| Friday, February 23, 2024 |
| Weekend bets: Fun things to do in the Golden Triangle this weekend | |
 | This weekend has a variety of events to choose from, including the 2024 Charles H. Templeton, Sr. Ragtime and Jazz Festival, the Magnolia Independent Film Festival, UnWine Downtown, a book talk and more! There is sure to be something for everyone. The 2024 Charles H. Templeton, Sr. Ragtime and Jazz Festival, sponsored by Mississippi State University Libraries, is returning for its 18th year. The Sweet and Hot Quartet, Dave Majchrzak and Louis Ford and more will be performing. There will also be tours of the museum, informative talks and concerts throughout the weekend. ... The Magnolia Independent Film Festival will be returning to UEC Starkville Hollywood Premiere Cinemas from Thursday to Saturday. The festival includes short films, question and answer sessions, music videos, feature and narrative films and more. The Closing Night Awards party will be on Saturday starting at 10 p.m. ... The Greater Starkville Development Partnership is hosting the spring installment of "unWine Downtown," a wine sampling and shopping experience in downtown Starkville. Check in will be at the Partnership from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets are available online for $25 in advance or for $30 at the door. |
| Oktibbeha County law enforcement says scammers posing as sheriff's office | |
 | The Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office shares that there is another scam being reported in their area, adding to the list of many recent scams being seen by law enforcement. The Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office shared on Facebook on Thursday that scammers are posing as members of their office and are also spoofing their number. The sheriff's office is reminding everyone that they will never call and ask for money over the phone. The Union County Sheriff's Office was forced to issue a similar reminder on Wednesday, reporting that scammers were using the name of one of their investigators. The Lee County Sheriff's Office also issued a reminder earlier in the week that they will not send jury summons over the phone. They will only come in the mail. The Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office reported a similar scam back in January. They reported that the scammer would tell the individual that he or she missed a jury summons and must pay a fine over the phone or risk being arrested. The sheriff's office issued the reminder that they do not ask for or accept payments over the phone. |
| Man charged with robbing vape store at gunpoint | |
| A Starkville man is in custody after allegedly robbing a store at gunpoint Wednesday night. Joseph Whitfield, 26, has been charged with armed robbery and was being held Thursday at the Oktibbeha County Jail. Whitfield is accused of robbing Starkville Smoke and Vape on the 600 block of Highway 12 at around 8:32 p.m. Wednesday, according to a release from Starkville Police Department. Whitfield was armed with a handgun, but no injuries were reported, the release said. He was arrested hours later, at 12:46 a.m. Thursday. SPD Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady told The Dispatch that Whitfield stole merchandise from the store, but did not disclose what merchandise or its total value. |
| 'A new type of farmers market' coming to Brandon | |
 | "A new type of farmers market" is how Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson described what is to come to the city of Brandon. It is to be called The Market Complex, Gipson announced on Thursday, which will include the first-of-its-kind food supply, storage and distribution hub. The Genuine Mississippi Market Complex will be located on 153 undeveloped acres on Mississippi Highway 18. The economic development was passed with unanimous support from the Rankin County Board of Supervisors, Rankin First and the City of Brandon. The Market, he said, is to feature not only fresh local products such as poultry, beef, pork, blueberries, sweet potatoes and watermelons and much more, but also frozen and dried products that can be stored and distributed and sold to consumers throughout the year. "The Genuine Mississippi Market Complex will immediately result in new markets and business opportunities for all our Mississippi farmers and for all local food products grown, raised, crafted and made right here in Mississippi," Gipson said. Gipson stated that The Market Complex will also provide real-world training and workforce development opportunities for Mississippi's 4-H and FFA youth interested in exploring available agricultural and commerce career paths. |
| Mississippi Sound 'will be a dead sea' unless Coast unites on flood policy, business leaders warned | |
 | The Mississippi Sound Coalition is courting allies in its David v. Goliath battle against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to save the Coast's identity, environment and economy, its leaders said during a meeting Thursday. "If you remember only one thing we say today, please remember this: The Mississippi Sound as we know it will be a dead sea within a generation if the United States of America doesn't change the way it manages the Mississippi River," Gerald Blessey, the coalition's manager and co-counsel, told a group of 150 Gulf Coast Business Council members gathered Thursday. Blessey was referring to the Army Corps' protocol, developed almost 100 years ago, to control Mississippi River flooding by releasing the polluted water through the Bonnet Carré Spillway into Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi Sound beyond. More frequent flooding in the last decade means the Bonnet Carré has opened a record number of times and, in 2019, for the longest period in history, 123 days. The result was disastrous for Coast tourism and the environment. All the oysters in the western Mississippi Sound died, as did at least 10% of the dolphin population. The Mississippi Sound closed for fishing and swimming through the height of tourist season because pollutants in the water created toxic algae blooms. Yet the Corps' focus on the river water's impacts have historically focused on Louisiana waters. |
| Economic impact of American Queen shutdown will be felt locally | |
| While the exact nature of what led American Queen Voyages to abruptly cease operations earlier this week has yet to come into complete focus, the impact the move will have on local pocketbooks certainly has. Nancy Bell, with the Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation, which operates the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum -- a popular tourist spot for those traveling with the cruise line -- said its sudden closure was a punch in the gut to many in Vicksburg's downtown area. Bell said the American Queen is the oldest of the three lines that docked in Vicksburg, along with Viking Cruise Lines and American Cruise Lines, adding its absence will be felt by those businesses its guests frequented. Among those expected to be hardest hit, Bell said, are museums, the Vicksburg National Military Park, and the local retail shops located throughout downtown. Laura Beth Strickland, executive director of Visit Vicksburg -- which provides tourist information and promotes the River City -- said the absence of the American Queen will result in an estimated $1.14 million in lost revenue in Vicksburg in 2024. Strickland said the cruise line had 63 scheduled stops in Vicksburg for the 2024 season. The American Queen's last day to dock in Vicksburg came on January 3. Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said the city as a whole will feel the impact of the loss. |
| Oxford Conference Center brings in $850K in revenue in 2023 | |
| The Oxford Conference Center had a good year in 2023 and 2024 is looking bright as well. On Tuesday, OOC Director Micah Quinn gave an annual report to the Oxford Board of Aldermen on the economic impact on Oxford and some of the center's accomplishments during the year. In 2023, more than 65,000 people walked through the doors of the Conference Center during at least 250 events held at the center. Those events brought in $850,000 in revenue. Of those events, 15 were full conferences that brought in $312,000, which is about 36 percent of the total annual revenue. "With these numbers, we are seeing the rebound from Covid," she said. "This is validating an industry trend that meetings, conferences and conventions have returned." The center was closed for about 45 days in 2023 for renovation. The economic impact included helping the conference center's catering partners earn $292,000 in revenue; more than 2,600 hotel room nights booked, which was a 66 percent increase from 2022, generating $280,000 in revenue for area hotels. "I want to highlight that these nights booked were mainly (90%) on the weeknights," Quinn said. Quinn said the OCC already has a record-breaking number of multiday conferences booked for 2024 and one of those will be the Mississippi Society of Association Executives this spring. |
| Bill of the Day: Drones and Hunting Wild Hogs | |
| Did you know Mississippi is in the top five states who have major problems with wild hogs? It was reported by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce that these critters cause $2 billion in damages nationwide every year. Wild hogs are known for destroying local farmland by rooting, trampling, and eating vegetation while spreading diseases. It is also no secret that these hogs are quite aggressive to humans and other animals. The beasts can grow to be over 400 lbs. and 5 feet long. They have a keen sense of smell and the ability to run up to 30 miles per hour, making them a formidable foe to hunters. SB 2662, authored by State Senator Ben Suber (R), is meant to help in regulating these "nuisance animals" and utilize the most advanced technology available for hunting. Other nuisance animals recognized in Mississippi include the beaver, coyote, fox, nutria and skunk. The legislation, titled the Johnny Kakales Act, would authorize the use of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles in the search of these feral pigs. According to code sections quoted in the bill, state law provides permissions for landowners, agricultural leaseholders, or their agents to take out predatory and nuisance animals year-round on private lands. This can be done with any type of weapon regardless of the time of day or year if the lands are leased with a permit issued by the Department of Agriculture. |
| Senate committee passes bill to tweak but preserve MAEP, the public school funding formula | |
| Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, told his fellow Senate Education Committee members Thursday he fears the state's 145 public school districts would be at the Capitol lobbying for funds, like other state agencies, if the objective funding formula used to determine how much money each school district receives is repealed. Senate Education Chair Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, agreed that education would have to lobby for funds like other state agencies, adding that an objective funding formula "holds us (legislators) accountable. I think an objective funding formula is reliable. That is why I am pursuing it." The objective funding formula that DeBar and Wiggins were referencing is the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. Wiggins said he has had issues with MAEP in the past, but hopes the bill the Senate Education Committee passed Thursday to make changes to the formula will address his concerns. No member of the Senate Education Committee voted against the proposal on Thursday. The House, in contrast, has introduced legislation that would eliminate MAEP and any objective formula, leaving it to lawmakers to annually determine the base student cost, or how much money the state provides for each student. House Education Committee Chair Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, has said the final product that comes out of the House could include an objective formula, but as of now the House bill, still pending before the House Education Committee, does not. |
| Who has the power to sue Brett Favre over welfare money? 1 Mississippi Republican sues another | |
 | Mississippi's Republican attorney general sued the Republican state auditor Thursday, saying the auditor is trying to usurp her authority over recovering interest on misspent welfare money from retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre -- money that was supposed to help some of the poorest people in the U.S. Attorney General Lynn Fitch's lawsuit says that filing litigation over improperly spent money is the responsibility of the attorney general's office, not the auditor's. Both the attorney general and the auditor are elected statewide, and the lawsuit is the latest rift between them. Weeks ago, Fitch's office said it would no longer represent Auditor Shad White in a defamation lawsuit that Favre filed last year against the auditor. That change in representation came after an announcement that White is writing a book, to be published later this year, about his investigation into improper spending of welfare funds. "Our standing as attorneys demands the highest level of respect for the law and the practice of law," Fitch said in a statement after she sued White on Thursday. "When we file in court in our official capacity it is not for our own amusement or political benefit; it is on behalf of the people and bears the burden having repercussions for all of the people's government." She said White's earlier response to Favre's defamation suit "reflects none of this gravity." |
| Mississippi Supreme Court denies GOP request to invalidate order that extended Hinds County voting hours | |
| A three-judge panel of the state Supreme Court on Thursday denied the Mississippi Republican Party's request to dissolve a Hinds County chancellor's emergency order that extended polling precinct hours on the night of Mississippi's statewide elections. Presiding Justice Leslie King and Justices Josiah Coleman and David Ishee, in a two-page ruling, rejected the Republican Party's petition because they were a non-party to the original Hinds County case, and it would have allowed them to "obtain review of a moot decision." Spencer Ritchie, the attorney who represented the state GOP's request to the state Supreme Court, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The GOP said conflicting court actions on election night caused confusion and ran the risk of "sowing public doubt about the reliability of election results." It also argued the chancellor lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter, but the Supreme Court did not address those legal issues raised by the GOP. |
| Former Express Grain owner faces up to 30 years in prison for wire fraud | |
| The Greenwood native and former Express Grain owner accused of defrauding a business, directly causing a grain shortage in the Mississippi Delta faces up to three decades in prison for wire fraud. 47-year-old John R. Coleman on Tuesday pleaded guilty to his role in altering Express Grain's audited financial statements to receive a state warehouse license. Court documents reveal that he also lied about the amount of debt he owed on grain held at the facility and claimed to farmers that Express Grain was financially healthy when the company was actually on the brink of bankruptcy. Express Grain eventually filed bankruptcy in 2021 causing widespread financial hardship for farmers all over the Mississippi Delta. Coleman faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and is set to appear in court for a sentencing hearing on June 13 at 1:30 p.m. "The fraud committed by the defendant in this case has directly and adversely impacted a large number of farmers and it is important that he be held accountable for his actions," U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said. "I am extremely grateful for the state and federal law enforcement partnership that has made this prosecution possible." The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Attorney General's Office, United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations are investigating the case. |
| GOP shutdown fears grow: 'We could be in a world of hurt' | |
 | Leaders in both parties are racing to secure a deal on government spending as the negotiation window quickly closes and the fears of a shutdown grow more pronounced. Congress returns to Washington next week facing a pair of looming funding deadlines -- March 1 for a handful of agencies and March 8 for the rest -- leaving lawmakers with little time to iron out their differences and get bills to the floor to keep the government open. While Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has moved deftly to avoid a shutdown since taking the gavel in October, restive conservatives are losing patience with his willingness to cut budget deals across the aisle. And some observers on Capitol Hill are already warning that the current fight is the greatest shutdown threat of this Congress. "I'm worried. Of all the scares we've had since the last fiscal year, I think this is going to be the scariest. I think we could be in a world of hurt," said a Senate GOP aide. "I don't know if it'll be a partial or a full, but I think the chances of a shutdown are the highest we've had this fiscal year." Party leaders in both chambers have sought to assure the public -- and the markets -- that the sides will come together to adopt their appropriations bills and avoid any disruptions to government operations. But a number of disagreements remain between the parties. And Johnson is facing additional pressures from within his own Republican conference, where conservatives are demanding right-wing policy riders that are a non-starter with Democrats in both Congress and the White House. |
| Appropriations talks chug along; stopgap eyed as backup plan | |
 | Lawmakers are aiming to roll out the first spending package Sunday ahead of the March 1 deadline for agencies covered under four of the annual appropriations bills, though there are still significant areas of disagreement between the parties. Congressional leaders hope to announce something Sunday night, a source familiar with the talks said Thursday. Agencies covered by the fiscal 2024 Agriculture, Military Construction-VA, Energy-Water and Transportation-HUD spending bills face the March 1 deadline, with the other eight bills expiring March 8. While lawmakers hope to finish the appropriations process by the March 1 and March 8 deadlines, the tight timetable remaining is necessitating consideration of short-term stopgap options. Another continuing resolution that would push back the deadlines by up to 14 days have been discussed as a backup option, sources familiar with the talks say. Specifically, a March 22 deadline is being eyed for the eight bills that would expire March 8, which are generally viewed as much heavier lift than the first batch. But there are still issues even with the first four. In their version of the Agriculture bill, House Republicans would reinstate an in-person dispensing requirement for the abortion drug mifepristone, for example. That provision did not receive support from some moderate Republicans and played a role in the Agriculture bill's 191-237 defeat on the floor in September. Another outstanding dispute in the Agriculture bill are riders that would block the Food and Drug Administration from implementing new rules to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, and from proposing a rule to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes. |
| Trump as the candidate of stability? That’s how many voters now see it | |
 | Just over a century ago, in a country reeling from a decade of war, political turmoil and a deadly pandemic, Sen. Warren G. Harding promised voters a return to "normalcy." He won the presidency in a landslide. Joe Biden made a similar case in 2020 -- telling voters that he could return the country to normal after years of partisan strife and the trauma of COVID-19. That argument was key to his victory over then-President Trump. Four years later, however, with inflation having scrambled household budgets, unprecedented numbers of migrants crossing the southern border, wars ravaging Eastern Europe and the Mideast and the effects of the pandemic still lingering, large numbers of voters don't believe Biden has delivered. Stability isn't always a winning theme in elections. There are times voters demand change, sometimes radical transformation. This does not appear to be one of those years, however, according to strategists in both parties. Voters appear to crave a more stable world. And amazingly to those who remember the chaos of his four years in office, it's Trump who appears to be winning the argument over who can deliver it. A new poll from Echelon Insights, a Republican firm widely cited in both parties, underscored Trump's advantage on that issue. That's clearly not the only issue shaping voters' views. But the issue of stability and who can restore it is a powerful one: Three of the issues that Republicans have taken advantage of this past year -- inflation, crime and the border -- all play on voters' fears about events spinning out of control. |
| Potential Trump V.P. Picks Flock to CPAC, Auditioning for the Spot By His Side | |
 | The South Carolina primary is tomorrow, and Nikki Haley, a former governor of the state, is approaching a critical juncture in her presidential campaign. She is locked in a seemingly desperate struggle against former President Donald J. Trump, the dominant Republican front-runner, facing long odds in her home state as well as in crucial contests on Super Tuesday, March 5. But away from the campaign trail, conservatives near Washington are celebrating Mr. Trump as if he has already secured the Republican presidential nomination. At the influential Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, which began on Wednesday, the question is not which Republican will face off against President Biden in November, but rather who will join Mr. Trump atop the ticket as his vice-presidential running mate. At least four people who will speak at CPAC today are widely seen as contenders in the made-for-television spectacle that Mr. Trump's potential vice-presidential selection process has become: Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota and the entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Emulating a season of "The Apprentice," the reality television show he hosted in his pre-presidential life, Mr. Trump and his campaign have for weeks stoked speculation about whom he will pick -- highlighting different contenders at different campaign stops, gauging the reaction of his loyal rally attendees and scrutinizing the candidates' performance as surrogates both on and off the campaign trail. |
| Trump vows to support Christians during Nashville speech: 'Bring back our religion' | |
 | Former President Donald Trump called on Christians to support his presidential bid, pledging if elected to "protect God in the public square," defend Christian broadcasters and their "pro-God" content from censorship, and appoint a task force to fight anti-Christian bias, including federal prosecutions. Trump spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of about 1,500 Thursday evening at a presidential forum at the annual conference of the National Religious Broadcasters at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. The nonprofit's annual convention is in Music City this week. Many in the crowd wore red and white hats with the phrase "Make America Pray Again," provided by conference sponsor Pray.com, as wild cheers broke out to welcome the former president. "I really believe it's the biggest thing missing from this country, the biggest thing. We have to bring back our religion. We have to bring back Christianity," Trump said, prompting a big cheer from the crowd. Despite a tight calendar of court appearances and campaigning, Trump appeared in Nashville with just two days to go before the South Carolina primary. The former president is the frontrunner against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in her home state -- as he is here in Tennessee. Voters here in the Volunteer State will cast ballots on Super Tuesday on March 5. Early voting is already underway. Those attending were overwhelmingly supportive of the former president, and much of the conference carried similar themes as his speech. |
| How Trump Turned Conservatives Against Helping Ukraine | |
 | Billions in potential American aid to Ukraine is stuck in monthslong limbo on Capitol Hill, and to the Trump-loving partisans attending this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, that's exactly as it should be. "I don't want any more funding for Ukraine. That's very important to me," said Sue Errera, a 70-year-old retired jeweler from Seneca, Pa. "We need to take care of ourselves first. I don't agree with Putin, he's definitely a dictator, but I don't think he's causing all the problems." It was a message that was echoed by the speeches on the conference stage. "I haven't voted for any money to go to Ukraine because I know they can't win," said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R., Ala.), one of 26 Republicans to vote against the aid package that passed the Senate on Feb. 13 after an all-night floor debate. "Donald Trump'll stop it when he first gets in. He knows there's no winning for Ukraine. He can work a deal with Putin." The annual right-wing confab at Maryland's National Harbor outside Washington was a vivid illustration of the GOP base that has embraced Trump's controversial stance toward Russia -- and led congressional Republicans to move away from their once-solid support for military assistance to the beleaguered American ally. A group called Republicans for Ukraine this week launched a six-figure digital ad campaign in the districts of 10 House Republicans it hopes would support such an effort. The group's executive director, the anti-Trump GOP consultant Sarah Longwell, said the ad aims to show that not all the party's voters are in Trump's camp on the issue. "Trump's always been in love with Putin, but now a big chunk of the Republican Party is as well," Longwell lamented in an interview. "If you grew up with the Cold War as a backdrop, to watch what's happening to the Republican Party right now is absolutely staggering. Ronald Reagan would be spinning in his grave." |
| 'She abandoned us': Haley's South Carolina problem isn't just Trump | |
 | Nikki Haley is running into a wall of hard feelings among conservatives in her home state, who feel that she ditched them for national politics years ago. Since leaving the governor's office, Haley has largely ignored the state's grassroots activists, according to interviews with more than a dozen GOP operatives across South Carolina. One striking illustration came in December, when a junior-level staffer on Haley's presidential campaign sent the South Carolina GOP an email asking how to find out about county party events so that Haley could begin sending surrogates to them. It was a surprisingly basic question coming from the campaign of the state's two-term former governor. And to state GOP officials who had been communicating for months with her rivals' campaigns, it was off-putting that it came so late in the election cycle -- and from someone so unfamiliar with the state party. It was also reflective of a significant problem Haley has in South Carolina -- one that has more to do with her than with the front-runner, Donald Trump. For years after she left the governor's office, Haley failed to nurture her own base of support with the party faithful. "We didn't abandon her," said Allen Olson, formerly the head of the Columbia Tea Party, who was supportive of Haley as she entered the governor's office. "She abandoned us." As Haley campaigns in her home state ahead of Saturday's primary, she is encountering an electorate that is not only enamored with Trump but that she has done little to cultivate. |
| Bible-quoting Alabama chief justice sparks church-state debate in embryo ruling | |
| When the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under state law, its chief justice had a higher authority in mind. By citing verses from the Bible and Christian theologians in his concurring opinion, Chief Justice Tom Parker alarmed advocates for church-state separation, while delighting religious conservatives who oppose abortion. Human life, Parker wrote, "cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself." The Alabama court's ruling last week stemmed from wrongful death lawsuits brought by couples whose frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed. The most immediate impact of the ruling was to leave in vitro fertilization clinics in Alabama potentially vulnerable to more lawsuits and reluctant to administer treatment. But not far behind were mounting worries about Parker's explicit references to Christian theology. "Now we're in a place where government officials feel emboldened to say the quiet part out loud, and directly challenge the separation of church and state, a foundational part of our democracy," said Rachel Laser, CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She said Parker's opinion was just the latest example -- and a brazen one at that -- of government officials advocating for Christian nationalism, a movement that seeks to privilege Christianity and fuse Christian and American identity. |
| Florida surgeon general defies science amid measles outbreak | |
 | As a Florida elementary school tries to contain a growing measles outbreak, the state's top health official is giving advice that runs counter to science and may leave unvaccinated children at risk of contracting one of the most contagious pathogens on Earth, clinicians and public health experts said. Florida surgeon general Joseph A. Ladapo failed to urge parents to vaccinate their children or keep unvaccinated students home from school as a precaution in a letter to parents at the Fort Lauderdale-area school this week following six confirmed measles cases. Instead of following what he acknowledged was the "normal" recommendation that parents keep unvaccinated children home for up to 21 days -- the incubation period for measles -- Ladapo said the state health department "is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance." The controversial move by Ladapo follows a pattern of bucking public health norms. Ben Hoffman, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Florida's guidance flies in the face of long-standing and widely accepted public health guidance for measles, which can result in severe complications, including death. "The reason why there is a measles outbreak in Florida schools is because too many parents have not had their children protected by the safe and effective measles vaccine," said John P. Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "And why is that? It's because anti-vaccine sentiment in Florida comes from the top of the public health food-chain: Joseph Ladapo." Ladapo's unwillingness to use public health tools echoes the movement by conservative and libertarian forces to defang public health's ability to contain diseases like the highly infectious measles. |
| A Mississippi university pauses its effort to remove 'Women' from its name | |
| One of Mississippi's public universities is pausing its effort to switch to a name that doesn't include the word "Women." The president of Mississippi University for Women, Nora Miller, said in a statement Wednesday that students, alumni and others should have more discussion about the matter. The university in Columbus has enrolled men since 1982, and about about 22% of the current 2,230 students are male. But university leaders say having "women" in the name makes recruiting more difficult. Miller graduated from MUW and said she acknowledges "the challenges, the missteps, the frustrations, and the uncertainties" caused by efforts to rebrand. Her statement came eight days after Miller announced the school would seek legislative approval to become Wynbridge State University of Mississippi -- a name that would still allow marketing under a longtime nickname, "The W." Amanda Clay Powers, the university's dean of library services and co-chair of the naming task force, said Feb. 13 that Wynbridge "creatively pairs the Old English word for 'W,' using it as a 'bridge' that connects past, present and future W graduates." Backlash by alumni caused university officials to backtrack from another proposed name unveiled in January, Mississippi Brightwell University. Alumni have squelched previous renaming efforts. |
| MUW to seek more alumni support after pausing on new name, again | |
| One week after proposing a second new name in as many months, Mississippi University for Women has backtracked once again. President Nora Miller released a statement Wednesday that the university was taking a "strategic pause" to examine its renaming process, engage alumni and build support with an eye to next year's legislative session. "Please note that we will always be The W," she wrote. "It is our past, our present, and our future." It's unclear what, exactly, led to the university to put the brakes on the name "Wynbridge State University of Mississippi." The Commercial Dispatch reported the new name had a lack of legislative support and that a bill introduced by Rep. Donnie Scoggin, R-Ellisville, the chair of the House Colleges and Universities Committee and an MUW alumnus, had stalled, even though the deadline isn't until next week. As recently as Tuesday, the university was circulating among lawmakers a Feb. 19 letter of support for "Wynbridge" from the Institutions of Higher Learning commissioner, Alfred Rankins, which cited the looming drop in the number of Mississippi high school graduates going to college. MUW has struggled to move the needle on male enrollment since it was made coeducational in 1982 and is contending with increased competition from neighboring Mississippi State University and East Mississippi Community College. |
| Author, Ole Miss English professor to be presented with prestigious Harper Lee Award | |
 | Tom Franklin has appeared at the Monroeville Literary Festival in Alabama four times, but the next time he attends, he'll be at center stage as recipient of this year's Harper Lee Award. The annual award recognizes the lifetime achievement of a writer either born in Alabama or strongly connected to the state. The University of Mississippi English professor is a native of Clarke County, north of Mobile. "I grew up about 45 minutes from Monroeville, in Dickinson, Alabama, and first read Harper Lee's novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in my early 20s," Franklin said. "I couldn't believe she was from Monroeville. I love that book, and the movie of it, and I love coming to Monroeville whenever I can. "This will be an especially exciting trip. I'm such a fan of the writers who've won this before." Franklin, who teaches creative writing in the Ole Miss master's program in creative writing, is the bestselling author of "Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter," which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger Award. His previous works include "Poachers," "Hell at the Breech" and "Smonk." The award is funded by Harper Lee LLC and is one of the top Southern literature awards. Previous winners include E.O. Wilson, Winston Groom, Rick Bragg and Fannie Flagg. |
| USM takes part in Eagle Tiger Talk Day at Hattiesburg High | |
 | Hattiesburg High School students were treated to insights provided by a multidisciplinary group of faculty members from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) during a special "Eagle Tiger Talk Day" on February 21. The students are participants in the school's Career Technical Education program, which was designed to help them gain a better understanding of what college life might be like. "Some students may not have family members that they can learn from regarding a college experience," said Jasmin Baxter, Communications and Engagement Coordinator for Hattiesburg Public Schools. "By participating in the Eagle Tiger Talk, students were able to attend two classes taught by USM instructors. Hopefully, this college simulation event will help students get a glimpse of what college will be like." Representatives from USM's Office of Admissions were also on hand to provide information about the application process to enroll at the university. |
| William Carey University expanding Tradition Campus | |
 | William Carey University has plans in place to expand the Tradition Campus on Highway 67. The major improvements include a new dormitory, a full-service cafeteria, and a high-tech nursing simulation lab. The three-story dormitory would transform the Tradition Campus into a residential one. Current plans also include a recreation area and a Student Success Center. "Our Tradition campus now accounts for more than 20 percent of William Carey's enrollment. We think these proposed additions will provide the spark needed to bring more attention to the Gulf Coast campus. Our prayer is that God will lead us to the necessary funds to make these dreams a reality," WCU President Dr. Ben Burnett said. These plans are part of a previous expansion plan from 2009. |
| 'Forging' a path: Students learn about future career opportunities | |
 | FORGE hosted its annual career interview day at the EMCC Communiversity. Over 500 students from 11 schools across the state came to learn about future career opportunities and meet with professionals. Over 100 companies came to meet with students about various jobs in the workforce that are offered in the career tech centers. Director of Mississippi Programming for Junior Achievement Suzy Bowman said three pillars that they want the students to take away from the day are financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness skills. Bowman said that finding mentors and polishing one's personal brand is vital. "I've told the kids today that it's vital to find mentors and network in their community to help them polish who they really want to be in their career path and so we're focusing a lot on what their brand looks like on social media, digital literacy is being incorporated too, so the kids have really caught on to what it means to have that own personal brand," said Bowman. "We want them to be able to leave here more confident. They've got their resume built, they're ready to go and get that job," said Melinda Lowe, FORGE Executive Director. |
| Alabama Senate passes bill that impacts college DEI programs, bathroom access | |
 | After lengthy debate, a new version of an Alabama bill targeting campus diversity efforts will now include some key protections for Title IX programs and state minority offices. SB129, authored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, would prohibit government institutions, including state agencies, public schools and colleges, from funding a diversity, equity and inclusion office and from sponsoring DEI programs or any program that "advocates for a divisive concept." After a six-hour discussion Thursday, the Senate approved the legislation on a 26-7 vote along party lines. Despite some key changes, Democrats remain concerned about the "chilling effect" the legislation could have on local schools and colleges. Critics also worry it could hurt the state's ability to recruit businesses and could make Black students question whether they are welcomed at state universities. On the stand Thursday, Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said the bill will ultimately be a "litmus test" for the state's higher education institutions. Those that want to pursue diversity work will find a way to do so within the confines of the law. Others, he said, will now have more reasons not to. "We still think it was a bad bill," Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, told AL.com after the vote. "It's an unnecessary bill, a bill based on concepts that are really not happening in Alabama. It's a bill that was brought down from some national politics." |
| U. of Georgia in shock after Augusta nursing student found dead with 'visible injuries' | |
| A female nursing student, reported missing after a friend said she went for a morning run and never returned home, was found dead Thursday near the University of Georgia's intramural fields. University officials said police suspect foul play. A UGA spokesman said in an email late Thursday that the woman, whose identity has not yet been released, "was an undergraduate student at the University of Georgia until the spring of 2023, and then she became a nursing student at the Augusta University nursing program in Athens." She also was a member of a UGA sorority. "At this time we do not have a suspect, but we are actively investigating," Jeffrey Clark, chief of UGA's police department, told reporters at a press conference on Thursday night in Athens. "When you have a suspect that's on the loose, there's always a danger. But there's no immediate danger," Clark added. Authorities said the student had "visible injuries." In an email to students, UGA President Jere Morehead said that both the GBI and Athens-Clarke County police were assisting university police with the investigation. It was a somber day at UGA as word of the death spread. Adding to the mood was news that another student died on campus late Wednesday. No foul play is suspected in the earlier death of the male student. Morehead said classes were canceled for Thursday evening and Friday. |
| UGA police chief: No suspects in slaying of woman at intramural fields | |
 | Hours after the body of a young woman was found slain at the University of Georgia's popular intramural fields, police investigators said Thursday evening that they have no suspects. In a late news conference, UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark announced that investigators have not identified the person responsible for the woman's death. "There is always a danger," Clark said when asked if a danger still exists to the public. Clark, standing beside Athens-Clarke Police Chief Jerry Saulters, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation Agent Jesse Maddox, declined to release a cause of death. Both agencies are assisting in the case and Clark was a longtime officer with the Athens-Clarke police before joining the campus police force. A search for the woman began immediately after another person called UGA police at about noon to say a friend had gone to the intramural fields to run and did not return, police reported. An officer reported at 12:38 p.m. that he had found the woman, who was unconscious and not breathing. Medics arrived to determine she was deceased, according to Clark. The woman's body was found in a wooded area behind Lake Herrick. The woods in this area are laced with trails and are a popular place for students and others to walk and jog. The homicide on campus grounds is the first since Dec. 21, 1983, when UGA student Donna Lynn Allen was walking to her car on North Campus, where she was attacked by an assailant who fatally stabbed her. A suspect was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison for murder. |
| U. of Kentucky looks to change role of faculty senate. Employees worry it will take away authority | |
 | The University of Kentucky board of trustees reviewed a report Friday that could result in changes to how the university senate -- a committee made up of faculty, students and administrators that helps set academic policies for the university -- operates. It's a move administrators say would make the university more "nimble," and streamline the decision-making process. But some faculty members say it could ultimately take power away from them. The university senate has the authority to create broad educational policy and academic standards for UK. By changing the structure of the senate, it could change how policies are set at at the university, and change the amount of input faculty has in the decision-making process, faculty members said. The announcement came Friday morning during the board's executive committee meeting, and the proposal will go before the full board in the afternoon. Around 50 faculty and staff members showed up early Friday morning to show their disagreement with the proposed resolution. Part of Senate Joint Resolution 98, passed last year, instructed the Council on Postsecondary Education to review governance structures and regulations at Kentucky post-secondary educations. As a result, UK began to review its policies. UK's senate, which was first established in 1917, not only has an advisory role, but also holds policy-making power. For example, the senate approves academic programs and sets admissions standards at UK. |
| U. of Missouri hires Chad Higgins as permanent extension and engagement vice chancellor | |
 | Chad Higgins takes over as the University of Missouri's new chief engagement officer and vice chancellor for extension and engagement on March 1. The appointment comes following a national search. Higgins has been serving as the interim with that title since January 2023. He follows Marshall Stewart in the post. He previously was associate vice chancellor since 2020, overseeing day-to-day programmatic and administrative components of the educational programs and initiatives for the office of extension and engagement. Before coming to MU, he served as senior director of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. "Chad knows the incredible importance of extension and engagement to those we serve throughout Missouri," said Mun Choi, system president and MU chancellor, in a news release. "He is a proven and dedicated leader who will work with elected officials, industry leaders and all Missourians to improve agriculture, health, education and economic development." His job will involve providing leadership for continuing education programs across the state and engagement in coordination with leader at all four campuses. It's an important mission, Higgins said in the news release. "I am deeply appreciative and extremely excited about the opportunity to lead extension and engagement and improve the lives of more Missourians," Higgins said. |
| The Economic Returns of a Rural Education | |
 | Rural colleges and universities tend to be more affordable and accessible and have shorter times to degree than their urban and suburban counterparts, according to a recent report by researchers at Boston College. And while rural colleges' student completion rates and earnings outcomes slightly lag behind those of nonrural institutions, the gaps are minimal, researchers conclude. The report is part of a new research series developed by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) called "Elevating Equitable Value," announced Wednesday by the research and advocacy organization. The series includes papers on a variety of subjects that draw on IHEP's Equitable Value Explorer, a data tool to compare postcollege earnings across student populations and institutions. The report draws on two data sets: institutional data for 2,525 colleges and universities from the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges and the Equitable Value Explorer data set from IHEP, which uses U.S. Department of Education and Census Bureau data. The report also draws on a framework by the alliance for defining a rural-serving institution, or a "high" rural-serving institution, based on the percentage of rural residents in the county where a college is located and the share of degrees awarded in agriculture, parks and recreation, and natural resources fields, among other factors. |
| Students demand universities kick Starbucks off campus | |
 | Students at multiple U.S. colleges on Thursday urged their universities to kick Starbucks off their campuses until the coffee chain changes its labor practices. According to organizers, actions were planned at 25 campuses across the country to protest the coffee giant's failure to negotiate contracts with the thousands of baristas who've unionized over the last two years. "If Starbucks was a student, they would have been expelled by now because of the number of rules they've broken," Valli Pendyala, a freshman at Georgetown University, stated. "That's why we're taking action to demand that Georgetown lets its contract with Starbucks expire and that it holds Starbucks accountable for its attacks on its workers." Starbucks, however, rejected the notion that it was stone-walling bargaining efforts. "While we remain long-standing advocates of civil discourse, our focus is on fulfilling our promise to offer all partners a bridge to a better future -- through competitive pay, industry-leading benefits for part-time work and our continued efforts to negotiate fair contracts for partners at stores that have chosen union representation," the company told CBS News in an emailed statement. It also downplayed any impact from the students' efforts, saying activities had not materialized at all the campuses touted by the union, Workers United, and that campus store operators had not reported any disruptions to their operations. |
| Wanted: Scientific Errors. Cash Reward. | |
 | Scientific-misconduct accusations are leading to retractions of high-profile papers, forcing reckonings within fields and ending professorships, even presidencies. But there's no telling how widespread errors are in research: As it is, they're largely brought to light by unpaid volunteers. A program launching this month is hoping to shake up that incentive structure. Backed by 250,000 Swiss francs, or roughly $285,000, in funding from the University of Bern, in Switzerland, it will pay reviewers to root out mistakes in influential papers, beginning with a handful in psychology. The more errors found, and the more severe they are, the more the sleuths stand to make. The tech industry has long paid bounty hunters to unearth bugs in code, but the scientific enterprise has not had an equivalent -- to its detriment, many say. "When I build my research on top of something that's erroneous and I don't know about it, that's a cost because my research is built on false assumptions," said Malte Elson, a psychologist at the University of Bern who is leading the new program with Ruben C. Arslan, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Leipzig, in Germany. About 20 percent of genetics papers are thought to contain errors introduced by Microsoft Excel, while an estimated one in four papers in general science journals have incorrect citations. Errors can be unintentional, but 2 percent of surveyed scientists admit to the more serious charges of fabricating or falsifying data. In just the last year, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, and the University of Rochester, to name a few, have faced scrutiny over their work. |
| Education Department: Common medical conditions have disability protections | |
| The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday released four new resources to help students with disabilities, their families and schools understand the civil rights protections guaranteed to students with asthma, diabetes, food allergies, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastroesophageal reflux (GER). The resources explain how these medical conditions can impact a student's school experience, how the conditions could require protections for students under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the options for parents and students if they believe schools aren't meeting their federal legal obligations. Additionally, the Education Department shared updated statistics showing there were 8.4 million students with disabilities who comprised 17% of the nation's pre-K-12 student population in 2020-21. About 3%, or 1.6 million, of the total student population were students with disabilities who received supports and services under only Section 504 that school year. The documents remind K-12 schools and colleges of their federal legal responsibilities to provide accommodations, if needed, to students with these common medical conditions. For example, one of the resources noted that students with asthma may need to be excused from activities that risk triggering an asthma attack. If schools have not made this accommodation, they might have to correct student records regarding unexcused absences. |
| Fitch-White Feud Goes Defcon 1 | |
| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: In 49 B.C. Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River into Italy with his army, an act which forever became synonymous with going past the point of no return. In the Year of Our Lord 2024, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Auditor Shad White are competing over who gets to be Caesar the Conqueror and who will play the part of the feckless Roman Senate. In the latest round of an escalating feud between the two would-be candidates for governor, Fitch filed a petition Thursday to prevent White from pursuing a counterclaim against Brett Favre on behalf of the state in a defamation case filed by Favre against White. The legal action, by itself, was not the Rubicon. The ensuing war of words? Different story. Fitch accused White of hampering the state's TANF investigation, progress toward recouping funds in civil litigation, "as well as potential criminal prosecutions." She said "the actions of the Auditor's office are aid to our legal adversaries and a disservice to the people." White fired back on X (like Twitter, but with more obscene bots): "Fitch failed to sue Favre for everything he owes -- and then sued to stop me from trying to get the money back, too. Just let me do the job, even if you won't." But let me back up and get you up to speed. Perhaps you've seen the Always Sunny in Philadelphia "Charlie Day conspiracy meme" (pictured below). That's how the legal wrangling arising out of the TANF welfare scandal is starting to feel. |
SPORTS
| Diamond Dawgs Set To Host Ga. Southern | |
| The Mississippi State Bulldogs return to action on Friday night for the series opener against Georgia Southern at Dudy Noble Field. This will be the first matchup since 1990 for these two programs. Friday's first pitch is set for 4 p.m., while Saturday has a first pitch of 2 p.m. and Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. The three-game series will be broadcast on SECN+. The series will also be carried on the Mississippi State Sports Network powered by Learfield along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand. Georgia Southern is led by head coach Rodney Hennon. He has been the head coach of the Eagles since 2000 and is tied for the longest tenured head coach in school history with 25 seasons. The Eagles come into the weekend with a 1-3 record, and their latest loss coming at the hands of Georgia Tech. Hennon led the Eagles to their first NCAA Regional since the 2014 season with a 41-20 record. They were labeled as the #16 National Seed and hosted the Statesboro Regional in 2022 for the first time in program history. The Eagles are hitting .197 as a team coming into the series with the Diamond Dawgs. As a pitching staff, Georgia Southern has a combined ERA of 4.50. This weekend's three-game set against Georgia Southern is the first time since the 1990 College World Series that these two programs have faced each other. In the only matchup played in program history, the Diamond Dawgs came away with a 15-1 victory over the Eagles. |
| What to watch, keys to victory for Mississippi State at LSU | |
| Coming off an emotional rivalry win over Ole Miss in which both head coaches were assessed a technical foul, Mississippi State is back on the road Saturday night as the Bulldogs battle a much-improved LSU team. The Tigers won the Southeastern Conference as recently as 2019 and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022 under Will Wade, but Wade was fired following that season under a cloud of numerous alleged recruiting violations. New head coach Matt McMahon, dealing with a roster in transition after all 11 returning scholarship players entered the transfer portal, went just 2-16 in SEC play last year. LSU (14-12, 6-7 SEC) has taken big strides in a positive direction in McMahon's second season. The Tigers struggled somewhat in non-conference play, taking a bad early loss to Nicholls, but are playing their best basketball of the year right now. A home loss to Georgia on Jan. 24 was less-than-ideal, LSU knocked off then-No. 11 South Carolina on the road last Saturday, coming back from a 16-point second-half deficit for a 64-63 win. That set the stage for an even more dramatic victory Wednesday night against No. 17 Kentucky. The Tigers trailed by 15 early in the second half but rallied for a win at the buzzer when Jordan Wright collected the rebound after his shot was blocked and dished a pass to Tyrell Ward, who beat the horn with a layup as LSU pulled off a 75-74 triumph. Here are three keys to victory for MSU (18-8, 7-6) as the Bulldogs try to extend their winning streak to five and pick up their second road win of the season. |
| Dawgs Battle Back To Take Two On Opening Day Of Mary Nutter | |
| No. 25/20 Mississippi State earned two hard-fought victories on the opening day of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. State defeated UCF, 2-1, before overcoming a three-run deficit to down Notre Dame, 7-4. "I think we're just playing with a lot of confidence," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "We're playing within ourselves, not trying to do too much. We're trusting up and down the lineup and our pitching staff. It's been fun to see them really go all in with each other, and you can feel the joy that comes out of our dugout. It's been really refreshing to see that and feel that this early in the season. I think the big thing right now is just not pressing, playing loose and playing free." State (10-1) opened the day with a pitcher's duel against UCF. The Bulldogs scored in the third and fifth to jump out to a 2-0 lead on a Nadia Barbary double and a Paige Cook ground out. UCF got one back in the sixth and threatened to score in the seventh, but Josey Marron came in with two outs to retire the final batter for her first save of the season. Aspen Wesley earned the win against the Knights (6-3), tossing 6.2 innings and striking out seven. The Bulldogs fell behind, 3-0, in the top of the first against Notre Dame (6-3), but immediately answered. State scratched across two runs in the bottom of the first. MSU surrendered another run in the second but answered that with a Kylee Edwards homer to lead off the bottom of the inning. State tied the game in the third before sending eight to the plate and scoring three in the fourth to take its final lead. The Bulldogs will face No. 1/1 Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday night. |
| Bulldogs Ready For SEC Indoor Championships | |
| he Mississippi State track and field team will return to Fayetteville, Ark. this weekend for the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships, to begin the postseason. The two-day competition being held at the Randal Tyson Track Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas will start on Friday, Feb. 23 and run through Saturday, Feb. 22. The SEC Indoor Championships will be streamed Friday and Saturday on SEC Network+, with two streams on both days. Friday's first stream will begin at 1:30 p.m. CT followed by the next stream beginning at 4 p.m. CT. Saturday's stream will start at 2 p.m. CT with the final stream beginning at 4 p.m. CT. Highlighting the Bulldog's postseason campaign are senior hurdler Rosealee Cooper, sophomore high jumper Sherman Hawkins and freshman sprinter Jordan Ware. Cooper currently holds a 12th-ranked qualifying mark and the 6th-best SEC time in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.13, while Ware and Hawkins both sit 17th on the NCAA Championships qualifying list in their respective events. Senior middle distance runner Tyrese Reid will compete in the 800m race, where he holds the 4th best performance time in the SEC this season at 1:47.87, less than a second behind the top SEC time. Roury McCloyen currently ranks 6th in the SEC in the shot put and is the only freshman ranked on the SEC's top 10 performance list season. The women's 4x400m squad, featuring Michaela McCall, Jessicka Woods, Chanice Spicer and Cooper, will continue its efforts to beat the school record. Most recently at the Tiger Paw Invite, the relay team earned a time of 3:38.88, just eighty-four hundredths of a second behind the school record of 3:38.04 set in 2015 by Shayla Luckett, Erica Bougard, Ste'yce McNeil and Ocian Archer. |
| SEC pushing to change December schedule to dead period for recruiting | |
| SEC leaders are exploring a way to unclutter the month of December. In a concept that the league is socializing with other conferences, the entire month of December would be a dead period for recruiting and the early national signing day would move up about two weeks to the early portion of the month, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told Yahoo Sports on Thursday. The plan originated from SEC athletic administrator meetings and has the support of coaches, who reviewed the concepts last week. The potential December changes are now being socialized across the country. The proposal implements a new dead period over the first 17 days of December, a month that is already dead in its final two weeks. Coaches cannot contact or visit recruits during dead periods. In the plan, the early signing period -- now in the middle of the month -- will move to the first week of December: the Wednesday before conference championship game weekend. There is urgency to change the December schedule ahead of the implementation of the new 12-team College Football Playoff, whose four first-round games will be played on the Friday and Saturday in the third weekend of the month. That is Dec. 20-21 this year. |
| Contract details for Southern Miss baseball coach Christian Ostrander | |
 | The Southern Miss baseball season is underway and Christian Ostrander has his first wins as the program's new coach. The Hattiesburg American recently obtained a copy of Ostrander's contract. It's a four-year deal that began in July and is worth $1.15 million, not including bonuses. He'll earn $250,000 in his first year, with a $25,000 annual increase, topping at $325,000 in the contract's fourth year. For comparison, Southern Miss football coach Will Hall makes $800,000 a year, men's basketball coach Jay Ladner makes $422,500 and women's basketball coach Joye Lee-McNelis makes $190,000. Ostrander can earn up to $165,000 in performance bonuses each season, so long as Southern Miss' multiyear academic progress rate (APR) is 940 or higher. It was 967 in Southern Miss' most recent report. Ostrander is provided one courtesy car from the university. He also is given eight tickets to all Southern Miss baseball home games, plus eight tickets to any NCAA tournament games that Southern Miss is playing in. |
| Eli Gold was offered 'limited role' to return, Crimson Tide Sports Network says | |
| Hours after Eli Gold said the split between he and Alabama was not amicable, the Crimson Tide Sports Network released a statement Thursday which said there was a plan for the legendary broadcaster to return next season in a "limited role." In a Thursday interview on "The Opening Kickoff" on WNSP-FM 105.5, Gold was asked if there were any options offered by the network moving forward to stay on as type of "farewell tour." He said there wasn't. That isn't the case, according to CTSN. "After a series of conversations over a period of time, Eli was presented with an opportunity to continue his contributions to the CTSN broadcast team in the coming years in a more limited role, including the lead broadcast role for this year's A-Day game," the statement read. "Unfortunately, he declined the opportunity. We will always appreciate Eli and wish him nothing but the best in his next endeavors." Earlier Thursday, Gold said he wanted to work a final full season before "calling it quits," but the idea was shot down. "They weren't interested in that," Gold told me on WNSP. "They wanted to make a change now." CTSN, in Thursday's statement, made it known it wanted Gold to remain on in a different capacity. Gold, 70, called the end of the relationship with CTSN "sad." |
| EA Sports College Football 25 to block gamers from manually adding players who reject NIL opt-in | |
| Gamers will be blocked from manually adding players to EA Sports' new college football game who decide not to accept an offer to have their name, image and likeness used in it, the video-game developer said Thursday. EA Sports revealed the safeguard in its announcement that it has begun reaching out to athletes to pay them to be featured in the video game that's set to launch this summer. EA Sports said players who opt in to the game will receive a minimum of $600 and a copy of EA Sports College Football 25. There will also be opportunities for them to earn money by promoting the game. Players who opt out will be left off the game entirely. EA Sports didn't say in its email to The Associated Press how it plans to prevent people playing the game from adding -- or creating -- the opt-outs. But gamers will still be able to create their own players, a staple of past college sports video games that allowed people to depict themselves alongside their favorite athletes. The developers' yearly college football games stopped being made in 2013 amid lawsuits over using players' likeness without compensation. The games featured players that might not have had real-life names, but resembled that season's stars in almost every other way. That major hurdle was alleviated with the approval of NIL deals for college athletes. |
| Eli Manning's popular 'Chad Powers' skit to be made into Hulu comedy series starring Glen Powell | |
| The name's Powers. Chad Powers. And he's coming (back) to a screen near you. Hulu ordered Eli Manning's character "Chad Powers" to be made into its own comedy series, according to a company press release. Manning created and transformed into Powers for an episode of his docuseries "Eli's Places" after Manning's curiosity about the college football walk-on process led him to try out at Penn State under the pseudonym and disguise. With help from a special effects artist and Matthew McConaughey-like persona, Manning successfully tried out to be a Nittany Lion. He almost made it too, as Penn State assistants took a natural liking to the two-time Super Bowl champion before head coach James Franklin, the only person seemingly in the know about Manning's true identity, outed Powers at the end of tryouts. The new series will be co-written and -created by Glen Powell, the actor who played Jake "Hangman" Seresin in the box-office hit "Top Gun: Maverick," and writer/producer Michael Waldron, known for "Loki" and "Rick and Morty." Both will serve as executive producers along with ESPN and Omaha Productions' Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz and Ben Brown. In the new Hulu series, bad behavior dismantles hotshot QB Russ Holliday's college career, causing him to go incognito and walk onto a struggling Southern football team as the charming Chad Powers. "We're both diehard college football fans," Powell and Waldron said in the release. "When we saw Eli as Chad Powers, we knew that was the way into a big, fun story about this world. We're excited to be part of this team, and can't wait to get Chad in the game. Think fast, run fast." |
| Longtime Georgia men's tennis coach Manuel Diaz retiring after this season | |
| Another Georgia coaching legend has decided to call it a career. Men's tennis coach Manuel Diaz is retiring after this season, the school announced Thursday afternoon. Diaz will wrap up 36 years as coach that has included four NCAA titles and two indoor championships and the most career wins -- now at 771 -- of any SEC coach. He will turn 71 next month. "It's time!" Diaz, who was at a Georgia practice, said via text message with a smiling sunglass emoji. His team won the outright SEC regular season title last year for the first time since 2016 and Bulldog Ethan Quinn won the NCAA singles title last season. The Bulldogs this season are ranked No. 15 nationally. "It's a difficult decision to step away from something that has been such a huge part of my life and that I've loved for so long," Diaz said in a Georgia statement. "Georgia tennis has given me so much and I want to thank all our fans from all over the world." "Manny Diaz has meant so much for the University of Georgia and our athletic department," athletic director Josh Brooks said. "Not only is he one of the greatest coaches in tennis history, he is also one of the most accomplished coaches of any sport at any school in the country. More than that, the impact he has on the young men who have come through the program will be felt for generations to come." Diaz follows two other longtime, national championship winning coaches to retire in recent years: women's tennis coach Jeff Wallace and swimming coach Jack Bauerle. |
| NCAA Committee on Infractions exploring change to possibly penalize ADs, presidents and others | |
| The NCAA Committee on Infractions began exploring legislation adopted last month that directly penalizes non-coaching staff members who are at the center of NCAA enforcement action -- that includes university presidents. In a meeting Thursday, the committee discussed the scope of penalties that could be levied on several school athletic and academic officials in infractions cases, including compliance officers, athletic directors, presidents and chancellors. They agreed to examine the matter on a "case by case" basis, said Matt Mikrut, the NCAA managing director for the Office of the Committees on Infractions. They will determine penalties based on the person's activity and involvement in violations and their role within the university. Also during Thursday's meeting, open to a select group of media, the committee decided to use the identities of those at the center of investigations -- i.e. coaches, administrators and presidents -- in public infractions reports. Names of individuals are often kept anonymous. Committee members set parameters on naming school athletic directors and presidents in a report. The NCAA enforcement staff, which is independent from the Committee on Infractions, must have found a school guilty of "lack of institutional control" for a president's name to be revealed. A school must have been found guilty of a "failure to monitor" for an athletic director's name to emerge in a report. |
| Major League Baseball's Wardrobe Malfunction | |
| Major League Baseball had grand ambitions that its 2024 season would look better than ever. The league and its partners had spent years fine-tuning new, state-of-the-art uniforms that were supposed to blend cutting-edge tech with fashion. Then players and fans saw what they actually looked like. The lettering on the nameplates was disproportionately small. The lack of actual embroidery stitching made them resemble cheap knockoffs. Players complained that their pants weren't sized properly, let alone tailored to their preferences. Then, on team photo days, another issue was revealed: Those pants, designed to prioritize breathability, were essentially sheer in the harsh lights of a camera's flashbulb. The series of issues has led to uncomfortable questions for MLB, Nike and Fanatics about how the new products found their way into clubhouses and on to store shelves. But those involved in the process say the elements that are being derided as bugs are actually features of a design that was more than a half decade in the making. In previous uniforms, ballplayers regularly complained about getting too hot. The new get-ups were engineered to fix that -- but produced a wardrobe fiasco along the way. There was a soft launch of the new jerseys at last year's All-Star Game, where plenty of players gave the new line positive reviews. They praised how they were form-fitting and lighter, especially compared with what they had been previously wearing. The reaction has been less effusive, though, now that the new line has been rolled out en masse. This season's spring training has turned into baseball's biggest sartorial mess since George Costanza outfitted the Yankees in cotton. |
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