trump. But the Iowa Republican Party's recent announcement that the caucuses would take place on Jan. 15 -- weeks earlier than the past three open contests -- reinforced the reality that candidates aiming for a turnaround are on a timeline. |
| Rural voters lean red, young voters lean blue. So what's a young, rural voter to do? | |
 | Young and rural voters are two voting blocs that can help swing elections in battleground states. And both these groups are on the radar of Democrats and Republicans in North Carolina ahead of the 2024 election. President Biden's campaign is already investing in the state, three years after he lost it by just under 75,000 votes. Local and national Democrats are also unveiling plans for swinging voters back over. "My own people are the ones that I've got to figure out a way to motivate and mobilize and get energized around building this thing up from the bottom," said Anderson Clayton, who is the new chairwoman of the state's Democratic party and the youngest party chair in the nation at 25. "I want to go out there and fight for everybody -- and young people especially," she said. Clayton, who is from Roxboro, N.C., about an hour northwest of Raleigh, is honest about the party's flaws in her state. Following a handful of federal and state losses in the 2022 midterms, she acknowledged Democrats dropped the ball when connecting with young voters, as well as rural and Black voters -- three key parts of the state's voting base. As a young and rural voter, Clayton hopes she can help repair some of these relationships. Republicans, though, are not giving up the reliably red rural communities easily. "Republicans should not write off voters in a rural area," said Jon Hardister, one of the younger members of the state legislature's GOP leadership team. |
| Young voters are getting less likely to identify as Dems. It spells trouble for Biden. | |
 | Joe Biden's Gen Z whisperer has a warning for the president: Get going on addressing youth enthusiasm now, or it may be too late. John Della Volpe, one of the Biden 2020 campaign pollsters, has issued these admonitions in briefings with the president's reelection team and in conversations with top White House aides. Having analyzed youth voter data for more than two decades, he told West Wing Playbook that voters under 30 today are less likely to identify as Democrats compared to spring 2019. More consider themselves independents, and fewer see politics as a "meaningful way to create change." The last three cycles saw historic levels of youth participation -- and the cohort is as progressive as ever -- but if these voters stay home in 2024 as a result of these shifts in attitudes, Della Volpe said, it could doom the incumbent president and Democrats. "I feel like it's a responsibility to ring this alarm now, when there's time to do something about it," said Della Volpe, the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. "These voters gotta buy into the values of the party and the candidates ... and to appreciate the fact that politics can make a difference. You can't do that in a full-week ad buy after Labor Day." Biden world insists it's not taking young people for granted. |
| UMMC didn't fully meet criteria for burn center, March report shows | |
| The March inspection of the University of Mississippi Medical Center for its burn center designation showed the health system failed to fully meet almost a third of criteria required to host the state's next burn center, though it was recently deemed qualified to do so anyway. UMMC communications officials refused to answer Mississippi Today's questions about the current status of its burn program, including its staff's training. A Facebook post, however, shows that since the health system's application to host a burn center was submitted and the subsequent site visit was conducted, more staff have undergone the training required to care for burn patients. The Mississippi Department of Health said UMMC has submitted a corrective action plan to address the shortcomings, but declined to provide it without a records request. UMMC officials refused to engage with Mississippi Today about such a plan. The surgeon on the team that performed UMMC's March site visit said the results of their site visit are not uncommon. Dr. William Hickerson, who helped establish Memphis' Firefighters Regional Burn Center and served as the past president of the American Burn Association, said the health system has what it needs to establish a burn center. "My impression was that they have set things up very well," he said. "You're not going to be able to open your doors and say, 'Bring them (the patients) home.' This is not the Field of Dreams ... You have to have a team approach. Everything has to be in a learned environment, and you start slowly like these guys are and build up now. And I think that that is exactly what we saw and what their plans were that they showed us." |
| UMMC researchers help map gut health in children | |
| In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at four medical centers are studying how genetics and environment affect pediatric gut development and overall health. Funded by a $3 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Mapping the Gut across Ancestry, Geography and Environment study has partnered researchers from the University of Mississippi Medical Center with peers at University of Virginia School of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Pakistan's Aga Khan University on the three-year project, which began in October. By studying the healthy gut of children ages zero to 5 from diverse segments of the population, gastroenterology experts are collecting invaluable data that will also allow scientists to create interventions to fight diseases of the intestinal tract, enabling children to live healthier lives. UMMC was chosen as a site because of its rural population and underrepresentation in studies, said Madison countian Dr. Phyllis Bishop, chief of pediatric gastroenterology and site principal investigator. Researchers are seeking relatively healthy children already undergoing a scheduled endoscopy. With the consent of parents, they take biopsies of the esophagus, stomach and the upper part of the small intestine that includes the microbiome -- the bacteria that lives there. |
| Fielder Scholarship: Families honor the late Walker Fielder by earmarking funds to help JA students attend Ole Miss | |
| Walker Allen Fielder loved devoting his time to people -- whether ministering to children in Honduras or rallying friends for lake days, relationships were important to him. Maybe that's why everyone loved the University of Mississippi student and looked forward to his trademark hugs. The junior finance major died Oct. 16, 2022, following an accident in downtown Oxford. Blanche Williamson, an Ole Miss sophomore from Raleigh, N.C., was also critically injured in the accident but has recovered. The families of the two students have come together to establish the Walker Allen Fielder Scholarship Endowment. This scholarship, which recognizes demonstrated leadership and strong character, is the families' way of memorializing the young man who had just turned 21. Beth and Julian Williamson, Blanche's parents, called the horrific accident that ended Walker's life an "unspeakable loss" for his family and friends, as well the entire Ole Miss community. "Our family wanted to find a way to honor Walker's life and keep his memory alive," Beth Williamson said. "Helping to establish this scholarship seemed like the perfect way to do that while supporting the university Walker loved during his all-too-short life." |
| 25 Southern Miss students awarded scholarships from NASA | |
| Over two dozen University of Southern Mississippi (USM) students have been awarded Space Grant scholarships through the state-wide NASA-Mississippi Space Grant Consortium (MSSGC) program. The initiative aims to support students studying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) disciplines in their academic pursuits. The program is designed to raise awareness of NASA employment and research opportunities among students with relevant majors at USM. "As the Southern Miss campus coordinator for the NASA-Mississippi Space Grant Consortium, I'm honored to be able to award these scholarships to some of our hardworking STEM students," Dr. David Cochran, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education in the College of Arts and Sciences, said. "It is gratifying to be part of a statewide initiative that provides much-needed funding to students and promotes participation across the University in some of the many opportunities available through NASA." |
| JSU Girls STEM Camp expands focus with African professionals mentoring | |
| Jackson State University's STEM summer camp for girls is helping them get a leg up on obtaining careers in those fields. This year's free camp broadens the scope by connecting them with professionals from Africa as mentors. Kaitlin Battle, of Little Rock, Arkansas, is one of the 30 girls participating in Jackson State University's Girls Summer STEM camp. "It's really all around an amazing experience," said the Little Rock Central High School junior. Wednesday was devoted to networking with African business professionals in the Mandela Washington Fellowship. Battle wants to be an aerospace engineer. "I like the idea of space, and I want to build on that," said Battle. "I want to create something that can help us go there and explore more and see more." The four-week camp is expanding its classes in science, technology, engineering, and math to mentorships with the Mandela Fellows on international business relations. "We have them to talk to our girls about how to do business," said JSU Director of Student Support Services Dr. Martha Tchounwou. "It's not only being in science but how they communicate that business to the world and how to bring science to the product." |
| Town hall focusing on housing, home environment, and economic opportunity will be held at JSU | |
| Wendy Lewis has roots in Mississippi. Her parents were born here. She is a former executive with Mcdonald's and Major League Baseball. Lewis has been at the table of Fortune 500 companies and wants to share that knowledge. Lewis is bringing a workshop to Jackson to focus on home ownership, business development, and economic security. She explains the purpose of the Town Hall meeting and why her company AllyShift -- which holds these meetings in cities across the country -- is working to connect those who need information and resources with allies who can help with home ownership, create businesses and generate economic opportunities. Lewis said, "It's not impossible for us to have. But the most important thing, if we have it, if we can attain it, how do we keep it because it only creates generational wealth, if you can maintain it, and add stability around it for the next generation to actually either receive it or inherit it." Panelists include Dr. Nashlie Sephus, founder and CEO of The Bean Path here in Jackson, and Rev. Hickman Johnson, Executive Director of the Mississippi Regional Housing Authority. Lewis hopes to see students at the Town Hall. Lewis said, "There will be people there who can actually answer, what can I do about it in Jackson, Mississippi? And so it is really that nice balance of what people might consider privilege, power, and purpose." |
| New agreement allows some PRCC students to live in WCU residence halls | |
 | Students attending the Forrest County Center of Pearl River Community College can't live on campus, because there is no housing. But, thanks to nearby William Carey University, those students will now have a place to stay that's close to their classes. "It will allow Pearl River to recruit more students because there's no housing on this campus here and we've been looking for ways to maximize our dorm space at William Carey," WCU President Ben Burnett. "We're only a mile from (the PRCC) campus." Thursday, PRCC and WCU signed an agreement to allow students who attend PRCC in Hattiesburg to live in residence halls at WCU as space permits. The agreement goes into effect this fall. WCU expects to initially house up to about two dozen students from PRCC. "We're also starting to attract students from around the area, where driving is not an option, so if we can't provide them a place to live, then ultimately, they don't come to Pearl River Community College," said PRCC president Adam Breerwood. |
| Man charged with sexually abusing, robbing Alabama student on University Boulevard | |
 | A 24-year-old man is behind bars, accused of attacking a University of Alabama student. John Threadgill is charge with first-degree sexual abuse and third-degree robbery. He was already out on bond for similar attacks, said Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy. The assault happened about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa. The female student was walking when, authorities say, Threadgill approached her from behind, knocked her to the ground, "touched her criminally," and forcefully ripped away portions of her inner shorts. He then fled, taking the clothing with him. UAPD police responded and took the immediate report. "The assault was captured on video and is violent,'' Kennedy said. TVCU took the lead on the investigation and quickly identified Threadgill as the suspect. One year ago, in July of 2022, Threadgill was arrested by the Sexual Assault Section of the Violent Crimes Unit for several counts of first-degree sexual abuse for similar acts. Threadgill was currently on bond for those charges. Following the new charges, the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney's Office filed motions and Threadgill's release on bond for his previous cases were also revoked. Kennedy said investigators determined that Threadgill had left Tuscaloosa, and was currently in the area of the Auburn University campus. Working along with the Auburn Police Department, Threadgill was located and arrested at about noon Thursday. |
| Fox News slams U. of South Carolina education college for anti-racist mission statement. It was removed | |
 | USC's College of Education removed an anti-racist mission statement from the college's website following an inquiry by Fox News, which accused the school of teaching future educators concepts related to critical race theory. According to Fox, the department's mission statement had included preparing teachers "to be proficient in culturally relevant, anti-racist, pro-Black instruction; and to promote democratic principles and ideas within and across all educational settings." But before Fox published its news story, the statement had been taken down. A link to it resulted in a "404 page not found" message. The University of South Carolina did not comment on the statement Fox referred to. A mission statement currently available on the education college's website says the college "emphasizes the active construction and application of knowledge, skills, and dispositions to promote educational excellence, equity and opportunity in the 21st century." When asked about the mission statement referred to by Fox News, university spokesman Koby Padgett said the education college "is currently undergoing strategic planning at all levels in preparation for a reorganization, including assessment of mission and vision." |
| How Dr. Keith Gray plans to build patient trust as U. of Tennessee Medical Center's next leader | |
 | Dr. Keith Gray wants to help people in Knoxville and East Tennessee get healthier by meeting them where they are, exploring telehealth options and identifying what patients need at the University of Tennessee Medical Center's main campus. He'll do all that and more as the next leader of UT Medical Center. He's been on a quick trajectory with a vision for UT's services. After graduating and completing his residencies, Gray joined UT Medical Center as a surgical oncologist. Sixteen years later, he's its president and soon-to-be CEO. He became known to the wider community as a key leader as the world battled COVID-19, partnering with faith leaders to share health updates and vaccine information. As his career took different forms, his passion remains the same: identifying the needs of patients and serving them in whatever form they need. Gray will succeed Joseph Landsman Jr., who will retire as CEO on April 1. Dr. James Shamiyeh will become Gray's right hand as executive vice president and COO. Knox News sat down with Gray to discuss how he will lead UT Medical Center and its 8,000 employees, plus his future plans for health services in East Tennessee. |
| Texas TikTok ban challenged by lawsuit from university faculty | |
 | A coalition representing faculty at Texas public universities is suing Gov. Greg Abbott and other officials over the state's ban on TikTok on government-issued devices, effective next year. The ban, they say in the lawsuit, will prevent faculty members from using the platform to teach and conduct research in an academic capacity. The lawsuit was filed Thursday by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, a free speech advocacy group, on behalf of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research, a organization that advocates for research on technology's impact on society. "Banning public university faculty from studying and teaching with TikTok is not a sensible or constitutional response to concerns about data-collection and disinformation," said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, in a press release. In December, Abbott banned TikTok on state-owned or issued devices for employees in state agencies, including state university systems. At least 20 states have banned TikTok on devices issued by a state agency and several public universities have banned it on school-owned devices, according to The Associated Press. TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, was also banned from federal government-owned or issued devices in December 2022, with some exceptions, in the wake of growing security concerns over claims of Chinese government surveillance through the app. |
| House Republicans plan to cut Education Department's budget | |
 | House Republicans are planning to slash the Education Department's budget by at least 15 percent, though Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee say the cuts are closer to 30 percent. The Republican proposal would prevent the department from moving forward with its debt-relief plan, which was blocked by the Supreme Court, and carrying out new regulations for Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 that would protect transgender student athletes and reverse Trump-era rules, among other provisions. The House Appropriations Committee will mark up the bill today. The bill also includes the budgets for the Labor and Health and Human Services departments. Committee Republicans said in a news release that "the bill protects life, promotes American values, prioritizes medical research, and combats the opioid epidemic -- all while reining in wasteful bureaucracy and enhancing oversight and accountability." The committee has opted to draft appropriations bills below the levels agreed to in the debt ceiling deal, which kept federal spending on domestic programs flat in the upcoming fiscal year. Senate appropriators have said they'll adhere to the deal. |
| Biden administration announces $39 billion in student debt relief for 804,000 borrowers | |
 | The Biden administration has announced that it will provide $39 billion in total student debt relief for 804,000 borrowers, its latest step since President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan was struck down by the Supreme Court. The Education Department said on Friday that the relief is being provided on income-driven repayment plans, in which the federal government cancels remaining balances for the borrower after they have made their payments for 20 or 25 years. The department said the "fixes" will more accurately count monthly payments that qualify under the plans, and it will notify borrowers who are eligible for the relief in the upcoming days. The Supreme Court struck down Biden's plan to give $10,000 of student debt relief to low- and middle-income borrowers and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients in a 6-3 decision last month. The majority found that Congress had not directly authorized the president to forgive debts worth in aggregate hundreds of billions of dollars. Biden announced following the decision that his administration would continue to work to provide student debt relief despite the court's ruling. He said he would base his debt relief plan on a different law, the Higher Education Act, which proponents argue allows the education secretary to "compromise, waive or release" student loan debt. The administration must undergo a public comment period before the plan can go into effect, delaying its potential implementation. |
| Inside Biden's plan to change how students pay for college | |
| As the dust settles on President Biden's first attempt to cancel student debt, the Education Department is moving forward on a plan to overhaul how students pay for college. Under the plan, millions of borrowers could have no monthly payments on their loans when the three-year payment pause ends in 10 weeks. Experts say that change would disproportionately benefit borrowers with the lowest incomes. "If you make less than $15 an hour, you'll have a $0 payment on your loans, and that's just really game changing for a lot of people," said Sarah Sattelmeyer, project director for education, opportunity and mobility in the higher education initiative at New America, a think tank. The Biden administration is looking to create a new income-driven repayment option known as the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan. The plan has been in the works for more than a year and was finalized last month. Biden announced the initial parameters for the proposal alongside his plan for student loan forgiveness back in August. The program -- which Biden administration officials said is not a substitute for debt relief -- is aimed at providing a safety net for borrowers, making student loan payments more affordable and offering more pathways to forgiveness. Undergraduate borrowers would see their payments cut in half starting next summer, while those who borrow $12,000 or less would be eligible for forgiveness after making payments for a decade, among other changes. (Current plans offer forgiveness after 20 or 25 years of payments.) |
SPORTS
| 'Heart of gold': How Mississippi State football's Johnie Cooks was memorialized at service | |
| The clouds bringing heavy rainfall to Mississippi opened up to let sunshine fill Davis Wade Stadium as Mississippi State football great Johnie Cooks was honored Thursday in a service representative of his infectious personality. When former New York Giants linebackers coach Al Groh took the podium during a memorial service for Cooks, who died July 6 at 64, he summed up what many felt in the room. Sitting inside the M-Club Center overlooking Mississippi State's field, Groh began with a reminder of what it meant to have a memorial service filled with laughter. "This is the most fun I've ever had at a funeral," Groh joked in a testament to the life Cooks lived and the joy he spread. Among friends, family and a plethora of prominent Mississippi State figures -- from basketball legend Bailey Howell to former women's basketball assistant Johnnie Harris -- a final farewell was given for an unforgettable icon. |
| A glance at Mississippi State football's game against Texas A&M | |
| The Mississippi State football summer series rolls on, previewing the Bulldogs' 10th game against Texas A&M. The Bulldogs have taken control of their Southeastern Conference series against the Aggies, winning the last two matchups. Mississippi State leads the all-time series, 8-7, including winning last year's matchup in Starkville, 42-24. Bulldog quarterback Will Rogers threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns in the win, one to Rara Thomas, Rufus Harvey and Caleb Ducking. Dillon Johnson also rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Texas A&M opened the 2022 season winning three of its first four games (losing at home to Appalachian State) but stumbled to a 5-7 finish, dropping six of its final eight games. The Aggies' wins came against Sam Houston State, Miami (FL), Arkansas, UMass and LSU. Texas A&M finished the 2022 season ranked 101st in scoring offense at 22.8 points per game and 22nd in scoring defense, allowing 20.6 points per game. |
| A look at Mississippi State football's game against Southern Miss | |
| The Mississippi State football summer series rolls on, previewing the Bulldogs' 11th game against Southern Mississippi. MSU will play one final non-conference game against the Golden Eagles before its regular season finale against Ole Miss on Thanksgiving. Mississippi State leads the all-time series, 15-14-1, including the last meeting in 2019, where the Bulldogs won, 38-15. MSU quarterback Tommy Stevens threw for 105 yards and two scores, one to Osirus Mitchell and Stephen Guidry, while the Bulldogs rushed for three scores, one from Kylin Hill, Lee Witherspoon and Nick Gibson. The Golden Eagles finished the regular season 6-6 before beating Rice, 38-24, in the LendingTree Bowl. USM's other wins came against Northwestern State, Tulane, Arkansas State, Texas State, Louisiana and Louisiana-Monroe. USM finished the 2022 season ranked 86th in scoring offense, averaging 25.3 points per game and 45th in scoring defense, allowing 23.5 points per game. |
| Why Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans is taking Bulldogs to Portugal | |
| Two months ago, Mississippi State basketball got its biggest news of the offseason: All-SEC forward Tolu Smith withdrew from the 2023 NBA Draft and elected to return for one more season in Starkville. "I'll remember that conversation for sure," coach Chris Jans said Thursday. "It was exciting. It was exhilarating." The best player from an NCAA Tournament team was coming back, and he was joining a largely-unchanged roster -- with the exception of a couple key transfer portal additions. So what is the treat for Smith and his teammates heading into Jans' second season at the helm? A trip to Portugal later this month. The Bulldogs will play three or four exhibition games and get extra practice time in the summer while enjoying excursions the trip abroad has to offer. Essentially, Mississippi State is enlarging the perks -- on and off the court -- of a road game. "There's so much positive for not just the basketball part of it," Jans said. "Eventually, I think it helps that part. ... But friends, girlfriends, family won't be over there. So, (players) are kind of stuck with each other." Jans plans on rotating roommates as the team moves hotels. In a country where English isn't the primary language, he looks forward to players having to lean on each other more. On top of it, the timing of the trip allows for the Bulldogs to return in August with a couple weeks to go home before the start of the academic year. Jans also anticipates the trip to allow MSU to ease into things when official practices begin in October. |
| MSU Women's Basketball Head Coach Presents at Mississippi Association of Coaches Clinic | |
 | Mississippi State Women's Basketball Head Coach Sam Purcell presented at the Mississippi Association of Coaches Clinic on Thursday. The topic was "Bring the Juice: Drills to Start Your Practice with Energy." Purcell says he's a head coach now because other coaches taught him and now he can invest back into coaches and their student-athletes. |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey gets contract extension | |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has agreed to a contract extension through 2028, the league office announced Thursday. Sankey, who turns 59 next month, has been on the job since 2015. His extension was approved by the presidents and chancellors of the 14 SEC schools. "I am grateful for the continued opportunity to serve and support the universities and student-athletes of the Southeastern Conference and I appreciate the confidence placed in me by the SEC's presidents and chancellors," Sankey said. Sankey first joined the SEC office as Associate Commissioner for Governance in 2002 and later became Executive Associate Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer in 2012 before being tapped to replace the late Mike Slive as the league's eighth commissioner. A native of Auburn, N.Y., he was previously commissioner of the Southland Conference from 1996-2002. Widely regarded as among the most-powerful figures in college sports, Sankey has overseen the SEC's expansion from 14 teams to 16 with Oklahoma and Texas set to join the league in 2024. He also spearheaded the league's movement of its football television contract from a combination of CBS and ESPN to exclusively ESPN/ABC, a deal that is expected to pay the SEC upwards of $3 billion beginning next year. |
| SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey agrees to contract extension through 2028 | |
| The Southeastern Conference and Commissioner Greg Sankey have agreed to a contract extension through 2028. Financial terms were not disclosed in the release on Thursday. Sankey, 58, is in his ninth year after becoming the SEC's eighth commissioner in 2015. As NCAA Transformation Committee co-chair, Sankey helped expand the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams. Additionally, the SEC has expanded to add Texas and Oklahoma in 2024 and finalized a 10-year broadcast rights agreement with ABC/ESPN for football and basketball. Sankey expressed gratitude for the support and confidence and said he seeks to sustain the conference's success and "fulfill our mission to provide our young people with the opportunity to grow academically and challenge themselves through elite competition." SEC schools earned eight national titles last season with Georgia repeating as College Football Playoff champion and LSU winning the women's basketball and baseball titles. The conference has won 48 national titles during Sankey's tenure. |
| SEC extends contract of Commissioner Greg Sankey to 2028 | |
| Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in his position through at least 2028, the Conference announced on Thursday. Sankey's contract extension, approved by the Conference's Presidents and Chancellors, continues a role he began on June 1, 2015, when he became the eighth Commissioner of the SEC. "Greg Sankey continues to lead the SEC effectively through these challenging times for college athletics," said University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead who recently completed a two-year term as President of the SEC. "Under his visionary stewardship and commitment to collaboration among our members, the SEC has emerged as the nation's most stable and successful athletic conference. Today's announcement reflects our enthusiastic endorsement of Greg's ongoing leadership of our conference to even greater heights." "During a time of great change in college athletics, Greg Sankey has been a positive force for advancing the SEC and a thought-leader across the national landscape," said University of Alabama President Stuart Bell who became President of the SEC this month. "The presidents, chancellors and athletic directors of our institutions hold him in great regard -- respect which he has earned through his years of excellent service. I appreciate his proactive and collaborative approach to leadership and look forward to working with him for many years to come." |
| SEC extends commissioner Greg Sankey through at least 2028: Why his deal is a no-brainer | |
| Commissioner Greg Sankey and the SEC have agreed to an extension to keep him with the conference through at least 2028, the SEC announced Thursday. Beyond serving as one of the most respected and coherent voices in the sport, he's only cemented the SEC's status as college sports' preeminent conference through expansion and a new television deal with ESPN. That deal, signed in late 2020, is worth more than $3 billion in total and will go into effect next year. Sankey's predecessor, Mike Slive, oversaw the league adding Missouri and Texas A&M, but bringing Texas and Oklahoma into the league was an even bigger coup. The Big Ten's lack of consistency in the commissioner chair in recent years has also built Sankey into one of, if not the most powerful people in college sports. There won't be any dissenters among the SEC's decision-makers to continue his run. Sankey is now the longest-tenured Power 5 commissioner, which is notable because of how much turnover he's seen among his peers in recent years -- and how many of the new commissioners have entered the space without extensive collegiate athletic experience. From the expanded College Football Playoff to recommendations that originated in the transformation committee, you already see Sankey's fingerprints all over the present and future of major college sports. He'll continue to lead, no matter what comes next. |
| New Orleans must 'play ball' to compete in college football landscape: Q&A with Sugar Bowl CEO | |
 | Jeff Hundley is beginning his fourth season as the CEO of the Sugar Bowl, New Orleans' oldest, most prestigious college football bowl game. On Jan. 1, the Sugar Bowl will conduct its 90th game, this time as a semifinal game in the College Football Playoff. The Sugar Bowl will host quarterfinal games in the expanded 12-team CFP series on New Year's Day to end the 2024 and 2025 seasons. I visited with Hundley on Wednesday after he announced the Sugar Bowl plan to host the inaugural Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff on Sept. 2 at Caesars Superdome, featuring a lineup headlined by country music star Garth Brooks. Hundley and I discussed the origins of the annual music festival idea, the changing landscape of major college football and the Sugar Bowl's future place in it. |
| The Grove Collective joins alliance to establish uniform NIL rules | |
| As name, image, and likeness (NIL) continues to grow across college athletics, seven collectives serving to benefit student athletes financially -- including The Grove Collective -- have joined forces to bring attention to prominent issues faced by NIL facilitators. The Collective Alliance (TCA) was formed after several collectives attended a congressional summit in Washington, D.C. aimed at lobbying lawmakers to create uniform NIL laws. Walker Jones, the executive director of The Grove Collective, explained that a group of like-minded organizations came together to exchange ideas and create a uniform set of policies to present to NCAA administrators as well as leaders from universities throughout the nation. The goal is to further develop the market to pay student-athletes in an environment that is conducive to all 200-plus NIL operators. "We put together a cross-section of collectives from the Power Five, there will be a few more collectives joining as well, so we can represent all the different groups and throw out some common sense ideas," Jones said on SportsTalk Mississippi. "[We will] try to be a bridge to address whether it be an agent registry, uniform state law, revenue share that doesn't involve employment, or things of that nature." |
| Big 12 deputy commissioner on Texas leaving for SEC: 'They would rather get beat by Alabama than Kansas State' | |
| Big 12 deputy commissioner Tim Weiser had some some parting shots for Texas ahead of its move to the SEC next season. During an interview at Big 12 Media Days, the former Kansas State athletic director was asked about the Longhorns' motivation for leaving the conference. "I continue to maintain the choice Texas made wasn't a financial one because we all know what the Texas resources are like," Weiser told the 3MAW Podcast Wednesday. "I think their (decision) was more about affiliating with a group of schools that on a given Saturday. They would rather get beat by Alabama than Kansas State or Florida than Iowa State. That was really driving the way they looked out down the road." Weiser, who has served as deputy commissioner of the Big 12 since 2008, went on to speak on Oklahoma's potential motivation for the move as well. "I think they (Oklahoma) were more of what I would call a 'reluctant bride,'" he said. "That kind of felt like, 'if we don't go, what happens to the Texas-OU football or basketball game?' (Those are) things we know from an OU-Texas standpoint are important. I kind of felt like if I was in Oklahoma's (position), it would've been hard for me not to think about the long-term." |
| UGA football staffer files lawsuit against Athletic Association, NFL rookie over crash | |
 | The former Georgia football recruiting staffer who sustained serious injuries in a crash that killed a player and a co-worker is suing the University of Georgia Athletic Association and NFL rookie Jalen Carter and others in a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in Gwinnett County state court. Victoria "Tory" Bowles was a backseat passenger in the early morning of Jan. 15 in the UGA-rented Ford Expedition that another recruiting analyst, Chandler LeCroy, was driving when it crashed after racing with Carter after leaving downtown Athens. Police said LeCroy was driving up to 104 miles per hour. LeCroy and offensive lineman Devin Willock were killed in the crash on Barnett Shoals Road. LeCroy was found to be driving with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit hours after the team celebrated its second straight national title. The lawsuit contends that if not for the UGA Athletic Association's negligent entrustment of the SUV to LeCroy, the crash would have been avoided. It said they were aware she had at least four speeding tickets including two "super speeder" violations on her record and that recruiting supervisor Logen Reed was in the vehicle with LeCroy on Oct. 30, 2022 in Morgan County when she went 77 MPH in a 55 zone as they returned from Georgia's game in Jacksonville against Florida. The UGA Athletic Association and others were also named in a lawsuit by the father of Devin Willock in May, seeking $40 million in damages. |
| Northwestern dismisses Jim Foster as baseball coach | |
| Northwestern University has removed Jim Foster as head baseball coach days after news surfaced of controversy surrounding him. Foster's dismissal as coach one year into the job was announced to players on a video call Thursday afternoon with Northwestern University President Michael Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg, sources told the Tribune. Assistant coach Brian Anderson, a former player for the Chicago White Sox who was part of the 2005 World Series winning team, will lead the program "during this time of transition," the university said in a statement. "Nothing will ever be more important to Northwestern than providing its students a place that allows them to develop in the classroom, in the community, and in competition at the absolute highest level, and building a culture which allows our staff to thrive," Gragg said in the statement. "This has been an ongoing situation and many factors were considered before reaching this resolution. As the Director of Athletics, I take ownership of our head coaching hires and we will share our next steps as they unfold." Foster's departure comes days after the university let head football coach Pat Fitzgerald go amid a hazing scandal that Schill said caused significant damage to students and the university. |
| Disney is open to finding a new strategic partner for ESPN, Iger says | |
| Disney is open to potentially selling an equity stake in ESPN and is looking for a strategic partner in the business as it prepares to transition the sports network to streaming, CEO Bob Iger said Thursday. The linear TV business has degraded over the past year more than Iger expected, the Disney CEO told CNBC's David Faber Thursday in an interview at Sun Valley, Idaho. Disney announced yesterday Iger has extended his contract to 2026 as CEO. He returned to run Disney last year after stepping down as CEO in 2020. Disney has held early conversations with potential partners that could improve an ESPN streaming service by extending its distribution and adding content, Iger said. He declined to name specific partners. Disney currently owns 80% of ESPN. Hearst Communications owns the other 20%. Disney has held off from putting its prime ESPN content on its ESPN+ streaming service as it continues to make billions of dollars in revenue each year through traditional cable TV. Still, millions of Americans cancel their cable subscriptions each year, and that number has accelerated in recent years. "The challenges are greater than I had anticipated," Iger said. "The disruption of the traditional TV business is most notable. If anything, the disruption of that business has happened to a greater extent than even I was aware." Iger said he had become more certain in his thinking about when ESPN will launch its complete direct-to-consumer offering. He declined to say when that will happen. |
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