| Wednesday, January 10, 2024 |
| Work begins on Mississippi State University's newest residence hall | |
 | Work is underway for what will be Mississippi State University's newest residence hall. The 159,000 square foot, five-story Azalea Hall will include a new dining hall, meeting spaces, and a campus storm shelter that will double as a multi-purpose space for events and other activities, and it will also be able to house just over 400 students. The living quarters will feature private, single-room living areas joined together in pod-like communities, and will be open to students in all classes. Azalea Hall will also be home to a living and learning community for MSU's Luckyday Scholars. Besides being the newest dorm, Azalea also boasts ease of access to campus life. "It's so convenient for students to live on campus, and gives them access to all of the campus resources. They don't have to drive. They could not bring a car if they don't want to. Or they could just leave their car parked wherever it is, and they can access all of the programs and activities and their classes without ever having to get into their cars. So, I think there are just a lot of conveniences that come from living on campus," said Dr. Regina Hyatt, MSU Vice President of Student Affairs. |
| New MSU residence hall construction to begin next month | |
 | Construction will begin in February on a $100 million residence hall at Mississippi State University that will house 412 students. The new residence hall should be open for the fall 2025 semester, Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt told The Dispatch. Known as Azalea Hall, it will be a five-story, 159,000 square-foot building located near the intersection of George Perry Boulevard and Barr Avenue, Hyatt said. "We're just excited to be able to present a new style of living for our students," Hyatt said. "We're really looking forward to the presence of the dining facility for this side of campus. We don't have a dining facility on the north side of campus. This will really help a need that we have had for a while." She said utility construction has been ongoing since the summer. "We needed a new residence hall to support the increase in our student body and to help us to phase out some of our older inventory," Hyatt explained. "Eventually, we hope to take down some of our older inventory over the next several years." She said Azalea Hall will feature pod-style living quarters with shared kitchenettes, restrooms and living areas. She described it as a marriage between "privacy and community." The hall will feature a living and learning area for the university's Luckyday Scholars. Along with the dining space, which will be open to the community, there will be a storm shelter, as well. |
| As another obesity-fighting drug takes center stage, a nutrition expert warns that weight loss shouldn't be the only goal | |
 | Mississippi State University's Mandy Conrad writes for The Conversation: If the buzz surrounding a medication could elevate it to celebrity status, then Zepbound is reaching Taylor Swift rank. Zepbound is the newest addition to the weight loss drug arena. In November 2023, it joined the list of obesity-fighting drugs -- administered as an injection -- to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The key to Zepbound's weight loss potential is its active ingredient, tirzepatide. This is the same active ingredient found in the drug Mounjaro, which is approved to treat Type 2 diabetes. The relationship between Zepbound and Mounjaro is similar to two other popular drugs making headlines, Wegovy and Ozempic. Both Wegovy and Ozempic contain the active ingredient semaglutide, with Wegovy approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and Ozempic approved for the treatment of obesity. Tirzepatide and semaglutide both mimic the digestive hormone GLP-1, which is released by the intestines when we eat to stimulate insulin production and help regulate blood sugar. GLP-1 also suppresses appetite while promoting a sensation of fullness. Weight loss medications are intended to be used in conjunction with lifestyle changes, such as exercise and a healthy diet. But too often, people view them as a silver bullet for weight loss. And the high price tag and variable insurance coverage for these popular weight loss drugs create a barrier for many people. I am a registered dietitian and dietetics educator. Whether I am counseling patients, teaching students or working in my community to address food access challenges and healthy eating, I focus on overall well-being. |
| 'Birddogs and Tough Old Broads' book by MSU author highlights women journalists in Mississippi | |
 | Mississippi State University faculty member Pete Smith showcases the experiences of women journalists throughout the course of a century in his new book, "Birddogs and Tough Old Broads: Women Journalists of Mississippi and a Century of State Politics, 1880s-1980s." Released this past fall, the book documents the professional experiences and observations of more than a dozen women journalists covering Mississippi state politics from the 1880s, after the end of Reconstruction when newspapers were the primary source of information, to the 1980s, a time marked by steady declines in both news revenue and circulation and the emergence of corporate journalism. Lexington Books, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, published the work. Smith, an associate professor in MSU's Department of Communication, said the book is a continuation of his research examining 20th-century journalism history and the role women journalists, like the late Norma Fields, played in covering issues of importance, political or otherwise. "Fields, the first woman in Mississippi to cover the state Capitol as a full-time correspondent -- for the Tupelo-based Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal -- was part of another research project that I completed a few years ago. Her papers are located here in Mitchell Memorial Library's Special Collections, and as I sifted through her material, I wondered if there were others like her -- women who covered the Mississippi political landscape and whose work in political journalism had been overlooked," Smith said. |
| Cotton District Arts Festival set to return to the spring | |
 | The much-anticipated annual Cotton District Arts Festival is set to be moved back to the third Saturday of April. The Starkville Area Arts Council announced that the Board of Directors and the Cotton District Arts Festival Planning Committee made the decision to move the Cotton District Arts Festival back to the Spring, and due to the large undertaking for the Arts Council and volunteers involved as well as the financial restraints of attempting to support two festivals within the same fiscal year, will push the next festival back to April 19, 2025. The Arts Council released the information in a graphic on social media (@cdafestival) on Friday, saying "Please know that this decision has not been made lightly and was made with discussion and input from city officials, the Planning Committee, artisans and restaurants, and attendees. SAAC and CDAF rely on grants, sponsorships, and donations in order to do any of our operations or events, especially CDAF. Many of our grants are distributed once annually and cover significant portions of the planning costs of the event. ... Unfortunately, it is impossible for us to plan and execute two festivals in a fiscal year. If anyone is interested in volunteering for the CDAF Planning Committee, we are especially in need of a Music Chair and a Taste of Starkville Chair. For more information, please contact SAAC Executive Director Mary Switzer. We would like to thank the Starkville Community for their continued support of CDAF and we hope to make the 2025 Cotton District Arts Festival the best one yet!" |
| No explosives found in towed vehicle on Hwy 182 | |
| Despite federal and county law enforcement shutting down a stretch of Highway 182 and briefly evacuating homes and businesses, no explosives were found in a vehicle brought to a tow yard following a search Monday. Capt. Brett Watson of the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office said the investigation was sparked after a vehicle was brought to a tow yard on Highway 182 and the driver sought to retrieve items from it. Watson said there was a question about whether the man was the vehicle's owner. He said the man informed the tow yard workers that there were some explosives in the vehicle. At that point, the tow yard contacted the sheriff's office, which came to the yard accompanied by a canine unit from Mississippi State University. Watson said the dog gave a positive alert on the vehicle. As a precautionary measure, law enforcement evacuated nearby residences and businesses and briefly shut down portions of Highway 182 from Highway 45 to Camps Airport Road, totaling about one mile. A search of the vehicle found several firearms, but no explosives. Watson said the scene was cleared and roads were reopened around 5:30 p.m. Watson said there was no indication the man was intending to threaten the tow yard and the incident was not taken to be a bomb threat. "We don't have any reason to believe he was threatening anybody," Watson said. Watson said the positive alert from the canine unit likely came from gunpowder from the weapons in the vehicle. He said the dogs are trained to identify gunpowder, and that alert triggered a larger investigation. |
| Wintry weather expected to move toward Mississippi | |
 | The National Weather Service is forecasting cold temperatures associated with storm systems bringing high winds, heavy rain, in Mississippi starting the week of Jan. 14. Chad Entremont, NWS science and operations officer in Jackson, said for over the next seven to 14 days, it will be a "fairly complex" weather pattern. He said there are not many details on how the storm system will set up for the upcoming week, but there is at least some potential for wintry weather such as ice, sleet and even snow beginning Monday, Jan. 15, and lingering over into the night. Entremont said that once temperatures reach below freezing, it is likely to stay below freezing until Wednesday, Jan. 17, for much of the state. There is potential for pipes to burst due to the prolonged freeze. "One thing we are more confident in is getting arctic air coming in and getting very dangerously cold temperatures starting on Monday," Entremont said. "We're pretty confident that the whole area is going to probably see lows, at least in the teens with some areas ... seeing a single digit." Entremont said the forecast is an early prediction, and forecasts are subject to change. Entremont said north of Jackson, there is more potential for colder temperatures and single digit readings. "The main thing is to be prepared and be weather aware," Entremont said. "Right now is the time to be putting a plan in place. Then, you can enact the plan once you get any kind of severe weather warnings." |
| Anderson, Baptist complete merger | |
 | Employees and executives with Anderson Regional Health System and Baptist Memorial Health Care gathered at Anderson Regional Medical Center on Tuesday to announce the merger of the two healthcare companies is complete. First announced in October 2022, the merger brings the resources of Baptist, the largest health system in the state, to Anderson and expands Baptists' footprint to cover more than half the state's population. "The thing that it does for this heath system, for Anderson, is it emboldens us to continue to focus on our commitment to community health care," Anderson Regional Health System President and CEO John Anderson said. "We are very, very excited about that." Both health systems are driven by faith-based missions and a commitment to providing quality care at the local level, Anderson said. Together, the two systems have more than 150 years of providing evidence-based medicine to Mississippians. Jason Little, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care, said Anderson is more than just a hospital; it's a family, a legacy and a pillar of the community. That importance, he said, is not lost on Baptist. "There's a lot of pressure on Baptist at this point to not mess this up, because you all have done a wonderful job caring for the Meridian community for so long," he said. Beverly Knox, executive director of the Community Health Improvement Network, of which Anderson is a part, said the merger will improve healthcare in Meridian, and she looks forward to educating the public about the additional health resources made available by the merger. |
| Mississippi revenues up $100M over estimates halfway through fiscal year | |
| Revenue collections in Mississippi pushed over $100 million above legislative budget estimates halfway through the current fiscal year, according to the December report from the Legislative Budget Office released on Tuesday. The December 2023 revenue report showed that the revenue collections for the month were $28,359,591 or 4.30% above the sine die revenue estimate, bringing the Fiscal Year-to-date revenue collections through December to $104,290,058 or 2.91% above estimate. A year-over-year comparison of state revenues of December 2022 and December 2023 reflects a decrease of $20.9 million or 0.56%. This is largely attributable to the reduction in income taxes as passed by lawmakers and signed into law by Governor Reeves during the 2022 session. Even still, state revenues in Mississippi continue to outpace estimates. The total state budget is for the fiscal year is set at $7,523,800,000. |
| Lieutenant governor Delbert Hosemann outlines plans at Stennis Press Forum | |
| Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann gave a 45-minute talk to the Stennis Institute Capitol Press Forum at Hal & Mal's in downtown Jackson. He started off on an extremely positive note saying, "First of all, as y'all know well, we've had four of the best years in the history of Mississippi, except for the Covid experience that I experienced and all of you experienced." Hosemann continued, "We are managing the way we're going to manage the next four years: conservative, businesslike manner, caring about the people who live here and ensuring we keep our culture." Hosemann is very concerned about Mississippi's labor participation rate which at 54 percent is about nine percent below the national average. He feels that if that rate drops another four percent there will be more people taking money than working which "is not going to make it for our state or the nation." In addition, people who have jobs have a more positive attitude, are healthier, buy houses and get involved in their community. Hosemann supports "last dollar tuition at community colleges" .The program, which already is offered in some other states, requires people entering community college to apply for any available grants and scholarships. The amount of the tuition not paid for by the grants and scholarships is then paid for by the state. Hosemann thinks this will improve Mississippi' labor participation rate. "When they did this in Tennessee they got 40 percent greater enrollment. That's how we beat back this decline in our labor participation rate." |
| Mississippi governor, in second inauguration, says he wants young people to stop leaving the state | |
 | Republican Gov. Tate Reeves used the theme "Mississippi Forever" on Tuesday as he was inaugurated for his second term, saying he wants to curb the trend of young people leaving to pursue careers in other places. "For too many decades, Mississippi's most valuable export has not been our cotton or even our culture. It's been our kids," Reeves told lawmakers, state officials and several international diplomats during a ceremony outside the state Capitol on a chilly, blustery day. He said people from Mississippi hold prominent positions in government, business and entertainment. "They made other places better, and we missed out on all they could have done here at home," he said. Reeves, 49, campaigned last year by focusing on tax cuts, job creation, low unemployment and improvements in education. He also cast his Democratic opponent as a liberal backed by out-of-state donors who were out of step with Mississippi. The state lifted its ban on gubernatorial succession in the 1980s, and Reeves is the fourth Mississippi governor to win two consecutive terms. Republicans have held the Mississippi governorship the past 20 years. |
| Gov. Tate Reeves sets lofty goals for Mississippi in inaugural address | |
| Jonathan Tate Reeves, Mississippi's 65th governor, took what is likely to be his final oath for statewide office Tuesday morning on a brisk, windy and overcast day on the south steps of the Mississippi State Capitol. "I'd like to end this speech where I started: back 20 years ago when I first took this oath. As I have prepared for this day these last few weeks, it has been apparent to me that this is my last opportunity to do the thing I have most wanted to do my entire adult life," said Reeves after being sworn in for his second term as governor and for a staggering total of six terms as a statewide officeholder. "And I know that I am not alone. I am surrounded by people in this Capitol, in both parties, who have chosen a path to make Mississippi better. And as I campaigned this year, I was struck by the fact that virtually everyone was driven by a desire to bring Mississippi up. We have all been placed in a position of great importance. We sit at a crossroads for our state." When his second and final term as governor ends in January 2028, Reeves, who is 49 years old, could run again for a down-ticket statewide office, but that would be unusual and unlikely. Speaking to a joint session of the Mississippi Legislature, before other state officials and a sizable crowd of supporters and onlookers on the grounds of the Capitol, Reeves spoke as if he was beginning his final chapter as a statewide official in Mississippi. |
| Iconic downtown Jackson sign slated to go back up Wednesday | |
| A historic downtown Jackson sign will be going back up on Wednesday, a year and a half after it was taken down for repairs. Crews are expected to begin reinstallation of the Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel Sign on Wednesday morning, according to Glenn Kornbrek, deputy executive director of the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration. "Hopefully [we'll] be done with it by the end of Thursday," he said. The sign is one of the few remaining parts of the former Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel, a Lamar Street hotel that was a home away from home for many state lawmakers. The state began tearing down the historic landmark in 2021 to make way for additional parking. The sign, meanwhile, was taken down to be refurbished and reinstalled. Scott Allen, owner of A-Plus Signs and Creative, began working on it late last spring. Allen says restoring the iconic yellow and blue sign was a collaborative effort, with many local firms eager to help. "One good thing is when you call people and tell them you're restoring the Sun-N-Sand sign, people are more than willing to help," he said. "There were probably six or seven different companies I contracted with." The sign will be moved from A-Plus Signs and Creative on Wednesday morning. Allen estimates it will take at least 30 minutes to transport it the roughly 6.2 miles from 5830 North State St. to the former hotel site at 401 North Lamar St. |
| USDA estimates 21 million kids will get summer food benefits through new program in 2024 | |
| Nearly 21 million children in the U.S. and its territories are expected to receive food benefits this summer through a newly permanent federal program, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. Thirty-five states, all five U.S. territories and four tribes opted into the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, or Summer EBT, which the government says is meant to supplement existing programs during the summer that have had a more limited reach. "No child in this country should go hungry," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in an interview with The Associated Press. "They certainly shouldn't go hungry because they lose access to nutritious school meals during the summer months." In December 2022, Congress made Summer EBT permanent starting in 2024 after the USDA had tested it for several years. The states that chose not to opt in for this summer will have a chance to join for summer 2025, the USDA said. Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming chose not to participate this summer. All 50 states already administer the Summer Food Service Program, which provides sites where kids can eat for free. Vilsack said he's worried it doesn't "provide the help for all the children, no matter how well-intentioned it is." "For the life of me I don't see why 50 governors aren't doing (Summer EBT)," he said, "but we're happy that 35 are, we're happy that territories are in and we're happy that the tribes are continuing to work with us." |
| U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker faces two GOP challengers in reelection campaign | |
| Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker will face at least two competitors in the GOP primary this year after a state legislator and a retired military colonel filed paperwork last week to run against him. Wicker, state Rep. Dan Eubanks and retired Marine Corps Colonel Ghannon Burton all qualified to run in the GOP primary, according to Mississippi Republican Party officials. Wicker, a 72-year-old Tupelo resident, has represented the Magnolia State in the U.S. Senate since 2007. Before the Senate, he served several terms in the U.S. House and in the Mississippi Legislature. He is currently the top Republican serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over matters involving the U.S. military. If the GOP gains a majority in the Senate next year, Wicker could be the first Mississippian to lead that committee since John Stennis. During his latest term, Wicker has opposed legislation that would codify same-sex and interracial marriage, voted against President Joe Biden's "Inflation Reduction Act," voted against a measure meant to curb gun violence and opposed efforts to decertify the results of the 2020 presidential election. He has also supported efforts to send funding to Ukraine, voted for legislation that appropriates new money for infrastructure improvements and supported a measure to give additional funds for the research and manufacturing of semiconductors. |
| Senator Wicker faces GOP Primary Challenge as Democrats back Pinkins | |
| The race for the Mississippi U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Roger Wicker is in full swing as qualifying nears its end on Monday, January 15th. Wicker, the state's senior Senator who has served in the chamber since 2007, launched his re-election campaign before the New Year. Since then, he has been actively traversing the state, speaking at events and laying the groundwork for the March 12th Republican Primary. Senator Wicker has said that he will continue to hold Democrats and the Biden Administration accountable "as we fight to take back the Senate and the White House in 2024." On Tuesday, Wicker's campaign announced its fourth consecutive fundraising quarter with over $1 million raised, ending 2023 with just over $5.3 million cash on hand. Jake Monssen, Wicker's campaign manager, said in a statement announcing the fundraising haul that the Senator's supporters across Mississippi are enthusiastic and ready for the March primary. "Conservatives are confident in Senator Wicker's leadership and want to see him continue moving this country back in the right direction and delivering for our state as the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee," Monssen said. Wicker will have at least two primary challengers on the ballot -- State Rep. Dan Eubanks and retired Marine Corps Colonel Timothy "Ghannon" Burton. |
| Austin treated for prostate cancer, Pentagon reveals | |
 | Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has been hospitalized since Jan. 1 due to complications from surgery to treat prostate cancer, according to a statement from his doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that was released by the Pentagon on Tuesday. Austin is expected to make a full recovery from the complications -- a seemingly severe urinary tract infection and buildup of abdominal fluid that prompted doctors to transfer Austin to Walter Reed's intensive care unit. His doctors described his Dec. 22 surgery, called a prostatectomy, as intended to treat and cure his prostate cancer, which was first identified in early December. But questions remained over the lack of transparency from Austin and the Pentagon on his condition, which the White House, Congress and many top military leaders weren't informed of until days into hospitalization. Some lawmakers pushed for a public hearing on the issue, and others went so far as to call for Austin's resignation. "I am glad Secretary Austin's prognosis is good and he is expected to make a full recovery, but the underlying questions remain. The Secretary's condition is severe. The failure to notify Congress of his inability to perform his duties was a clear violation of the law. It remains unclear who decided to ignore federal law but there must be accountability. An internal review -- ordered by the same Chief of Staff who played a part in this crisis -- is woefully inadequate," said Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., in a prepared statement. |
| As House GOP launches effort to impeach Mayorkas, senators want to strike a border deal with him | |
| Marching ahead with multiple impeachment plans, House Republicans set their sights Wednesday on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who they intend to prove is "derelict in his duty" over handling the surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. The chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Mark Green, launched Mayorkas impeachment proceedings at a peculiar political moment: On one side of the Capitol, a bipartisan group of senators has been engaged in almost daily negotiations with Mayorkas over a landmark border security package. On the other, the House wants to remove him from office. Opening the hearing, Green, R-Tenn, said there is "no reasonable alternative but to pursue the possibility of impeachment." But impeaching a Cabinet secretary is rare, having only happened once before in the nation's history when the House impeached Defense Secretary William Belknap in 1876 over receiving kickbacks in government contracts. Going after an official for a policy dispute, in this instance over the claim that Mayorkas is not upholding immigration laws, is unprecedented. "You cannot impeach a Cabinet secretary because you don't like a president's policies --- that's not what impeachment's for," said the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. Thompson said evidence throughout the hearings will show that Mayorkas is, in fact, doing his job enforcing immigration laws. He decried the political dysfunction coming from the House Republican majority. "This is not a legitimate impeachment," he said. |
| Mike Johnson's handshake deal to avert government shutdown sparks conservative outrage | |
 | House Speaker Mike Johnson's handshake deal to fund the government has sparked outrage from what was already an irate right flank in the House Republican conference. The anger comes as the clock ticks for Congress to avert a partial government shutdown in less than 10 days. The House's most conservative members, who at first championed Johnson's ascension to the speakership last year as a significant victory for the hard right, have expressed a variety of negative reactions to Johnson's agreement to fund the government ranging from disappointment to outright anger. One lawmaker, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, declined to rule out ousting Johnson from the speakership over the deal. Roy said he was leaving a motion to vacate "on the table" Tuesday on the Steve Deace Show, a conservative talk show. Others didn't want to say whether they would support a motion to vacate, but still expressed their disappointment at the agreement, saying it lacks the deep spending cuts conservatives have long sought after. "He would have never got the job doing the things that he's doing right now. No way. No one would have got the job doing this," Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, told USA TODAY, adding the deal was "certainly not the plan that was communicated" prior to Johnson's election as speaker. Over the weekend, Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., came to an agreement for federal spending caps for the next fiscal year at $1.59 trillion along with a $69 billion side deal for non-defense spending. |
| Bosses in the Biden admin are pressed over young staffers' anonymous letters | |
 | Protest culture is shattering the last remaining barriers in official Washington, exposing a generation gap between how young staffers and their older bosses view the responsibilities of a Washington operative. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, President Joe Biden's consistent support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response has prompted a series of anonymous letters from staffers within the White House, the State Department and the Biden campaign -- letters that have left politicos of a certain age shaking their heads. The notion that junior staffers in such coveted jobs would dare cross the principal -- even anonymously -- would have been inconceivable not long ago, they say. "There's this whole, 'You're not the boss of me' attitude now. 'I might work for you but I have my own views,'" said longtime Democratic strategist James Carville, who worked for former President Bill Clinton as a top campaign strategist. "If you said you didn't like some of President Clinton's policies, the idea that you would go public with that would be insane. Just wouldn't do that. It wouldn't even cross your mind." Leaks to the press from administration officials have been a hallmark of political reporting for generations. And during the George W. Bush years, top White House aides occasionally went public to air their disagreements. But that was only after leaving their jobs first. Things have changed more recently. In the Trump presidency, unauthorized leaks became a form of political currency, with anonymous officials writing op-eds, and wild bits of drama routinely finding their way into the news. Inside the current White House, there's a feeling that the culture has now irrevocably changed. Aides' biggest frustration tends to be the outsized coverage of anonymous letters and criticism compared to on the record support for the president's policies. |
| US adults across racial groups agree the economy is a top priority, AP-NORC and AAPI Data polls show | |
| Americans of various racial backgrounds largely agree that the government should focus on the economy and foreign policy issues in 2024, but recent polling shows that views among racial groups diverge on some high-profile topics, including racism and immigration. About 7 in 10 U.S. adults across racial backgrounds -- including white, Black, Hispanic and Asian adults -- name issues related to the economy in an open-ended question that asks people to share up to five topics they would like the government to prioritize in 2024, making it the most commonly mentioned issue for each group, as well as for U.S. adults overall at 76%. Inflation specifically stood out as a major issue. About 3 in 10 adults who are white, AAPI or Hispanic list inflation as an important focus for 2024. About 2 in 10 Black adults also listed inflation as a top concern. On some issues beyond the economy, views diverge. Immigration was named as a top priority for government action by 43% of Hispanic adults, 36% of white adults and 29% of Asians and Pacific Islanders, but only 19% of Black adults. Black and AAPI adults are less likely than white and Hispanic adults to mention issues related to the country's involvement overseas. About one quarter of white and Hispanic adults mention this as an issue to prioritize, compared to 7% for both Black and AAPI adults. |
| Could Fani Willis allegations sink Georgia's Trump election interference case? | |
| The allegations are salacious: arguably the most famous district attorney in the country hired her romantic partner to help prosecute a former president and then profited from the arrangement. But, if true, will they derail the election interference case against Donald Trump? Legal experts were split on whether the claims could have far-reaching implications into the high-stakes racketeering case. But some said they could be personally problematic for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is at the center of the storm. The motion, filed Monday by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, alleged that Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade "have been engaged in an improper, clandestine personal relationship during the pendency of this case." It also contended that Wade had paid for lavish vacations that he and Willis took with the money his law office was paid for his work on the election interference case. Some experts thought these allegations could complicate, or even stymie, the case against the former president, while others in the legal community dismissed the idea. Former DeKalb County District Attorney Bob Wilson declined to comment on the allegations but said DAs, particularly those pursuing such a high-profile case like the Trump prosecution, have to be exceedingly careful. "Everything you do must be done according to the law," said Wilson, now a private attorney. "Everyone who works on a case like this must conduct themselves at the highest professional level. Otherwise, you can become the issue and that can derail your case." The accusations also raise questions of whether Willis allegedly violated any ethics policies. |
| Trump's Presidential Immunity Appeal Meets Judges' Skepticism | |
 | The legal reckoning for Donald Trump entered a critical stretch Tuesday as a Washington federal appeals court signaled it would reject the former president's claim that he is immune from prosecution on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election. Trump was present in the courtroom mere blocks from the Capitol and is expected to sit in on a hearing Thursday in his civil-fraud case in New York, with the Iowa caucuses less than a week away. Though Trump isn't required to be there, his presence in court reflected how his legal defense has merged with his presidential ambitions as he seeks to capitalize on a torrent of criminal jeopardy and cast himself as the target of politicized prosecutions. His approach appears to be resonating, at least among Republican stalwarts. He enters the GOP primary season with a prohibitive lead in the polls and a 2024 calendar filled with opportunities for more legal sparring, including at the Supreme Court. At a press conference after the hearing, Trump said that denying him immunity would cause "bedlam in the country." During the hearing, he sat silently next to a phalanx of lawyers, staring straight ahead without expression. He took occasional notes on a yellow legal pad, passing it back and forth to his team. Special counsel Jack Smith, who brought the charges against the former president, was seated in the front row across the aisle. During oral arguments Tuesday morning, the D.C. Circuit panel signaled strong skepticism toward Trump's immunity argument. "I think it's paradoxical to say that his constitutional duty to 'take care that the laws be faithfully executed' allows him to violate criminal law," said Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, an appointee of former President George H.W. Bush. |
| MUW Began As A College for 'White Girls.' It's Rebranding Again As 'Brightwell.' | |
| Mississippi University for Women could soon have a new name after President Nora Miller announced a proposal during the university's convocation Monday morning: "Mississippi Brightwell University," referring to both "light" and "wellness." "We decided to go with something that would tie in with our traditions, with our history and with our mission," Miller told the Mississippi Free Press Friday. "Our motto is 'We study for light to bless with light.' ... It's the light of knowledge. Wellness has been an important part of our history." Miller said the name change is necessary to rebrand the school's image to reflect inclusivity and improve its standing in the current economic climate. She hopes to develop programs to attract and educate students for the local manufacturing industry. The president said the new name will take effect July 1 pending legislative action. The Mississippi Legislature is responsible for the names and missions of public Mississippi universities. Miller said the university decided against a geographic or a regional name because the administration believed those names would not capture the unique qualities of the institution, and people could confuse them with the state's community colleges. They also decided not to go with a historic or a family name -- which could end up with a negative connotation. The biggest decision was not to go with a "W" name. "The W for us stands for women, and that's important," Miller said. "We're not going to just grasp for a w word to be able to continue being the W, so that's a tough one for some people to swallow." |
| Our View: Mississippi Brightwell University? We like it. | |
| The Dispatch editorializes: Of course, everyone will have their own opinion about Monday's announcement that Mississippi University for Women is seeking to become Mississippi Brightwell University, but no one can claim the name change was done in haste or without long and careful consideration. For that reason, we commend the efforts of university president Nora Miller and the school's naming task force. As we've said before, a name change is long overdue. The university is asking for legislative approval for the name change in this session. If approved, the name would change this summer. In truth, the change has been coming for almost 42 years since the United States Supreme Court opened the door for male students to enroll. Sandra Day O'Connor, the Court's first woman jurist, wrote the majority opinion, which allowed male students to enter the university's nursing program, but did not require a change of names. After the July 1, 1982 ruling, the state opened all programs at the university to male students. At that point, Mississippi University for Women was Mississippi University for Women in name only. ... Mississippi Brightwell University will take some getting used to, naturally. No doubt, MUW was known as "MSCW" colloquially for quite some time after the name change. The same applies in this case. The school will be known by many residents and alumni as "The W" far into the future. There's nothing wrong with that. But 42 years after the university first opened its doors to both men and women, the new name removes what had been a marketing problem for the university, where males represent just 1 in 5 students. If the name change helps bring in more male students while its new College for Women and its history continue to honor its role in women's education, the change will have been well worth the temporary discomfort it inevitably creates. |
| UM pharmacy school partners with global tech giant BD | |
| Pharmacy students at the University of Mississippi will have access to state-of-the-art pharmacy automation technology thanks to a new partnership with Becton, Dickinson and Co., better known as BD. BD is one of the world's largest global technology companies, employing more than 70,000 people working to develop technology, services and solutions that help advance clinical therapy for patients and the clinical process for health care providers. Through the new partnership, BD will install its BD Pyxis PharmacyKeeper suite of cloud-based software tools and supporting hardware in the school's skills lab. The technology offers web and mobile applications supporting technology-assisted workflows for pharmacy compounding, including labeling, component validation and medication preparation, approval and delivery. "This partnership symbolizes our commitment to nurturing the future of pharmacy practice," said Adam Pate, chair of the UM Department of Pharmacy Practice. "By integrating BD's technology, we're preparing our students to excel in an evolving health care landscape. This cutting-edge technology will equip them with hands-on experience in pharmacy automation, setting them on the path to success in pharmaceutical compounding." |
| LSU renames 'inclusion' office, removes some diversity language from website | |
 | LSU has removed some diversity messages from its website and replaced the word "Inclusion" with "Engagement" in the newly named Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX. University President William Tate IV sent a message to the campus community explaining the name change Friday. He called engagement a "central and unifying theme" that could be defined in many ways, but said LSU is focused on two particular forms of the definition. "For us, it represents a two-way process that enables change on both sides. To fully deliver on the promise our flagship offers, we must engage with each other to exchange views and experiences and share potential solutions to our most pressing challenges," Tate wrote. "Second, engagement reflects a serious commitment. We must commit to find ways to translate our discoveries and talent to serve and elevate the state and its people." Tate created the division in 2021 when he joined the Office of Diversity with the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX in 2021. Title IX is the federal law that bars sex-based discrimination. In May, some Republicans in the Louisiana Legislature pushed to require the state's universities to issue a report on the funding, personnel and other aspects of their "diversity equity and inclusion" programs. A bill to do so failed on a 5-6 vote amid criticism from some university leaders and other state leaders who defended the programs' value. |
| What Does a New Governor Mean for Higher Ed in Louisiana? | |
 | Rick Gallot was hired in October to be the next head of the University of Louisiana system. But the former Democratic state lawmaker and past president of Grambling State University didn't sign his contract until late last month. Why the holdup? Jeff Landry, the Republican gubernatorial candidate who easily defeated his incumbent Democratic rival in November, wanted to meet with Gallot and weigh in on the pick. In local news interviews, Landry has emphasized the importance of having a say in the direction of the UL system. And as Landry sought a conversation with Gallot, the contract for the system head hung in limbo. Meanwhile, on the very same day that Gallot was hired, the same board appointed his UL system predecessor, Jim Henderson, to be president of Louisiana Tech University -- and quickly finalized his contract. The new governor took office Sunday, and now critics are worried about the future of higher education in the state, where Landry has lately taken aim at public institutions. Just days after his inauguration, public institutions in the state already seem wary of Landry. Some made changes to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives prior to his assuming office this week; Louisiana State University, for example, renamed its Division of Inclusion, Civil Rights and Title IX late last week, striking the word "inclusion" and renaming the office the Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX. LSU president William Tate IV told students the change was made to focus on engagement. |
| U. of Florida appoints interim provost to permanent position | |
 | The University of Florida on Tuesday removed the "interim" tag from the title of one of its top administrators. Scott Angle, who formerly served as senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, was named interim provost in June 2023. He was initially chosen to serve temporarily while a national search for a permanent provost continued. "Many of the folks on our excellent search committee recommended that we take the 'interim' out of his title. Effective immediately, we're doing just that," said UF President Ben Sasse in a news release. "We had some extraordinary semi-finalists and finalists, but we decided not to make an offer when Scott is doing such excellent work. Scott has earned the trust and admiration of his colleagues in each of UF's 16 colleges. We are grateful for his servant leadership and his commitment to this land-grant university's world-changing mission." Angle has worked for UF since 2020 and was formerly the director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). He earned a bachelor's degree in agronomy and a master's degree in soil science from the University of Maryland and his doctorate from the University of Missouri with a focus on soil microbiology. Angle is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He later worked at the University of Maryland as a professor of soil science, where he then became the director of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station and Maryland Cooperative Extension. Following his time in Maryland, Angle served as dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia from 2005 to 2015. |
| Lilly Endowment Grants $100 Million To Purdue University, Its Largest Gift Ever | |
| Purdue University announced on Tuesday that Lilly Endowment is giving it grants totaling $100 million for two separate university initiatives. The commitment represents the largest private gift in Purdue's history. The grant includes $50 million to support the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business and $50 million for Purdue Computes, an initiative that focuses on computing, artificial intelligence and semiconductors. "These transformational grants from Lilly Endowment are historic in both magnitude and vision. Combined, the grants represent the largest gift in university history, injecting crucial momentum to the two intersecting initiatives: the Daniels School of Business and Purdue Computes. Together with Purdue University in Indianapolis -- our first comprehensive urban campus, which opens this July -- these strategic initiatives will further elevate Purdue's excellence at scale for Indiana's job creation, workforce brain gain and tech-driven prosperity," said Purdue President Mung Chiang in the announcement. "We are truly grateful for the tremendous support from Lilly Endowment." Purdue Computes focuses on three related university priorities: enhancement of the Department of Computer Science; the addition of faculty specializing in physical artificial intelligence research; and an upgrade to its semiconductor and quantum research capacity. |
| Which Colleges Spent the Most Money on Research? | |
 | Colleges spent $97.8 billion on research and development in the 2022 fiscal year, up $8 billion from the year before, according to new data from the National Science Foundation. Federally supported research accounted for about 60 percent of the increase, the foundation said in a report on its annual Higher Education Research and Development Survey, which is sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. The $8 billion in additional research spending represented a 9 percent increase over the previous year, though inflation devoured most of it. As has been the case for decades, the Johns Hopkins University led the nation's colleges in research spending, with expenditures of $3.4 billion. The figure includes $2.1 billion in funding for its Applied Physics Laboratory. Hopkins is one of 29 universities that spent at least $1 billion on research and development in the 2022 fiscal year, up from 21 institutions a year earlier. Research and development supported by the federal government rose nearly 10 percent in the 2022 fiscal year, to $54 billion, and accounts for about 55 percent of research funding at all universities. The next largest source of research-and-development funds, 25.1 percent, came from institutions themselves and totaled $24.5 billion. The share of all research funded by institutions has been roughly the same since 2016, the report said. |
| College enrollment could take a big hit in 2025 | |
 | College enrollment numbers, long in decline, may be hitting a cliff next year. After peaking in 2010, undergraduate enrollment dropped from roughly 18.1 million students that year to about 15.4 million in 2021 amid changes in the country's economy and immigration policies and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. And while enrollment increased slightly last year, higher education experts worry a significant demographic shift could send enrollment into a more dramatic decline beginning in 2025. So, what is causing this drop in college enrollment, and why is it expected to worsen next year? One of the most important contributing factors to the country's dwindling college enrollment is that the number of children born in the U.S. has been shrinking. The decline began roughly 17 years ago. Before then, the national birth rate had been increasing, and the number of births in the country climbed to an all-time high in 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But then the Great Recession hit, causing fertility rates to plummet. The national birth rate fell by almost 23 percent between 2007 and 2022, dropping from 14.3 births per 1,000 people to 11.1, according to data from the CDC. At the beginning of that period, between 2007 and 2009, fertility rates fell more rapidly than any other two-year period in the country's recent history. Fast forward to the present day, and the nation has a deficit of high school seniors preparing to go to college. This decline in births is why the traditional college-age population in the U.S. will start to shrink dramatically beginning in 2025 and lasting until 2037, according to data from the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education. Meanwhile, Nathan Grawe, an economics professor at Carleton College, forecasts that population could drop by 15 percent between 2025 and 2029 and continue to decline until 2040. |
| Biden's education chief to talk with Dartmouth students about Islamophobia, antisemitism | |
| President Joe Biden's education chief planned to meet Wednesday with students at Dartmouth College to discuss antisemitism and Islamophobia on college campuses amid the the Israel-Hamas war. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona will hold a roundtable including Jewish and Muslim students as part of recently launched Dartmouth Dialogues, an initiative that aims spark conversations bridging political and personal divides. Fallout from the Israel-Hamas war has roiled campuses across the U.S. and reignited a debate over free speech. College leaders have struggled to define the line where political speech crosses into harassment and discrimination, with Jewish and Arab students raising concerns that their schools are doing too little to protect them. The Education Department has repeatedly warned colleges that they are required to fight antisemitism and Islamophobia on their campuses or risk losing federal money. The agency has opened civil rights inquiries at dozens of schools and colleges in response to complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks, including at Harvard, Stanford and MIT. Cardona met with Jewish students from Baltimore-area colleges in November and vowed to take action to keep them safe. He later met with the leaders of national Muslim, Arab, and Sikh organizations to discuss the rise of Islamophobia on college campuses. |
| Colleges charge tons of junk fees for food and books. Biden may force them to scale back | |
| The Biden administration is considering slapping new regulations on colleges to curb hidden fees for things such as food and textbooks. The changes are part of a bundle of reforms the Education Department is debating this week during a fresh round of policy discussions. The talks are largely centered on heightening federal scrutiny of the higher education industry -- a priority President Joe Biden has indicated is a piece of his efforts to bring down the soaring cost of college and ease the student loan debt it causes. "The president told me directly that he wants us to be equally as aggressive with debt relief and accountability," said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on a phone call with reporters in October. Under some of the proposed changes to federal law, universities would be barred from pocketing some of the leftover money they get for low-income students whose school meal plans are paid for using federal financial aid. At many colleges, students use special meal funds -- called "flex" accounts -- to help cover part of their food expenses (at grocery stores, for example). Money in those accounts can come from the federal government, which helps colleges with financial aid programs. But students don't always use all their "flex" money by the end of the year, and in some cases, schools end up keeping the difference. A separate change would prevent most colleges and universities from automatically charging students for books and supplies. Under the current rules, schools can include fees for books and supplies as part of required bills for "tuition and fees," even when students can find materials at cheaper prices from other sources. |
| Why Haley Won't Break Through: Today's GOP is split along class lines, and her college-grad supporters aren't the majority. | |
| Nikki Haley's Tuesday rally outside Des Moines was a fittingly pedestrian event in this desultory excuse of a presidential primary. Haley delivered a 15-minute stump speech with the precise same words and intonations of her every public appearance, took no questions from voters before posing for pictures with them and then conducted a Fox News interview beneath the overhang of an Irish pub while ignoring her travelling press corps, who stood without cover in the wind and snow. It was the cautious performance of a frontrunner, not that of a candidate lagging by double-digits with less than a week before the Iowa caucuses. Which is to say it was typical of her events and altogether reflective of an oddly bifurcated campaign in which Donald Trump is the dominant frontrunner but his two leading opponents are competing against one another as though they're still in the before times. Perhaps that's because with the company they keep it can feel like the same pre-Trump party from which Haley and Ron DeSantis first emerged. The most memorable feature of Haley's otherwise forgettable gathering was not what she said but the nature of her audience -- and how it explains why Trump is poised to win overwhelmingly in Iowa on Monday but will face the same general election challenges in 2024 he did in 2020. In separate polls conducted by the Des Moines Register and Fox Business last month, Trump had the support of 61 percent of Iowans without college degrees while his two main opponents were only in the teens or below. |
| Outside Mississippi, legislators reacting as soaring property values hike property taxes | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: In Mississippi, when state government aims to implement tax reform the sights are usually set on individual or corporate income taxes, sales and use taxes, insurance premium taxes or so-called "sin" taxes on gaming, tobacco, liquor and beer. After all, those categories of state taxes generated over 99 percent of all state General Fund receipts in Fiscal Year 2022 representing some $7.189 billion in total receipts. But emphatically, Mississippi relies on sales, use and income taxes as the prime movers in generating tax revenue. Property taxes in Mississippi are primarily the province of county and municipal governments, so legislative debate of property tax issues is neither frequent nor particularly passionate unless fueled by local government advocates. Based on national 50-state comparisons, Mississippi property taxes are considered in the lower third of the states and as a business climate indicator is ranked 38th by the Tax Foundation. One of the reasons that property taxes are low here is that state leaders during the administration of the late Gov. Mike Conner determined that one way of holding property taxes low for property owners was to shift to Conner's first-in-the-nation retail sales tax in 1934. ... The success of the sales tax in broadening the state's tax base during the Depression gave it life well after the nation's economy recovered and the state's property taxes were the beneficiary. The shift of the tax burden from primarily property owners to all citizens was intentional. The debate over Mississippi's sales tax is as fresh as the last gubernatorial campaign, but it is firmly part of Mississippi's overall tax structure. |
SPORTS
| Five Things To Know MSU-No. 5 Tennessee | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball opens a two-game SEC homestand as No. 5 Tennessee visits Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday evening. The Bulldogs (11-3, 0-1 SEC) are in the midst of four consecutive NCAA NET Quad 1 games to start SEC action and have eight of their first nine SEC outings as NCAA NET Quad 1 opportunities. Overall, State and Vanderbilt are the only SEC schools slated to play 10-plus NCAA NET Quad 1 games during its league schedule. Last time out, the Maroon and White had their five-game winning streak come to a close during a 68-62 defeat to South Carolina in Saturday's SEC opener for both teams. A key to victory for the Gamecocks was a 35-26 rebounding advantage which resulted in 16 of the game's 22 points on second-chance opportunities. Wednesday's meeting marks the sixth straight time and the 10th time over the last 11 matchups that State will face a Tennessee squad ranked inside the top 20. The Vols have won nine of those last 10 matchups since 2017-18 and hold a 90-44 series advantage. The last win in the series for the Bulldogs was an 86-73 decision during the 2019-20 season when both schools were unranked. State is looking for its fourth consecutive season with a win over a SEC ranked opponent. The Bulldogs defeated No. 25 Texas A&M, 69-62 on 02/25/23, under Coach Jans. The last time State defeated a top 5 opponent was a 54-45 victory over No. 5 Oklahoma on 12/28/2002. |
| More production needed from inside and out as Mississippi State prepares for Arkansas | |
| When Mississippi State added graduate transfer forward Erynn Barnum from Arkansas last spring, it gave the Bulldogs two scoring threats in the post who were both named to the all-Southeastern Conference second team in 2022-23. But through the Bulldogs' first two SEC games, Barnum and Jessika Carter have been neutralized, a big reason why MSU (13-4, 0-2) is still looking for its first conference win heading into Thursday night's matchup, a homecoming for Barnum in Fayetteville against Arkansas. "The biggest thing you can do is play as hard as you can," Bulldogs head coach Sam Purcell said. "One thing this program is about is rolling up our sleeves and getting to work, and that's what we plan on doing today in film. We're excited about the opportunity to go on the road." The Razorbacks (13-4, 1-1) are coming off perhaps their best performance of the season: a 40-point beatdown of Georgia on Sunday in which four players finished with at least 15 points. Arkansas also has an impressive road win over then-No. 15 Florida State in the ACC/SEC Challenge, but did pick up a bad loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 10. "When you look at their season statistics, they're capable of a 30-piece in a quarter. They shoot it so fast," Purcell said. "If we want to have a chance to win this game, it has to start on the defensive end or else they're going to make us look really bad." |
| Erynn Barnum: Why All-SEC forward transferred to Mississippi State | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball guard Jerkaila Jordan was dancing at midcourt to the tune of the home band inside Humphrey Coliseum. Coach Sam Purcell was encouraging ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme to, "talk to me nice" during a postgame interview on SEC Network. Ahlana Smith was breaking the huddle in what was her final home game with the Bulldogs. The scenes from that Feb. 23 win against Arkansas last year weren't just fitting for a team celebrating senior night. The moment felt like a bash organized for a team that had just solidified itself an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. For the visitors, it was the opposite. In a meeting of two bubble teams, the Razorbacks' 87-73 loss felt like a dagger as they headed home. "I can remember that feeling," former Arkansas forward and Little Rock product Erynn Barnum told the Clarion Ledger. She had put together a season worthy of All-SEC honors, but due in large part to that defeat, didn't get a chance to showcase it on the biggest stage. As MSU (13-4, 0-2 SEC) and Arkansas (13-4, 1-1) prepare to meet Thursday (8 p.m., SEC Network) for the first time since then, Barnum finds herself on the opposing sideline looking now to be part of another run toward March Madness for the Bulldogs. "I like where I'm at," she says. |
| Mississippi State to pay 2024 non-conference football opponents more than $2 million | |
| Mississippi State will shell out the big bucks for its three non-conference home football games in 2024, paying its opponents a combined total of $2,125,000, according to a public records request obtained by The Dispatch. The Bulldogs will open their season at Davis Wade Stadium on Aug. 31 against Football Championship Subdivision foe Eastern Kentucky in what will be Jeff Lebby's first game as MSU head coach. After traveling to Arizona State for their lone non-conference road game on Sept. 7, the Bulldogs return home to take on Toledo on Sept. 14, then close out non-conference play on Nov. 2 against Massachusetts. MSU has never played Eastern Kentucky, Arizona State or Toledo and is 2-0 all time against UMass, having defeated the Minutemen in Foxborough, Mass., in 2016 and in Starkville the following year. |
| Mississippi State Women's Soccer Program Achieves Academic Excellence with Impressive GPAs | |
| The Mississippi State Women's Soccer Program proudly announces its outstanding academic achievements during the Fall 2023 semester, reflecting the team's commitment to excellence both on and off the field. In a semester marked by dedication and hard work, the Mississippi State Soccer Program achieved a remarkable semester GPA of 3.65. This accomplishment ranks as the second-best GPA of any semester in the program's history. Moreover, it stands as the second-best women's team GPA and the third-best overall team GPA for the Fall 2023 term. The relentless pursuit of academic success is the most commendable part of being a student-athlete. This locker room is filled with those who succeed on the pitch and in the classroom. An impressive 15 student-athletes earned Top Dawg Honors, signifying a perfect 4.0 GPA for the Fall 2023 semester. Delaney Ahearn, Maddy Anderson, McKinnan Braswell, Kelsey Clay, Cierra Collins, Megan Day, Taylor James, Zoe Main, Aitana Martinez-Montoya, Molly McDougal, Haley McWhirter, Taylor Thames, Maggie Wadsworth and Sutton Webb all achieved a perfect semester in the classroom in the fall semester for the Bulldogs. This accolade underscores the exceptional academic prowess of individuals who excel both on the soccer pitch and in the classroom. Further highlighting the team's commitment to academic excellence, thirty out of thirty-three scholarship student-athletes earned a place on the Bulldog Honor Roll by maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher. This collective accomplishment demonstrates the well-rounded dedication of the team to both athletic and academic success. |
| Owls' name, logo to remain unchanged as MUW changes names | |
| On Monday, Mississippi University for Women President Nora Miller announced the proposed change of the school's name to Mississippi Brightwell University. The name change, pending approval by the Mississippi legislature, won't be effective until July 1, but when it comes to the athletics department, most things will remain unchanged. Director of Athletic Communications Dave Beyer confirmed to The Dispatch that MUW's current athletics branding, featuring an Owl mascot and the colors "W Blue" and "Welty Blue," will remain unchanged. "The logo, nickname and colors will not be affected from what we have been told," Beyer said. The current Owls logo sports a hidden "W" above the bird's eyes to reflect the school's nickname, "The W," but, according to Beyer, "the logo is staying the same." |
| Mississippi Braves Become Latest MiLB Team To Announce Plans To Move Cities | |
| The Mississippi Braves announced that the 2024 season will be the team's last in Pearl, Miss. After the season, the Braves' Double-A Southern League affiliate will move to Columbus, Ga. The team will move into a massively renovated stadium at Golden Park, which was once home to a Class A South Atlantic League team and also served as the site of the Olympic softball tournament in 1996. The release announced the hopes that another professional baseball team could come to Pearl, Miss. But the geographic alignment of partner leagues makes that less likely. There is no professional baseball team in any partner league within 400 miles of Pearl. There are summer amateur college leagues across the Southeast. The Mississippi Braves' lease for Trustmark Park ends after the 2024 season. The team moved to Pearl from Greenville, S.C. in 2005. They are at least the third MiLB team to announce plans to move to new cities in the next two years. The Carolina Mudcats, the Brewers' Low-A affiliate, signed an agreement to move from Zebulon, N.C. to nearby Wilson, N.C. The Down East Wood Ducks, the Rangers' High-A affiliate, are planning to move to a new ballpark in Spartanburg, S.C. They may not be the last. These moves are happening largely because of the looming facility standards across the minor leagues. As part of MLB's takeover of the operation of the minors after the canceled 2020 season, facility standards for MiLB stadiums were significantly increased. Most notably, teams had to increase the size of visitor's clubhouses significantly, upgrade training facilities and add food preparation and dining areas. Teams had to install locker rooms for female staff and they upgraded lighting standards among other requirements. |
| The Mississippi Braves will leave hole in Pearl | |
| Brett Kittredge writes for the Magnolia Tribune: In 2003, after a twenty year stretch in Greenville, South Carolina, the Braves Double-A affiliate announced it was packing up shop and heading to Pearl, Mississippi. On Tuesday, the Mississippi Braves announced that this -- their twentieth season in Pearl -- will be the last before heading to Columbus, Georgia. It's a predictable, albeit sad, pattern. The Braves arrived in town with much fanfare. "On behalf of all Mississippians, we are very excited to be affiliated with such a world class organization," former Gov. Haley Barbour said at the time. "Having the Braves Double-A affiliate located in Pearl is a home run for this state." And Barbour was right. It seemed like a natural fit. Mississippi is very much part of the larger Braves country that covers most of the Southeast. A whole generation grew up watching the big league Braves on Ted Turner's TBS. Pearl, a short flight away from Atlanta, was very welcoming under then-Mayor Jimmy Foster. The City took out $78 million in bonds, including $28 million for the construction of Trustmark Park alone. The remainder of the debt would help finance development around the stadium, including the construction of Bass Pro Shops. ... Foster's vision was to turn a piece of swampy land into the economic center of his small Jackson suburb. While many Mississippians enjoyed the occasional ball game, the reality never matched the dream's luster. Today, attendance for the Mississippi Braves sits at 29th out of the 30 Double-A teams. The only time you'll find anything resembling a sellout at Trustmark Park is when Ole Miss and Mississippi State play in the annual Governor's Cup. |
| NCAA approves NIL transparency and consumer protection measures | |
| As expected, the NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday approved a series of NIL consumer protection and transparency measures that stakeholders have been exploring since early last summer. During the association's annual convention in Phoenix, the NCAA formally approved the implementation of a voluntary registry for NIL service providers, mandatory disclosures of NIL deals, more standardized contracts and educational programs for athletes and NIL entities. The measures are effective Aug. 1. This marks the culmination of a legislative process that began last July when the NCAA held a two-day NIL stakeholder meeting in Indianapolis. The group's goal was to draft a plan that was shared with the Division I Board of Directors and ultimately became proposals from the Division I Council. The registration of NIL service providers will include agents, financial advisors and others who support college athletes in NIL arrangements. Completely voluntarily, information sent to the NCAA will be published in a registry for athletes to access. In the registry, athletes could review their experiences with those service providers. In a statement from the DI council this fall, it said it would be similar to a "rate my professor" platform. |
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