| Friday, October 6, 2023 |
| Institute for the Humanities Fellows delve deeper into history, humanities research at MSU | |
 | Natural history, American history and celebrity culture are part of the detailed research studies underway with the newest cohort of Mississippi State University's Institute for the Humanities Fellows. Awarded to three associate professors annually to assist in their research goals, the fellowship includes a $1,000 stipend and one course release in the spring to allow dedicated time for humanities-related research and writing. This year's Institute for Humanities Fellows, and their respective projects, include: Associate Professor of History Jim Giesen, "The Land of Cotton: Culture and Environment in the American South." Associate Professor of History Peter Messer, "Dictated by Nature: Science, Theology, and Politics in Early American Natural History." Associate Professor of English Bonnie O'Neill, "The Good News from Plymouth Church: The Faith, Politics, and Celebrity of Henry Ward Beecher." "Unlike other disciplines which report on collections of data, humanities scholars not only have to report and interpret but also weave analysis together, which takes a tremendous amount of time," said Julia Osman, director for MSU's Institute for the Humanities and an associate professor of history. "The end result of all that research and writing makes a substantial contribution to our knowledge of a subject." |
| Colom: Guns, grudges lead young people to 'terrible decisions' | |
 | If there was one word on the lips of Columbus Exchange Club members Thursday afternoon, it was "gangs." 16th Circuit District Attorney Scott Colom, who is running for a third term against Republican Jase Dalrymple, spoke to the club at Lion Hills Center about his office and how it handles investigations, and when he opened the floor for questions he was immediately asked if Columbus has a big gang presence. The gang question needs to be thought about two ways, Colom said: national gangs and looser-knit local groups. "You've got gangs on the national level, like Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, Stones," he said. "We have some of that, but most of the people (here) aren't really affiliated in any serious way." The problem is the more home-grown variety, he said. "What we have more of is what I call neighborhood gangs," Colom said. "You have a group of people who are in a neighborhood who at first are just friends but then begin to classify themselves as a gang informally, but there's no real organization to it." Those neighborhood gangs are often used to recruit people for illegal activity, Colom said. "We don't have very many gang members who are trafficking drugs from Chicago or in touch with (Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover)," Colom said. "... We have people like Kenny Armistad who will use the allure of a gang to recruit young people to make terrible decisions." |
| Lemmers named Mississippi Manufacturers Association board chair | |
| Lex Lemmers of PACCAR Engine Company in Columbus is the new chair of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association Board of Directors. He replaces Jane Moss, CFO of Viking Range in Greenwood, and will serve for one year. Lemmers has worked for PACCAR since 1996 and helped the company build and start up its Columbus plant. He is currently the company's director of program management and resident engineering. "Lex brings a tremendous amount of experience to his new position as chairman of the board," said MMA President and CEO John McKay. "As a key member of PACCAR's startup team in 2007, he is keenly aware of what it takes to help bring jobs to our state and the role MMA plays in helping craft business-friendly policy in Mississippi. He will be an asset to industry in Mississippi." The board also elected Kirk Lewis of Blue Springs Metals and Georgetown Metal Processing as chair-elect, Duane Wilson of The Chemours Company as vice chair and Robert Taylor of Taylor Machine Works as secretary-treasurer. |
| West Point native to convert old mechanic shop into brewery | |
| When West Point native Robert Bell was working at a Costco in Ridgeland in 2020, he started brewing his own beer and mixing craft cocktail beverages as a hobby. After gaining more interest in the drinks, he turned his homemade beverages into a craft cocktail business, Point City Brewing Company, and he plans to open a brewery and pub in West Point in 2025. "Peach and strawberry blondes were my favorite to make, and I just enjoyed the process of making beer," Bell said. "When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, craft cocktails became a trending product. People would come into Costco and just stock up on the craft cocktails. So after doing research, I also noticed the trend that (ready-to-drink canned) craft cocktails are growing in the market." Bell plans to convert his father's former mechanic shop at 865 Bugg St., a 50,000-square-foot space, into a three to five-barrel brew system, a restaurant space and distribution area. He said he plans to invest $250,000 to build it and hire 20 employees to help run the entire operation. He expects the project to take about a year to complete. Once Bell has the brewery set up and producing, he plans to add different styles of beer such as ales, blondes and pilsners, among others. Bell said he also wants to give people the chance to tour the brewery and will even add a see-through window for patrons to watch the brewing process. He hopes that others will also gain an interest in the industry. |
| Assistance available for Mississippi farmers affected by drought | |
 | Mississippi livestock producers are encouraged to consider U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster assistance programs to help them recover financially from the prolonged drought. Forty-four Mississippi counties are currently experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. "Livestock producers in Mississippi may not be familiar with USDA drought assistance programs because we don't often suffer such extended and severe drought conditions," said U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.). "I encourage affected producers to contact their local Farm Service Agency office to discuss participation in the Livestock Forage Disaster Program and/or the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program. Both programs could be useful as we deal with these extremely dry conditions." Congress provided permanent authorization and funding for several agricultural disaster assistance programs, including the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), in the 2014 Farm Bill. Both programs are administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). |
| Coast loses 'an icon' with death of former Gulfport mayor, banker and community leader George Schloegel | |
 | The Mississippi Coast has lost a leader who preferred to credit others for work to better the community rather than accept praise for all he did, especially for his beloved native city of Gulfport. George Schloegel, long-time president of Hancock Bank and a former mayor, died overnight. The 83-year-old leaves behind a legacy of community service, and a family and host of friends who are mourning the loss. "He had a remarkable, remarkable personality," current Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes said. "We've lost an icon worthy of emulation." Schloegel worked his way up to CEO of Hancock Bank before retiring to run for Gulfport mayor. Schloegel said when he announced his candidacy in March 2009 at age 68 that he had wanted to serve as mayor since he was 12 years old. His greatest talent, those closest to him have previously told the Sun Herald, was pulling together a team, building consensus and then getting the job done. He led the unprecedented growth of Hancock Bank, now Hancock Whitney, into a multistate operation, taking it from a $500 million to a $7 billion bank when he retired. Schloegel has worked with Democratic and Republican governors, including William Winter and Haley Barbour. He was a member of Barbour's Katrina recovery committee. He deferred his dream to run for mayor when he was younger, he said, because he was the father of four. He stayed in banking so that he could raise and educate his children. |
| Jobs report shows payrolls grew by 336K jobs in September while unemployment held at 3.8% | |
 | U.S. employers stepped up hiring sharply in September, adding a booming 336,000 jobs despite high interest rates and inflation. That's the strongest monthly gain since January. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.8%, the Labor Department said Friday. Economists had estimated that 170,000 jobs were added last month, according to a Bloomberg survey, extending a recent trend of slowing job growth. Instead, job gains for July and August were revised up by a combined 119,000, pushing the advances for each month over 200,000 and painting a more robust picture of summer hiring than previously thought. "The U.S. labor market clearly still has some gas in the tank," says Nick Bunker, head of economic research for Indeed, a top job site. While strong job gains are normally welcomed, the report likely raises the odds that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again next month to tamp down job and wage growth that could be fueling inflation, says economist Rubeela Farooqi of High Frequency Economics. A separate report this week showed that job openings jumped in August after trending lower in prior months. The Fed is nearing the end of an aggressive rate hike campaign but has said it would move again if the economy and inflation don't show evidence of cooling on a sustained basis. Yet some economists say the Fed is probably done. The central bank is focused less on total job gains and more on the unemployment rate, which has risen notably in recent months as more people stream into a healthy labor market, says Ian Shepherdson, chief economist of Pantheon Macroeconomics. |
| Legislative leaders ask about suspending PERS '13th check' increases, though they say it's unlikely | |
 | The possibility of temporarily pausing or reducing the annual 3% cost of leaving increase Mississippi's state and local government retirees receive was discussed recently by legislative leaders. The discussions came during a recent meeting the 14 members of the Legislative Budget Committee held with Ray Higgins, the executive director of the Public Employee Retirement System. After the meeting, legislators indicated that they do not favor limiting or changing the annual 3% cost of living increase, though the fact it was discussed highlights the trouble legislators face grappling with ensuring the financial viability of the public employee retirement system. Some key legislative leaders indicated that they are reluctant to allow taxpayer funds to be pumped into the public pension program at the level members of the governing board say may be needed to ensure its long-term financial viability. Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, asked if suspending the annual 3% cost of living increase for three years would solve the financial woes facing PERS, which provides pensions for most state and local government employees, including educators. "I wouldn't use the phrase solve all the problems, but it definitely would have a major impact," said Higgins. "... Something like that has a direct impact on the unfunded liability." Afterwards, Kirby said he was only gathering information, but said that any such suspension, "I don't think is on the table," and that he personally would not support it. |
| Some House Republicans demand rule change to prevent another speaker ouster | |
 | House Republicans face a decision in the coming days on not only who should be the next speaker but also whether to change House rules to make it easier for that person to stay in the role. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy only gained the speaker's gavel earlier this year after agreeing to changes demanded by a group of Republican holdouts, who in part insisted on more power to influence legislation, such as through the appropriations process and open amendments on bills. One change became the most consequential: lowering the threshold for bringing a "motion to vacate" the office of the speaker. Any member could file the proposal, instead of it needing to be offered at the direction of a party caucus or conference. With such a narrow Republican majority, the next speaker could face the same motion to vacate fate -- or at least have to operate under the threat of it. The House Main Street Caucus, a group of more than 70 "pragmatic conservatives" led by Reps. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota and Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, signaled Wednesday that their support for a speaker may hinge on a change to make it more difficult to bring a motion to vacate. On the other side of the Capitol, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said at a news conference Wednesday that he hopes whoever the next speaker is gets rid of the motion to vacate, which is a "hammerlock of dysfunction." "I think it makes the speaker's job impossible, and the American people expect us to have a functioning government," McConnell said. Matthew Green, a political science professor at Catholic University of America, said at an event Wednesday hosted by the American Enterprise Institute think tank that the next step for the House is unclear. "I think we are at this key decision point where the House, and the Republican House particularly, can go in any number of directions," Green said. "We're in a real transition period right now. It is not just a transition from one speaker to another." |
| Fox News to host debate with Republicans running for House speaker | |
| Republican candidates running for speaker of the House will face off Monday night in a joint interview hosted by Bret Baier on Fox News, the network confirmed to USA TODAY. The segment, first reported by Punchbowl News, will feature House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla. The interview begins at 6 p.m. Monday. Jordan -- who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump -- and Scalise announced their speakership bids Wednesday, a day after Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was removed from the position. Hern has yet to officially enter the race. The House is set to vote on a new speaker when the chamber returns next week. |
| Mississippi congressman in favor of Scalise or Jordan as next House speaker | |
| Following the historic removal of Kevin McCarthy as U.S. House speaker, Congressman Michael Guest has revealed what replacement candidates he has in mind. Guest, R-Miss., said on Thursday's episode of The Gallo Show that he is no longer worried about how McCarthy was removed – even though he was in favor of the California representative maintaining speakership – and instead, believes the Republican party needs to come together to make sure they maintain control of the leadership position. Going into Tuesday's conference meetings for interested candidates to step up, Guest pledged his support to both Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio. Both representatives have already announced their intentions of running. "It's going to be either Steve Scalise or Jim Jordan," Guest said. "I think those are the two candidates who have risen up, and I think both of them would do an incredible job." Guest's only concern is that the process of electing a new speaker could be drawn out as it took a record 15 votes for McCarthy to finally be voted in earlier this year. The high number of hardline voters is what ultimately led to McCarthy's downfall, too, as Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., claimed McCarthy "breached the agreement" he made with members of the Freedom Caucus and others following the passage of a stopgap bill that averted a government shutdown. |
| Thune flexes muscle in shadow Senate GOP leadership race | |
 | Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) is asserting himself in the Senate GOP's raucous debate over how to avoid a government shutdown, showcasing his ability to lead ahead of any future race to succeed Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Republican senators say the quiet jockeying among the "three Johns" in the mix to succeed McConnell whenever he leaves office is heating up behind the scenes. Thune, 62, is using his position as the No. 2 Senate Republican to maximum effect to show he can solve problems and get fellow GOP senators on the same page, according to lawmakers who've noticed his recent efforts. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) are also viewed as top candidates to become the next Senate Republican leader. None of the three are overtly campaigning for the top job, but they are making moves to showcase their talents to colleagues, say GOP senators and strategists. McConnell, 81, is spearheading the Republican effort to recapture the Senate and appears intent on serving again as majority leader. He raised $50 million in August through two aligned outside groups for Senate Republican candidates. But Thune's power and influence in the Senate GOP conference is on the rise. Republicans said that Thune on Wednesday broke the logjam holding up the stalled minibus appropriations package by urging Republican colleagues to drop their holds on the package funding military construction and the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. |
| 'A Slap in the Face of Voters': What R.N.C. Members Say About Trump's Calls to Cancel Debates | |
 | After refusing to participate in the first two Republican debates, former President Donald J. Trump and aides to his campaign have spent the past week arguing that there should be no more. The Republican National Committee, they say, should treat the race for the party's nomination as over, given Mr. Trump's large lead in the polls. But in interviews on Thursday, more than a dozen members of the R.N.C. suggested that they were giving little weight to the Trump campaign's appeal. Two members of the party's debate committee said the notion of canceling debates had not even risen to the level of discussion on the committee. The members -- Juliana Bergeron, the national committeewoman from New Hampshire, and Gordon Kinne, the national committeeman from Missouri -- also said they were undecided on which candidate to support themselves. Mr. Trump, they said, was not entitled to the deference that the party would give an incumbent. "It's nuts. I mean, it's crazy," said Henry Barbour, national committeeman for Mississippi, adding that he had not decided which candidate to support. "Why would -- we're just going to cancel the primary?" |
| How Trump was talked into -- and out of -- a run for speaker | |
 | Just hours after Kevin McCarthy was deposed as House speaker, the "draft Trump" movement began. "I called him and I said, 'Sir, I'm nominating you for the speaker of the House,'" said Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), describing a Tuesday call to former President Donald Trump. "I said, 'I think that you would do a great job fixing the brokenness we see in the Congress.'" So began a wild 48-hour scramble that saw Trump openly pondering a quixotic bid to become the first nonmember to be elected speaker before his political advisers and House allies managed to convince him it was a terrible idea. The Trump-for-speaker bubble officially popped early Friday morning, when he took sides in the brewing battle between Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.). It was not preordained that Trump would bless Jordan, his longtime ally and most loyal defender in Congress. Nehls and a handful of the ex-president's loyalists in the House, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), immediately went to work trying to turn "Speaker Trump" from fever dream into reality. Nehls said he even researched the question of whether Trump's criminal indictments would be a problem and assured the former president that a potentially disqualifying internal House GOP rule could be easily smoothed over. Trump, who was busy at his civil fraud trial in Manhattan this week, was noncommittal. But as the idea took off among the MAGA base, Trump began to see the idea as a fortuitous distraction from the constant barrage of headlines about his legal woes, according to one Trump ally in Congress. |
| AG launches 'One Pill Can Kill' campaign, leads on-campus training for Ole Miss students | |
| Attorney General Lynn Fitch today launched "One Pill Can Kill," a public awareness campaign to educate, support and empower Mississippians about the dangers associated with fentanyl and the resources available to save lives. Fitch made the announcement at the University of Mississippi, along with Chancellor Glenn Boyce and State Sen. Nicole Boyd. "Fighting the opioid crisis has been one of my top priorities since I took office, and with counterfeit pills becoming increasingly common in Mississippi, it's vital that we pool our energy and resources to fight back," said Fitch. "One Pill Can Kill is an initiative to educate, support, and empower all Mississippians with information on the dangers of fentanyl, how to identify it and what to do if you or someone you know is overdosing." The One Pill Can Kill initiative is one half of a two-prong approach to fighting fentanyl. As part of the initiative, the Attorney General's office will distribute Fentanyl Harm Prevention Kits -- which include two Fentanyl test trips, a safe drug disposal bag, and a pill identification card that identifies whether the drug is legitimate -- to colleges and universities, law enforcement agencies, community mental health centers and other community groups. Following the announcement, the Attorney General's Office and the University of Mississippi will host a training with School of Pharmacy students on how to administer Naxolone, often known by its brand name, Narcan, which is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids including heroin, fentanyl and prescription opioid medications. This event is the first of multiple on-campus launch events as part of the One Pill Can Kill campaign. |
| Professors reckon with artificial intelligence | |
 | Against the wishes of many professors, artificial intelligence has made its way into the classroom and hands of students. The current University of Mississippi policy for generative AI allows individual professors to decide how, or if, it will be used in their classrooms. Predictably, there is controversy over the potential of AI as a tool for academic dishonesty. While many people believe students will take advantage of AI to do their work for them, others see it as a new and essential skill. Chang-Won Choi, an integrated marketing communications professor, has a classroom policy that allows students to use AI for marketing projects but forbids its use for writing assignments. "If (students) rely on Al tools when they write a paper, it might give them some kind of incorrect or inaccurate information, and they might not be able to improve their writing skills," Choi said. "But when they create something new, then they might be able to get something new and different from their perspective." Choi believes that students need to learn how to use AI responsibly before entering the workforce. "If after graduation they use AI tools to develop something new and to create advertising campaign websites, they have to know how to use it correctly and ethically," Choi said. |
| CHAMP for Moms addressing new mothers' mental health challenges | |
| Pregnancy and childbirth can trigger a spectrum of emotions, ranging from excitement and joy to sadness and anxiety. To help mothers cope before and after the birth of their children, the Child Access to Mental Health and Psychiatry (CHAMP) program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is launching CHAMP for Moms. A five-year $3.75 million grant from the Health Resources Services Administration and a $300,000 Empowering Health grant from UnitedHealthcare are funding the program, which will give the state's pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists access to UMMC mental health professionals to address mothers' perinatal and postnatal mental health challenges. The care is provided via telehealth during a baby's pediatric visit or during a mother's perinatal or postpartum visits to her OB-GYN. Dustin Sarver, principal investigator of the project, an associate professor and a clinical child psychologist, said the grant is helping to provide a needed resource to mothers and their health care providers in the state. "By having CHAMP for Moms available in Mississippi, this means women and their children have gained another needed service that meets them where they are throughout the state," he said. "It also enables maternity providers to gain skills in the early identification of perinatal mental health concerns and to learn how to address and provide resources to pregnant and postpartum mothers. By supporting mothers and their providers, we know we will have powerful and long-lasting impacts on children." |
| Five Mississippi hospitals to receive Physician Residency and Fellowship Start-Up Grant funding | |
| On Thursday, AccelerateMS announced that $3 million has been awarded to five hospitals and health networks throughout the state to grow physician residencies and fellowships. The Physician Residency and Fellowship Start-Up Grant Program was created by Senate Bill 3113 in the 2023 legislative session. The goal is to create new or increased capacity in physician residency and fellowship programs at general acute care hospitals. The grant allows the selected hospitals to expand post-graduate medical opportunities. Delta Health is receiving $375,000 with a plan for re-expansion of the network's family medicine residency program. Baptist Memorial-DeSoto is also receiving $375,000, with the funds going to establish the state's first osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine residency program. Mississippi Baptist, Memorial and North Mississippi will all receive $750,000. The funds will be used for a new internal medical residency program at Mississippi Baptist and increasing a similar program at North Mississippi. Memorial in Gulfport looks to expand its internal medicine program as well. "Healthcare is a foundational piece of a healthy economy, and there is a critical need for more high-quality providers to keep Mississippians healthy," said Garrett McInnis, Deputy Director for External Affairs at Accelerate Mississippi, in a statement. "Our state's leadership is showing a strong commitment to strengthening the physician workforce across our state, and we believe these grants will increase the quality of healthcare in critical specialties in all corners of Mississippi." |
| Dr. Joe Paul officially inaugurated as president of Southern Miss | |
| Dr. Joe Paul has officially been inaugurated as the 11th president of the University of Southern Mississippi. State leaders, USM faculty, and others gathered at Bennett Auditorium on USM's Hattiesburg campus to welcome Paul into the role he has already been filling for over a year. Paul began his duties as USM's president on Nov. 1, 2022, after having served in the interim role since July 16 of last year. For more than 40 years, he served the University as a student affairs administrator. He holds a Ph.D. in administration of higher education from the University of Alabama and was named the university's Most Outstanding Doctoral Student in the field in 1985. The Bay St. Louis native earned a bachelor's degree in communication and political science from USM in 1975, graduating magna cum laude from the University Honors College, and received a master's degree in communication and management from Southern Miss in 1978. Paul was inducted into the USM Alumni Hall of Fame in 2000. He replaces Dr. Rodney Bennett, who served as president from 2013-2022. |
| Joe Paul inaugurated as 11th USM president | |
 | Joe Paul was inaugurated as the 11th president of the University of Southern Mississippi. An inauguration ceremony, or investiture, was held Thursday afternoon at Bennett Auditorium on the USM campus. Paul served for about four months as interim president, before being named president this past November. "Today, I accept this position with humility, and all the positive energy and self sense of urgency that I can muster," Paul said during the ceremony. "It will take all of us, as I know. Together, we are mighty." Paul also had some good news to announce Thursday about fundraising at Southern Miss. "I'm happy to announce today, with the securing of an anonymous endowment of $6 million earlier this week, that we have blown through the roof of our capital campaign goal," Paul said. "It was announced one year ago with a $150 million goal to be reached by by 2025 and so this week, two years early, we stand at $156 million and counting, so 'To The Top' for that." |
| Joseph Paul inaugurated as USM's 11th president | |
| An inauguration was held for University of Southern Mississippi (USM) President Dr. Joseph Paul on Thursday, October 5. Paul has been serving as the university's 11th president since November 2022. Before assuming the role, the USM alumni worked for more than 30 years as the university's Student Affairs administrator. As president, Paul said he will focus on growing enrollment and preparing students for success after graduation. "Engaging with potential employers, understanding the political issues of the day, and giving our students an emotional intelligence, the power of discernment, the ability to be creative and solve problems is what I'm looking for in terms of our students being ready for life when they leave," he said. Paul also plans to open a Life Science Research Center to further the university's biochemistry research. |
| IHL slated to announce next JSU president on Oct. 23, according to internal timeline | |
| The governing board of Mississippi's eight public universities has been planning to announce the next permanent president of Jackson State University on Oct. 23, according to a timeline of the search that was obtained through a public records request. A spokesperson for the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees wrote in an email that the timeline was not published because it was subject to change but that a search committee "is still on target to complete the search this fall." The timeline was prepared by Academic Search, the executive headhunting firm that IHL contracted to help find a permanent leader at Jackson State, which has had an interim appointment since earlier this year when Thomas Hudson became the third president in a row to resign in a seven-year period. It sheds some light on the generally secretive process used by the trustees who comprise the board's search committee. This fall, the committee has met twice to deliberate behind closed doors and has not shared any general updates from those meetings with the public. |
| Stricter state laws are chipping away at sex education in K-12 schools | |
 | A dozen state or county agencies have parted ways with tens of thousands of dollars in federal grants meant to help monitor teenagers' sexual behaviors and try to lower rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The withdrawals reflect a shift in many states that is further complicating and polarizing sex education in K-12 schools. Experts are concerned students won't reliably learn about adolescence, safe sexual activity or relationship violence, topics they say are especially important since sexually transmitted diseases rose after the pandemic and access to abortion is increasingly restricted. Teenagers' curiosity drives Teen Health Mississippi, a organization that trains educators and offers supplemental programs for parents and teens. About a quarter of the state's counties work with the nonprofit and the state's health agency to implement an "abstinence-plus" program, an option schools have to teach about contraception in addition to the now-permanent requirement to teach abstinence. Hope Crenshaw, the organization's director, said low percentage of counties suggests "a lot of young people aren't getting that information and many of them are getting it based on their zip code." "Young people want information to protect themselves," Crenshaw said. Kayla Smith is among them. The 18-year-old freshman at the University of Mississippi volunteered to be a youth advocate with Teen Health Mississippi, engaging her peers and answering their questions. The topic of sex in Mississippi is "taboo," Smith said. She remembers just one optional day of sex education in middle school. |
| State approved 1,800 religious vaccine exemptions for schoolchildren as of September | |
| In April, a federal judge ruled that parents can opt out of vaccinating their children for school on account of religious beliefs. U.S. District Judge Halil Sul Ozerden of the Southern District of Mississippi issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit, filed last year by parents who said the vaccination requirement violated their First Amendment rights. Under the newly created process, which went into effect July 17, parents must complete the form on the Mississippi Department of Health's website and make an appointment with their county health department to submit it. At the appointment, parents are shown an educational video about vaccination and are informed that if an outbreak occurs, their child will not be able to attend school or day care until it is resolved. The form is then processed by the health department. Prior to the court ruling, Mississippi led the nation in childhood vaccinations as one of six states without a religious exemption for vaccines. It's unclear exactly what impact this new exemption will have, but researchers have generally found a decline in childhood vaccination rates when a religious or personal exemption is added. Dr. Jana Shaw, a childhood vaccination researcher and professor at SUNY Upstate Medical University, said unvaccinated children are often clumped together in specific communities, not evenly distributed across the state, making it easier for them to "start and fuel outbreaks." Data from the first few weeks of exemption requests showed Jackson, George, Pike, Lincoln, and Madison counties had the highest number of parents submitting requests. |
| Marching bands have been struggling with extreme heat. Here's how they're adjusting | |
 | It's a Thursday evening in late September. The marching band at Mountain Ridge High School in the Phoenix metro area is an hour into rehearsal, and the students are all warmed up -- musically, and physically. The 170 high schoolers aren't in usual marching band gear like constructed jackets, bibs and shakos with plumes. Instead, they're dressed in matching white T-shirts and athletic shorts -- what they've been practicing in all season due to the warmer, 100-degree weather. All around the U.S. this fall, students and educators have been struggling with extreme heat. Schools have responded on many levels, from taking "indoor recess" to changing hours to even sending kids home. And for marching bands, this new climate is no longer just a question of comfort. "I always joke that when it comes time for marching band season, band directors become weather people," says Adam Dalton, the director of athletic bands at Georgia State University in Atlanta. "We check the weather every day, multiple times a day, to see what the expectation is in terms of temperature, in terms of severe weather, because that's becoming a lot more prevalent for us." For collegiate and high school marching bands, lighter, nontraditional uniforms have been on the rise, Dalton says. Georgia State's uniform has half-sleeves that can be pushed up; the band members also take off their hats whenever they can. Dalton says directors are "mindful of that which makes a hot game or a hot performance a little more bearable." |
| LSU among top 100 university patent producers again | |
 | LSU once again ranks among the top 100 universities in the nation for producing U.S. utility patents. The National Academy of Inventors, a national research association of universities, governmental agencies and nonprofit institutes, ranked LSU No. 75 on its 2022 list of university patent producers, according to an LSU news release. LSU researchers produced 22 patents in 2022. LSU was tied at 75th with Baylor University, the Texas Tech University System and Temple University. It's the fifth time in seven years LSU has made the list, and it's the highest NAI ranking in the university's history. Though LSU's ranking shot up -- the university was 93rd a year ago -- the number of patents LSU researchers produced went down from 32 in 2021 to 22 in 2022. Regardless, the higher ranking is a product of a yearslong university effort to protect faculty inventions and research and propel them into commercially successful use, LSU officials said. "The latest rankings demonstrate that LSU's efforts are paying off, that we can (and do) foster innovative research and that our faculty represent an amazing resource for the world," Robert Twilley, LSU vice president of research and economic development, said in a statement. The 22 patents awarded to LSU researchers include self-powered lights that could boost algae production, magnetic refrigeration technology that can cut energy use by 20% to 50%, and potential treatments for heart injuries, herpes and pain. |
| You're admitted: Georgia to urge high school seniors to apply in streamlined process | |
| Georgia's public colleges and universities want high school seniors to know there's a place for them in higher education and soon will be mailing a letter to the state's 120,000 seniors, urging them to claim their spot. Gov. Brian Kemp and others unveiled the new program Thursday, encouraging more young people to attend college. They say college will help students earn more over the long run and give the state a better-qualified workforce. "We're going to make sure that they know there's an opportunity for affordable, quality education out there for them in our own state," Kemp told a crowd Thursday at a workforce summit in downtown Atlanta. The Georgia Match program is part of a nationwide trend called direct admission. Colleges tell potential students they are guaranteed a place based on existing grades and promise admission if they submit a streamlined application. Georgia's 22 technical colleges are participating, as well as 23 of the 26 University System of Georgia institutions. All are waiving application fees during November to encourage seniors to apply now. All high school graduates are eligible to apply to a technical college, and the letters will indicate which state colleges and universities a student is eligible for, using grades the state already collects to administer the HOPE Scholarship program. The University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia College and State University are not participating because they require a standardized test and consider additional factors before offering admission. However, Georgia Tech is waiving application fees for Georgia students in November. |
| Texas A&M Student Senate pushes back on 'no-more-than-four' ordinance | |
 | The Texas A&M University Student Senate held a special session regarding the city of College Station's "no-more-than-four" ordinance Wednesday night, inviting several speakers to discuss strategies on how to garner support in opposition to the ordinance members believe has limited the availability of student housing within the city. The ordinance, which has been on the books in College Station since 1939, requires that no more than four unrelated people can live in a single-family house together. On Sept. 13, the Student Senate passed a No-More-Than-Four Resolution recommending the city remove the policy. The first speaker Wednesday was Texas A&M applied microeconomics professor Jonathan Meer, who argued that reducing the amount of people allowed to live in a single dwelling would simultaneously increase the demand and limit the supply of suitable housing for students. "If you reduce occupancy, there are the same number of people looking for housing and there are fewer available housing slots and so something has to give," he said. "Either some people end up without housing, meaning that there is a shortage of housing ... or prices rise until some people drop out of the market." It is realistically impossible for the no-more-than-four rule to result in a reduction in rent prices, Meer said. |
| Penn Demoted Her. Then She Won the Nobel Prize. | |
 | It's somewhere between a Cinderella story and a "so there" to the academic-science establishment. On Monday, Katalin Karikó was announced the winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, alongside her colleague Drew Weissman. The two had worked together at the University of Pennsylvania on messenger-RNA research that paved the way for Covid-19 vaccines. But Karikó was not always embraced by the scientific community, and in the days since the prize was announced, national news headlines and social-media commentaries have seized on her story. After years of unsuccessful attempts to obtain grant funding, Penn demoted her and cut her pay in the late 1990s. Years later, she was told she was "not of faculty quality" and kicked out of her lab space. And a paper she and Weissman published in 2005 was initially desk-rejected by Nature, which considered it an "incremental contribution." (The paper appeared in Immunity instead.) It was that paper that, 15 years later, became a blueprint for the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines that saved millions of lives around the world. Karikó and Weissman's work "fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system" and enabled vaccines for the virus to be created and distributed inside of a year, the Nobel Prize committee wrote. For some, Karikó's ultimate triumph made their own struggles -- a grant or job rejection, concerns about being able to make it in the cutthroat world of academic science -- sting a little less. But beyond that satisfaction lies a more complex set of emotions and realities about the academic and medical enterprises that failed Karikó. |
| FAFSA delay scrambles colleges' fall plans | |
 | Helen Faith, the financial aid director at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, is usually busy this time of year with a familiar agenda: hosting informational sessions on financial aid applications for families, reviewing prospective students' forms and generally revving up her office's well-oiled machinery to start crunching numbers and spitting out student aid packages. But with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid launch delayed by at least two months, Faith's fall calendar is up in the air. And she's not the only one. The FAFSA is at the center of the college financial aid system, unlocking billions in federal, state and institutional aid for more than 18 million students annually. The federal government is overhauling the form as part of a project known as FAFSA Simplification, delaying this year's opening from Oct. 1 to sometime in December. Financial aid administrators, admissions officers, high school counselors and groups that assist students in filling out the form are all preparing for a hectic rollout, anticipating difficulties in advance and raising awareness among prospective students and families. But there's only so much they can do. "We can't be 100 percent ready," Faith said. "We need the application." The changes to the FAFSA have wide-reaching implications for higher education, as more students are expected to be eligible for the Pell Grant and receive more state and institutional aid. Advocates hope this "simplification" will make college more accessible for lower-income students. |
| Mississippians deserve timely gubernatorial debate, not fear and loathing | |
| Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender writes: There appears to be much political jackassery afoot in the candidate haggling over debate(s) in the Mississippi gubernatorial race. At this point, just weeks away from the Nov. 7 general election, it's still unclear whether Mississippi voters will be treated to such a televised debate. In the meantime, they can enjoy some childish fear and loathing about it from the candidates and campaigns on social media. Here's the deal: Incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves doesn't want to debate. This makes sense, politically. When you're a well-known incumbent sitting on a lead and a pile of cash, facing a lesser-known and funded challenger, conventional wisdom is you have little to gain and much to lose from debates. Plus, Reeves himself has said that extemporaneous speaking and charming a live audience is not his strong suit. He's right. Presley, on the other hand, really wants to debate. This makes sense. He needs the exposure. Plus, Presley is an excellent orator, silver tongued, has the gift of gab. Compared to Reeves, he's a regular Daniel Webster. Many politicos figure he'll mop the floor with Reeves in a debate. Ergo, Presley has been calling for debates for months, vowing to spar with Reeves "any time, anywhere" and agreeing to any debate requests he's gotten. He's accepted five invites to date. These include invites from WJTV and Gray TV stations -- outlets with wide reach across the state. Reeves had ducked the invites, and when pressed said he was busy and his campaign was working on it. |
| Opinion: Lobbying Congress to save journalism | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: I just got back from a week in Washington, D.C., where I lobbied for laws to save journalism in our country. Journalism is dying in the United States. There are half as many journalists today compared to 20 years ago. Now you can say we're all journalists today, since anybody can post their opinion on social media and reach thousands, even millions, of people. But that's like saying there are a hundred million doctors in the U. S. since we can all go online and learn about anything that ails us. It's not the same. For the last 100 years, almost every college and university has had a journalism program where students can learn the profession of journalism. It may look easy, but it's not. Real journalism just doesn't happen magically. It takes training, skill and work. The journalism that is dying most rapidly is local journalism. National journalism still has the economies of scale to be economically viable. The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fox News have adapted to the new digital landscape and are surviving, even thriving. State journalism is hanging in there, thanks to generous billionaires. Here in Mississippi, Mississippi Today and the Magnolia Tribune are supported by charity. It's local journalism that's most at threat. Already, a quarter of our country is in what's called a "news desert" where there is no local news. |
SPORTS
| Dawgs Capture Tough Road Win at Florida, 1-0 | |
| Mississippi State (7-3-3, 2-2-1 SEC) traveled to the Sunshine State for a road contest with the Florida Gators (5-4-3, 1-3-1 SEC) in Gainesville on Thursday evening. With both squads vying for three points in the SEC standings, State fought valiantly the full 90 minutes and earned a victory in Gainesville for the first time in program history. Just 19 minutes into the first half of play, Aitana Martinez-Montoya seized control of the top spot in the Bulldog's season goal tally when she netted her fourth goal of the season. Ilana Izquierdo secured her first assist of the season on the play as she sprinted down the field just beyond the Florida box, delivering a precise through ball that met the outstretched foot of Martinez-Montoya to send the ball past the keeper and into the bottom right corner of the net. The Dawgs defense was ferocious throughout the match as they held Florida to just one shot until the final thirteen minutes when the Gators registered two shots late as they tried to find the equalizer. Maddy Anderson made a single save on the night as she smothered Florida's only shot on target. Mississippi State will return to the pitch on Sunday when they are set for a nationally televised battle with in-state foe Ole Miss for the Magnolia Cup in Starkville. The match is set for a 6:00 PM kick and can be viewed on ESPNU. Bulldog fans are encouraged to arrive early to help celebrate 'Soctober Fest' at the MSU Soccer Field. |
| Mississippi State soccer secures first-ever win at Florida | |
| This time, Mississippi State's lead held up -- and the Bulldogs earned a historic victory in the process. Aitana Martinez-Montoya's 19th-minute goal was backed up by an outstanding defensive effort Thursday, and MSU defeated Florida 1-0 to pick up the program's first-ever win in Gainesville. The Bulldogs were previously 0-10 all-time at the Gators' Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Iliana Izquierdo got on the end of a long ball in the attacking third and sent a perfect cross to the edge of the 6-yard box, where Martinez-Montoya slid forward to slot her shot past Florida goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg. Martinez-Montoya, a native of Spain who transferred from Fairleigh Dickinson, now leads MSU (7-3-3, 2-2-1 Southeastern Conference) with four goals. Izquierdo, a Colombian and a transfer from Southern Miss, tallied her first assist of the season. The Bulldogs only got off six shots all evening, with Martinez-Montoya responsible for four of them. Her goal was the only shot MSU put on target, but the Bulldogs' defense was even more airtight, as the Gators (5-4-3, 1-3-1) managed just three shots. MSU goalkeeper Maddy Anderson needed to make just one save to record her fifth shutout of the year. Head coach James Armstrong's team is back home Sunday at 6 p.m. to take on rival Ole Miss with the Magnolia Cup on the line. The Bulldogs have won their last three meetings with the Rebels heading into Sunday's showdown, which will be televised nationally on ESPNU. |
| Mississippi State aims to end 3-game skid in non-league matchup against Western Michigan | |
| Western Michigan (2-3) at Mississippi State (2-3), Saturday, 12 p.m. ET (SEC): Mississippi State steps away from SEC play after losing three consecutive league games to face Western Michigan for the first time. The visiting Broncos seek their first win over a Power 5 team this season after losing to Syracuse and No. 25 Iowa last month. Western Michigan's ground game poses a challenge for Mississippi State's defense. The Broncos enter the contest tied for 38th nationally at 184.4 yards per game. They rushed for three touchdowns for the third time this season in a 42-24 win over Ball State and gained 133 yards. MSU is 61st against the run, allowing just under 135 yards per game. The Bulldogs yielded a season-high 193 last week against No. 11 Alabama and have allowed at least 144 yards on the ground in their past three losses against SEC foes. The Broncos face their first SEC team since losing 55-26 at Florida in September 1999. ... Western Michigan resumes Mid-American Conference play on Oct. 14 against Miami (Ohio). ... First-year coach Lance Taylor spent last season as Louisville's offensive coordinator after working three years as Notre Dame's running backs coach. ... MSU quarterback Will Rogers is tied for fourth with Peyton Manning with 89 TDs and needs 10 to match Drew Lock for third. ... The Bulldogs have been outscored by 1.8 points per game this season, WMU by 10.8. |
| Five keys for Mississippi State's Week 6 game against Western Michigan | |
| Mississippi State will get a brief respite from Southeastern Conference play Saturday as the Bulldogs (2-3) host Western Michigan (2-3). The game will kick off at 11 a.m. on SEC Network. Here are five keys to victory for MSU: Get Will Rogers his confidence back. Keep the Broncos out of the backfield. Limit Jalen Buckley's production. Make Treyson Bourguet uncomfortable. Don't come out sluggish. The Bulldogs' first 11 a.m. game of the season quickly turned disastrous --- Rogers looked out of sync with his receivers and MSU's defense had no answers for LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and receiver Malik Nabers. Granted, the Tigers are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, but the Bulldogs looked like they'd forgotten to set their alarms for much of that day. The longer MSU lets Western Michigan hang around, the more the Broncos' confidence will grow. Getting off to a fast start -- which the Bulldogs have really only done once this year, against Arizona -- will be paramount Saturday. |
| Smith to miss time for MSU men's basketball due to foot injury | |
 | Tolu Smith, Mississippi State's All-Southeastern Conference post player, suffered a foot injury in practice this week and will miss a significant part of the season. "We're going to support and care for Tolu's mental and physical well-being during every step of the recovery process," Jans said. "We will continue to move forward with our preparations for the upcoming season as Tolu and his family would expect us to. He will continue to serve as a team leader from the sidelines until we welcome him back on the floor. We will pray for a healthy and speedy recovery for Tolu and his family." Smith helped MSU's run to the NCAA Tournament last season by scoring an average of 16.1 points and pulling down 8.3 rebounds per game. Although Smith will be missed until some point during SEC play, Jans and the staff have brought in several players to provide added depth. |
| Bulldogs Return Home To Host Georgia And Texas A&M | |
| Mississippi State volleyball will host Georgia on Friday and Texas A&M on Sunday inside the Newell-Grissom Building. The Bulldogs (8-6, 1-3 SEC) will open the weekend against Georgia (9-6, 0-3 SEC) at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 6, on SEC Network+. State will conclude the weekend with a match versus Texas A&M (10-4, 2-2 SEC) at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8. Sunday's match will also air on SEC Network+. "There is nothing like being at home and playing at The Griss," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "We are really looking forward to these two matches this weekend. Georgia and Texas A&M are two extremely talented, tough teams that will be great opportunities for us to continue to work together to get better with every match we play. I know that we are excited to play in front of our family, and we sure hope our fans are ready to Pack the Griss and get it rockin' to give us that home court edge we are so proud of!" The first 150 fans to enter Newell-Grissom on Friday will receive a Mississippi State Hawaiian shirt, and pink ribbons and pom poms will be given out for OCH Think Pink Breast Cancer Awareness match on Sunday. Admission is free for all home volleyball matches with doors opening one hour prior to first serve. |
| Sanderson Farms Championship is a multi-million dollar boost for Jackson | |
| The Sanderson Farms Championship is a welcomed event for Jackson, an event projected to give a multi-million dollar boost to the city coffers. The top player at the Sanderson Farms golf tournament takes home a recording-setting prize of $8.2 million, but the capital city comes out an even bigger winner. "That's really good for our city," said The Bottle Shop manager Sam Kumar. On the first full day of tournament play the Bottle Shop on Old Canton Road was stocking up in preparation for those visiting the golf course just down the street. Traffic will be flowing in and out of the Sanderson Farms Tournament through the weekend. "It's bringing a lot of people," said Kumr. "It's bringing a lot of recognition to our city and I think it's really helpful for our city the tournament is in our city, and I think this is really good." According to Visit Jackson, the Sanderson Farms Golf Tournament has an estimated economic impact of $8.8 million dollars. 30,000 people visit the city during the tournament, making it economically one of Jackson's top events. "I think it's a great impact on Jackson," said Gina Halfacre. Sanderson Farm Tournament officials say the seven-day event has a $30 million dollar economic impact on the state. "It's good to see something positive come and to bring people in from other places to see what's really going on here," added Halfacre. |
| Inside the effort to regrow Auburn's iconic oak trees, and why they can now be rolled | |
 | It took him three tries, but Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze finally got the job done. Freeze, who had just led the Tigers to a season-opening win over UMass, wasn't quite sure how long of a tail to let out before making an attempt. He'd been on the wrong end of the tradition before during his time at Ole Miss, but never did he have a chance to enjoy the sacred ritual from a winner's perspective. Freeze got the toilet paper to stick on his third toss, draping it over a branch on one of the two iconic oak trees at Toomer's Corner. That win against the Minutemen was significant in more ways than one. Yes, it was the first victory of the Freeze era at Auburn, a period that has, so far, been abundant with optimism and hope for the future. It also marked the first time the two main oak trees at Toomer's Corner could be rolled since they were planted in 2017. Auburn made the declaration that the trees were healthy enough to participate in the celebratory event Aug. 8. But the process of getting them there started years before, and it's been captained by university arborist Alex Hedgepath since he returned to the Plains in September 2015. The replacements for the Toomer's Oaks --- the originals were two southern live oaks that were poisoned sometime in early 2011 by Harvey Updyke, an Alabama fan who was enraged by the Crimson Tide's loss in the 2010 Iron Bowl and by someone placing a Cam Newton jersey on the statue of late Alabama coach Bear Bryant -- were planted in February 2015, seven months prior to Hedgepath accepting his role with the university. But Hedgepath's expertise would quickly need to be used. The trees, which have a scientific name of Quercus Virginiana, were set ablaze after the Tigers topped LSU in September 2016. A then-29-year-old Auburn resident was arrested, eventually plead guilty to charges related to the incident and apologized to Auburn fans. "I was here for that," Hedgepath said in an interview with the Montgomery Advertiser this week. "We immediately sprang into action to see how bad the damage was from that fire. ... The tree was determined to need to be replaced, and that's why we have the two that we have now." |
| Lindsey Nelson Stadium renovations Tennessee baseball fans should see for 2024 season | |
 | Ariel Antigua cracked a long foul ball down the left-field line during a Tennessee baseball scrimmage. The ball struck by the Vols freshman infielder almost hit an excavator. That's the scene at Lindsey Nelson Stadium this fall, where the Vols are at work and so is construction. "I think our kids are kind of amped up every day to see literally the future right in front of them," Vols coach Tony Vitello said. Lindsey Nelson Stadium is in the early months of a multiyear project to upgrade the home of Vols baseball. The scope of the nearly $100 million project was announced in June and started in August with portions slated to be completed prior to the start of the 2024 season. The initial stages are focused on adding permanent seating down the left-field line and more seating down the right-field line prior to the 2024 season. UT removed the temporary bleachers that it installed down the left-field line during the 2021 postseason and kept an improved version for the following two seasons. It is adding seating instead that will enclose that side of the ballpark. The right-field side is aimed to mirror that idea, while both sides will eliminate some of the foul territory down the lines by angling more toward the foul poles opposed to being a straight line. The project will bring the stadium capacity to approximately 7,600, an increase of almost 3,000. It addresses seating, premium-seating options, player development areas, new gates, wider concourses and concession stands. |
| Apple, Amazon Discussed Acquiring College Football Playoff Rights | |
| The next College Football Playoff media deal could include a major streamer. Both Apple and Amazon have had preliminary discussions with the College Football Playoff about acquiring rights to the 12-team slate, sources told Front Office Sports. The CFP has begun looking for media partners for its next contract for the expanded playoff starting in 2026, and held its first formal meeting last week. Amazon was one of the networks in the room. Beyond usual suspects ESPN and Fox, who comprise college football's broadcast duopoly, NBC has also had conversations and attended the meeting in person, FOS reported earlier this week. But executive director Bill Hancock noted that there was mutual interest in a streaming element for the now-11-game slate. Amazon and Apple have already become major players in pro sports, including the NFL's "Thursday Night Football," MLB, and MLS -- though both companies have yet to obtain college sports media rights. Amazon was rumored as an early bidder for the Pac-12's next deal, FOS previously reported. Apple was just hours away from inking an exclusive partnership with the conference before the Pac-12 imploded on the morning of Aug. 4. The deal offered a base of between $20-30 million per school, with incentives for increased subscriptions. Now, the streamers could bid for at least some of the games. It's unlikely that they'll receive the semifinals or championship game. But the CFP's new first round, which will include four games played on college campuses, could provide an opportunity for experimentation with streamers. |
| Big Ten reveals new football scheduling model for 18-team league: How this changes the conference | |
| The Big Ten conference announced Thursday each school's home and away Big Ten opponents for the 2024 through the 2028 football seasons, underscoring how challenging these schedules are going to be for all teams in the new 18-team league. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington all become official Big Ten members next summer. The league had to revise its previously announced scheduling model and pairings after adding to the two Pacific Northwest schools in August. Michigan will play three of the former Pac-12 schools in 2024, with a road trip to Washington to go along with home games against Oregon and USC. Ohio State will travel to Eugene to play Oregon in the Ducks' first year in the Big Ten. USC will play either Michigan or Ohio State each of its first five years in the league. Conference schedules include 12 protected annual matchups: Illinois-Northwestern, Illinois-Purdue, Indiana-Purdue, Iowa-Minnesota, Iowa-Nebraska, Iowa-Wisconsin, Maryland-Rutgers, Michigan-Michigan State, Michigan-Ohio State, Minnesota-Wisconsin, Oregon-Washington and UCLA-USC. There will be no divisions, and the Big Ten Championship Game will include the top two teams in the overall conference standings. "You look at it, and you see the quality of the matchups," Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said. "We just couldn't be more excited about what you see on paper, what it really looks like." |
| Can a spotlight on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce help the NFL draw more Gen Z and female fans? | |
| Eager as the National Football League has been to cater to the recent public fixation with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, it's certainly not taking any credit for creating the outsized storyline that has emerged around the pop superstar and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. "Not orchestrated by the NFL," league spokesman Brian McCarthy assured The Associated Press with a chuckle during a chat on the phone about what is becoming known as " Tay Tay and Trav," a topic few seemed to be able to get enough of initially, whether football diehards or Swifties, whether via TV or TikTok. The protagonists have remained mum about their actual status since Swift began attending Kelce's games 1½ weeks ago. The sport providing the backdrop, and its TV partners, have not been shy about trying to capitalize on the "situationship" and gain new fans, particularly members of Gen Z and more women -- although marketing experts are skeptical there will be much of a bump in the long run. "There is not going to be a 'Pre-Taylor Swift Era' and a 'Post-Taylor Swift Era' for the NFL. ... It's a momentary fascination," said Rebecca Brooks, founder and CEO of Alter Agents, a consulting firm. The league has worked for several years to court women, including by promoting flag football or touting female hires for teams' coaching staffs, as negative developments turned people off: domestic violence cases involving players; misogyny and sexual harassment during former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder's tenure; an investigation launched in May by New York and California prosecutors into accusations of sexual harassment and racial discrimination at NFL corporate offices. |
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