| Thursday, March 14, 2024 |
| Let's Eat, Mississippi: Mississippi-made hams shipped around the country | |
 | When planning Easter dinner this year, consider a classic main dish -- glazed ham. It's the ideal option that is loved by most, and the leftovers make great sandwiches. When choosing your ham, make it a made-in-Mississippi product. Old Waverly Farm does one thing, and they do it well. "We make hams and we sell them one ham at a time," says Dee Berry. And many in the Golden Triangle area of Mississippi, and now around the country, will agree it's the best ham they've ever had. Dee and her husband, Ted, both worked for Bryan Foods in West Point, a processed meat company that is no longer in operation. "When they closed, everybody really missed their bone-in ham that was wrapped in yellow paper. It was one of their best-selling hams." In 2013, George Bryan contacted Ted with the idea of producing a ham that would be like the Bryan Traditional Ham. "To make the original bone-in ham would be cost-prohibitive today," says Berry. "It would cost nearly $100, and no one is going to pay that much money for a ham." Ted, George, and other former Bryan Foods employees worked to formulate a ham that could have the flavor and texture of the original ham, and a company was born. The decision was made to make the boneless Old Waverly Farm Ham. "We are proud that our ham is made in Mississippi." |
| OCH looks to grow as supes weigh hospital's future | |
 | OCH Regional Medical Center CEO Jim Jackson believes the hospital is close to shifting its goals. "We're kind of getting to the point, like everybody else, that it's time to return our attention from surviving back to growing," he said Tuesday evening at a joint meeting with county supervisors and the hospital's board of trustees. The hospital has been a topic of interest among supervisors since the new board came together in January. A majority of supervisors have said they are open to consider a lease or sale of the facility, and they requested the joint meeting for an update on the hospital's finances. The hospital has lost $5.6 million over the last two years, and Jackson said during his presentation that over the last five years, the hospital's net loss is about $177,000. However, the hospital has posted a profit of $5.4 million through the first four months of the current fiscal year through January 31. About $3.9 million of that is from a Mississippi Hospital Access Program (MHAP) payment approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The payment program, which Gov. Tate Reeves rolled out last fall, will give the hospital $13 million through the summer. OCH's inpatient utilization is down, though, with 1,822 admitted inpatients last year, compared to 2,058 in 2022. Jackson attributed the decrease partially due to the hospital losing a pulmonologist that drove inpatient utilization. Outpatient registrations grew slightly, from 38,360 in 2022 to 38,792 last fiscal year. Staffing is a top concern, Jackson said. OCH has a nursing vacancy rate of 24%, up from 13% in 2022. |
| Community support needed to preserve Meridian's historic structures | |
 | Restoring and preserving historic buildings can sometimes seem like an impossible task, but Meridian's historic structures are worth preserving, Lolly Rash, executive director of Mississippi Heritage Trust told Meridian Rotarians Wednesday. Rash, who was the speaker at this week's Rotary meeting, has more than 20 years of experience in historic preservation and helped organize MHT when it was first founded in 1992. She has served as the city of Biloxi's Historic Administrator, program manager for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Vice President of White House Properties. Rash has been the executive director of MHT since 2013. "My organization's mission is to save and preserve places meaningful to Mississippians and their history," she said. "You couldn't get a broader mission statement if you try, but the way we do that is through advocacy and education." Meridian buildings on the list have included the Threefoot Building, hailed as a historic preservation success having been renovated into the popular Threefoot Hotel, the Dentzel Carousel, the Temple Theatre, the old Fielder and Brooks Drug Store and the old Meridian Police Station, Rush said. Sadly, Fielder and Brooks was not able to be saved and was demolished in 2014, she said. "Everyone desperately tried to figure out what can we do, and it was just too far gone," she said. "A structural engineer deemed it structurally unsound, and after that, it was demolished." |
| Wood pellet producer Enviva files for bankruptcy and plans to restructure | |
 | The largest global industrial wood pellet supplier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, announcing its intention to cut about $1 billion of debt by restructuring agreements with creditors, including those who have invested heavily in new facilities. Maryland-based Enviva said in the filing that its debts exceed $2.6 billion. The company owes $780 million to a Delaware bank, $348 million to a German energy company, as well as $353 million in bonds from local development authorities in Mississippi and Alabama. The announcement came two months after Fitch Ratings downgraded Enviva's default rating following a missed interest payment of $24.4 million. "Considerable uncertainty exists regarding Enviva's ability to renegotiate uneconomic customer contracts" entered into in the fourth quarter of the 2022 fiscal year, the global credit-rating agency said in a Jan. 19 press release. Over the past 20 years, Enviva worked to meet increasing global demand for alternative energy sources and built 10 wood pellet production plants across the U.S. South, capitalizing on the heavily forested region's reputation as the world's "wood basket." Construction will continue at its location in Epes, Alabama, Enviva said in a March 12 statement. But the development of a Bond, Mississippi, facility is pausing until the company finishes restructuring. |
| $9.6 million bike and walking trail will link two Coast cities. Will people use it? | |
 | A $9.6 million federal grant will build a bike and walking route from Gautier to downtown Ocean Springs. The grant announced Wednesday to reconnect communities will pay for construction of an 8.75 mile path along U.S. 90 from Washington Avenue (Mississippi 609) in Ocean Springs to Dolphin Drive in Gautier, just west of Gautier-Vancleave Road. The multi-use path along one side of the highway is part of the already announced project to widen U.S. 90 from four to six lanes in the same area. Bids for the projects will be awarded in late summer 2024, said Anna Ehrgott, public information officer for Mississippi Department of Transportation. "This project will take a couple of years to complete after construction begins," she said. "It's a big deal for us," said Bart Luther, co-owner with Daniel Wijdenes of Biloxi Bicycle Works on Howard Avenue in downtown Biloxi. There are lots of local bikers, he said, and bicycle tourism is becoming very popular in South Mississippi. On Wednesday he had people from Michigan, Louisiana and North Dakota in the shop -- at the same time and all asking the same question: "Where do we ride our bikes?" |
| Early in-person voting legislation passes Mississippi Senate | |
| The Mississippi Senate has advanced a bill that would allow for early in-person voting to be available 15 days prior to an election. Technically, voting would not be accessible all 15 days, due to Sunday office closures. The legislation passed overwhelmingly in the Senate by a vote of 44 to 8 on Tuesday, with all Democrats and a majority of Republicans backing the bill. Opposing the measure were Republican Senators Kevin Blackwell, Jenifer Branning, Kathy Chism, Angela Hill, Tyler McCaughn, Mike Seymour, Jeff Tate and Neil Whaley. The legislation, SB 2580, provides that voters could vote in person at their Circuit Clerk's office up to 15 days before an election. The early voting period would close on the Saturday prior to the election. Access to ballots would be the same as it is on Election Day with the requirement of an approved and valid photo ID in order for a registered voter to cast their ballot. State Senator Jeremy England (R), Senate Elections Committee Chairman, said new voting option would take the place of in-person absentee voting which currently lasts for 45 days in Mississippi. England said mail-in absentee voting would still be accessible if an individual qualifies. The bill now heads to the House for consideration. |
| Senate sends Mississippi early voting measure to House | |
| The Senate on Tuesday passed bipartisan legislation that would allow no-excuse early voting in Mississippi for 15 days before Election Day, including the Saturday before. Eight Republicans in the 52-member, GOP majority chamber voted against Senate Bill 2580. The measure now heads to the House. Senate Elections Chairman Jeremy England, a Republican from Vancleave, said during debate over the bill that the measure adds security to elections because it requires voters to cast a ballot in person at their county circuit clerk's office. "I think this is a bill that number one our constituents are asking for," England, a Republican from Vancleave, said. "This issue has been discussed with constituents and we're one of only three states that don't do this currently. This is, in my opinion, ... a step in the right direction." Mississippi allows in-person absentee voting before elections, but voters must meet criteria, such as being over 65 or disabled, or provide one of a handful of valid "excuses," such as being out of town for work on election day and follow a long list of rules and procedures. The new measure would allow "no-excuse" voting for all registered voters and eliminate in-person absentee voting. England also said the new system would replace in-person absentee voting, but that mail-in absentee ballots would still be accepted if a registered voter meets the legal criteria. |
| Bill to create Delta health authority passes Senate with no Democratic support | |
| As Mississippi continues to face an ongoing hospital crisis, lawmakers in the Senate have passed legislation to remedy some of the issues faced in the Delta. With many healthcare facilities in the area facing financial turmoil and running the risk of imminent closure, Senate Bill 2713, colloquially known as the Mississippi Rural Regional Health Authority Act, was approved by the Senate in a 32-17 vote. The legislation creates a regional authority to manage the operations of participating community hospitals and would allow medical facilities under that umbrella to collaborate, share resources, and draw down an estimated $40 million in Medicaid funding. Public, private, and nonprofit healthcare providers would be able to partner up under the supervision of the Delta Regional Health Authority, created by the bill, to maximize the efficiency of resource usage by the facilities to promote better patient outcomes in the region. "This bill is all about the money. These hospitals are struggling to stay open. These hospitals disproportionately are on the verge of collapse," bill author Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch said. "This will allow these hospitals, should they choose to do so, to collaborate together to try to deliver healthcare in a more effective way and in a way that can benefit the people in these areas." Though the legislation was given the green light by a majority of the chamber, it notably did not receive any votes from Democrats and was blasted by a couple of lawmakers representing portions of the Delta. |
| Transgender recognition would be blocked under Mississippi bill defining sex as 'man' or 'woman' | |
| Sex would be defined as binary under a bill passed Wednesday by Mississippi House lawmakers following the lead of Republican-controlled legislatures around the country that are aiming to restrict the legal recognition of transgender identities. Republican Rep. Dana McLean's bill defines "woman," "man," "mother," father," "female," "male" and "sex." The definitions all support the idea that sex is defined at birth, and the bill states that "there are only two sexes, and every individual is either male or female." If the Senate approves the bill and it is signed by the governor, those definitions will be codified into state law. "Once it comes to the way the statutes are interpreted, we're going to go based on biological at birth," said Republican Rep. Joey Hood, who presented the bill on the House floor. "There's no penalty if someone wants to identify one way. We're just doing this to give meaning to the words in our statute." The proposal is one of numerous measures introduced around the nation this year, part of a push by conservatives who say states have a legitimate interest in blocking transgender people from competing on sports teams or using bathrooms and other spaces that align with their gender identity. Lawmakers in some states have referred to the measure as a "bill of rights" for women. |
| Bills to outlaw 'squatted' vehicles in Mississippi pass both chambers | |
| Mississippi is one step closer to forcing high riders to abide by a new regulation. The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted in favor of outlawing "squatted" vehicles, or those whose front bumpers are raised four or more inches above the height of the rear fender. The alteration essentially positions the front headlights of a vehicle to face toward the sky while the back lights stare at the ground. House Bill 349, which passed 75-42, was authored by Rep. Fred Shanks. The Republican from Brandon said he test-drove a squatted truck to validate his concerns about the threat they pose to public safety. The move to prohibit the vehicles violates an initiative kickstarted by North Carolina -- where the vehicle moderations allegedly began -- which bans them from operating on roadways. "I have actually done my due diligence. I have a buddy who worked on one of those trucks and I drove it around a parking lot. You cannot see what is in front of you for a good distance," Shanks said on The Gallo Show. "It changes the geometry of the factory suspension. It's very dangerous." In early January, a six-year-old girl was struck and killed by a squatted truck in the driveway of her Smith County home. Shanks cited the incident as evidence of the danger these types of vehicles present. |
| Senator hopeful House kills Jackson water takeover legislation | |
| One Jackson senator says he plans to now work with the House of Representatives to kill a measure that would take over Jackson's water system. The news comes a day after the Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve S.B. 2628, the Mississippi Capitol Region Utility Act, and the same day the Senate tabled a motion to reconsider the bill. "What we're trying to do is see if we can get some sort of cooperation from the Speaker of the House to kill the bill... Whether we're going to be successful with that or not remains to be seen," said District 26 Sen. John Horhn. If passed in its current form, S.B. 2628 would create a regional authority to purchase and take control of Jackson's water and sewer systems. The authority, which would be governed by a nine-member board, would be put in place by September 1, but would not take over the systems until the Interim Third-Party Manager leaves. That board, in turn, would hire a chief executive officer/president to train under Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin to prepare for taking over operations once the federal takeover ends. Exactly when that would happen is not clear. According to a memo from Henifin to Sen. David Parker, the bill's author, Henifin is asking that the authority has the capacity for short-term borrowing through 2029. The bill passed the Senate on a 35-14 vote, with one member absent or not voting, one member voting present, and another member not voting. |
| Johnson signals shift on Ukraine to GOP senator | |
 | Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Republican senators Wednesday to expect the House to send them legislation to help Ukraine, but cautioned that what comes out of the House will look substantially different than the $95 billion foreign aid package the Senate passed last month. Johnson tried to reassure frustrated GOP senators who asked him about funding for Ukraine during a question-and-answer session at the annual Senate Republican retreat, which was held at the Library of Congress. Johnson told senators that the House will send a Ukraine aid package to the Senate but floated the idea of making it a loan or lend-lease program so U.S. taxpayers would not be shelling out tens of billions of dollars without any expectation of getting a return, according to senators who participated in the discussion. The Speaker also talked about including something similar to the REPO for Ukrainians Act, sponsored by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), which would authorize the confiscation of Russian sovereign assets and deposit the proceeds of liquidated property into a Ukraine support fund, senators said. Notably, Johnson did not say whether such a Ukraine aid package would include tough border security reforms, such as "Remain in Mexico" language, which would face opposition from Senate Democrats. |
| Schumer signals slower pace on TikTok measure in the Senate | |
 | Lawmakers' long-held concerns about the growing reach of China's technology platforms and its ability to influence Americans culminated in a bill overwhelmingly supported in the House that would require the divestiture of TikTok. The bill's next step is the Senate, though, where the attitude was summed up Wednesday by Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, who greeted the House passage by saying, "The Senate will review the legislation when it comes over from the House," offering no indication of a timetable. Some senators may be equally alarmed about the rise of China's technology platforms, but the chamber clearly doesn't have the House's fervor, which took the bill from introduction to passage by a 352-65 vote within a week. House members of both parties -- including Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., who lead the House select China committee and introduced the legislation -- urged senators to act quickly in passing companion legislation, as did former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., top lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee with access to intelligence information on China's potential to use TikTok to influence the thinking of its 170 million American users, welcomed the House measure. But other senators have been circumspect as civil rights groups raise questions about the measure. Even some House members who supported the bill have reservations. |
| Kamala Harris to make history-making visit to Minnesota abortion clinic | |
 | Vice President Harris plans to travel to Minnesota on Thursday to visit a reproductive health center that provides abortions, according to a White House official, in what is believed to be the first time an American president or vice president has toured such a facility while in office. Her visit underscores the emphasis that Democrats are placing this election year on abortion, an issue they believe heavily plays to their advantage. Harris, the first female vice president, has become a leading voice on reproductive rights for the Biden administration since the Supreme Court's decision in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade. Her visit to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is part of a multistate tour on the heels of President Biden's State of the Union address last week. Harris is expected to be joined by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.). Since the Supreme Court's decision and abortion restrictions in several states that have followed, Minnesota has experienced a surge of patients from out of state seeking abortions. Last year, Walz signed a bill that enshrined abortion and other reproductive health-care rights into Minnesota law. While the Biden administration has largely reached the limits of its authority to protect abortion access, Democrats, including Biden and Harris, are putting access to reproductive care front and center in an election year. |
| Why the GOP Should Be Very Worried About Trump's RNC Purge | |
 | A capricious, self-centered GOP president decides he wants to dump the national party chair and install an even more reliable loyalist. It sounds a lot like former President Donald J. Trump's ouster of Ronna McDaniel as chair of the Republican National Committee. But it's also a rough approximation of President Richard Nixon's RNC housecleaning more than a half-century ago. In February 1969, Nixon accepted the resignation of Ray Bliss as Republican National Chair, and not long after replaced him with Maryland Rep. Rogers Morton, a Nixon loyalist willing to defer to the president's wishes. Bliss was different from McDaniel in one important way. His devotion was to party only, unlike McDaniel, a MAGA loyalist who had been handpicked by Trump after his 2016 victory. But both Trump and Nixon were motivated by the same desire -- to remove anything resembling a guardrail and establish absolute and total dominion over the GOP infrastructure and its purse strings. In Nixon's case, it was a purge that ended up with disastrous consequences for the Republican Party -- so ruinous and far-reaching that they're worth remembering today. His decision to oust Bliss, widely regarded as one of the best RNC chairs in history, shocked the political establishment at the time. Bliss was a master of nuts-and-bolts politics -- strengthening the party organization, raising money and getting out the vote. He was a political innovator, pioneering the successful use of television advertising and opinion polling in campaigns. He distinguished himself with his honesty and fierce independence, putting the Republican Party above loyalty to any candidate. |
| Director of Dennis Quaid Reagan Biopic Eyes Release in August or September | |
| The upcoming Reagan biopic, starring Dennis Quaid as the 40th U.S. president, is expected to release sometime in August or September. Although there is no set release date yet, Reagan will finally arrive in theaters this year, director Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer, On a Wing and a Prayer) told National Review, after its filmmakers complete what has been a years-long process in bringing the project to the big screen. Principal photography on the film began in September 2020, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a host of other factors, production and post-production took longer than expected. Now, the director and crew members are adding finishing touches to the movie they started filming almost four years ago. McNamara said the final cut will have over 1,000 VFX shots, including those featuring Brandenburg Gate, the historical monument in Berlin where Reagan declared the famous quote: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" "I love Ronald Reagan's story," said McNamara. "My first job in the business was doing Reagan's inauguration when I was 18. I'm independent, but he was the first president I voted for in 1980. I loved his common sense and humor." Written by Howard Klausner, the screenplay is based on Paul Kengor's 2006 book, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism. |
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Targets a Generation of Politically Disaffected, Extremely Online Men | |
 | In his continued quest to become either the president of the United States or else a very interesting footnote to someone else's reelection, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has enlisted a number of celebrities and influencers. On Tuesday, he expanded those ranks, confirming to the New York Times that he is "considering" NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura for his vice presidential pick; Politico reported that he's also "approached" Senator Rand Paul, former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and motivational speaker Tony Robbins. But it was Rodgers and Ventura who drew the most attention from the press, and it's their roles in the information ecosystem who most signal what Kennedy is doing. Outside of their careers in the NFL and WWE, Rodgers and Ventura are known for, respectively, promoting anti-vaccine views in conversations with sports podcasters and Joe Rogan, and promoting politically contrarian, occasionally conspiratorial views on cable TV and Substack. By publicizing his interest in them, Kennedy is making overtures to a very specific potential voter: the highly online and politically disaffected young man. Kennedy, an environmental activist turned anti-vaccine superstar, is already running an extremely online campaign; as WIRED noted recently, the candidate is omnipresent on Instagram, podcasts and Substack, and has used influencers as proxies who will deliver his message to his niche bases. Online is a comfortable environment for Kennedy, a dyed-in-the-wool conspiracy theorist who's promoted anti-vaccine views since 2005. His efforts to appeal to both a conspiratorial base and a more mainstream voting bloc have been occasionally clumsy, but persistent---and by shoring up his base among young men, who will be increasingly important this election year, he appears to be figuring out how to bridge that gap. |
| Conflicting views of Mississippi University for Women's future underline merger bill | |
| The senator behind a bill to merge Mississippi University for Women with another public institution said he fears the regional college would be at risk of shutting down if lawmakers don't act this session -- something the university has denied is the case. Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, told Mississippi Today he feels confident he will bring Senate Bill 2715 to the floor before Thursday's deadline, but he's still tinkering with the legislation. "Instead of potentially losing a whole campus, a whole university, let's find a way to make sure something can stay there," he said. Nora Miller, the MUW president, has said the university is in solid financial health because it has no debt. The university is working to increase enrollment -- an effort, Miller has said, that could be helped by a more gender-neutral name. "We vehemently deny any rumor or speculation" the university is at risk of closure, Miller said. To counteract misconceptions, MUW is circulating a one-pager with facts about its success, such as the campus enrolling the highest number of Mississippians of any public university. "The W has met IHL's financial sustainability measures, has no debt, and is recognized as a best value," she added in a statement. "We produce more degrees per 100 undergraduate FTEs than any other institution in the IHL system. Sounds like a good investment to me." |
| A proposal to merge 2 universities fizzles in the Mississippi Senate | |
| A proposal to merge one of Mississippi's smallest universities into one of its largest ones died Wednesday in the state Senate. But the future of the small school, Mississippi University for Women, could still be endangered by a bill that senators passed Tuesday, which will go to the House for more work. It would create a group to study whether Mississippi should close some of its eight public universities. Senate leaders have questioned whether the state can afford to keep all the universities open as population trends show that a decrease in birth rates has caused a drop in elementary and secondary school enrollment, which could lead to fewer students pursuing higher education in the coming years. A bill that came out of the Senate Education Committee last week proposed merging MUW into nearby Mississippi State University. The committee chairman, Republican Sen. Dennis DeBar, offered a significant change when he brought the bill up for debate Wednesday in the full Senate. DeBar's amendment removed the merger proposal and replaced it with a proposal to have a legislative group examine the financial needs of MUW and the Mississippi School for Math and Science, a public high school that's located on the MUW campus in Columbus. He said the group would be able to make recommendations to state leaders. Senators accepted DeBar's change, but then quickly killed the bill with 27 of the 52 senators voting against it. Hours later, one senator held the bill on a procedural move that could allow another round of debate on it in the next few days. |
| Bill to merge Mississippi University for Women narrowly dies | |
| A shock bill to merge the Mississippi University for Women with another public institution was narrowly defeated in the Senate Wednesday by 27 lawmakers, including the Republican from Columbus. The sponsor of Senate Bill 2715, Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, asked lawmakers to essentially defang his bill by stripping it of the merger idea and turning it into a request for the legislative watchdog to study the feasibility of MUW and the Mississippi School for Math and Science, a residential high school for academically inclined juniors and seniors. "I'm just curious, not that it's required, but has the administration of MUW and MSMS been informed of today's proposal?" Sen. Angela Turner-Ford, D-West Point, asked. "Of this proposal? Not this proposal, no," DeBar replied. DeBar's bill came on the heels of a failed effort by MUW to change its named to "Wynbridge State University of Mississippi." Legislation to do that was proposed by Rep. Donnie Scoggin, R-Ellisville, the chair of the House Colleges and Universities Committee, but never made it to the floor. That campaign, DeBar told Mississippi Today before Wednesday's vote, seemed to decrease public confidence in MUW's leadership, but it was not an impetus of his bill. He also said he had heard concerning stories about the state of the facilities at MSMS. The high school has requested $51 million to renovate the dorms. |
| Lawmakers kill bill looking to merge Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi State | |
| The Mississippi Senate killed a bill on Wednesday that would have merged the Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi State University. The legislation came as a surprise to school officials on both sides after a last-minute amendment was made last week to Senate Bill 2715 to transfer operations and assets of MUW in Columbus under the purview of Mississippi State. Originally, the bill was intended to move the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science -- a magnet high school located on the campus of MUW -- to the main campus of Mississippi State in nearby Starkville. Upon presenting the bill on the floor, Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, asked lawmakers to amend the legislation from a full takeover to one that would create a study committee on the feasibility of MUW and MSMS. He cited declining enrollment as a reason to look closer at the schools' survival rates. "I can tell you why we're looking at this issue," DeBar said. "We have declining enrollment. The W has lost 500 students over the last 10 years. We're at about 1,800 undergraduate students (and) 2,200 overall. There is declining enrollment at MSMS. They're down to about 240 students." |
| Bill to merge MUW and MSU fails in Senate | |
| Mississippi University for Women isn't merging, and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science is staying put, at least for now. A bill that would merge MUW with Mississippi State University, along with a subsequent amendment to study the viability of MUW and MSMS, both died Wednesday on the Senate floor. Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leaksville, asked the chamber Wednesday to defeat the committee substitute to Senate Bill 2715, which proposed creating "The W at Mississippi State University" – giving control of The W to MSU. He introduced an amendment that would instead create a feasibility study specific to MUW and MSMS. The amendment died with 27 senators -- a narrow majority -- voting no, including District 17 Sen. Chuck Younger, R-Lowndes County, and District 16 Sen. Angela Turner-Ford, D-West Point. DeBar, from the well, cited issues with current and future enrollment numbers at The W as the motivation for the feasibility study. The W's enrollment has declined in recent years to about 2,200, ranking it seventh among the state's eight public universities. MUW President Nora Miller expressed relief with Wednesday's outcome. "I am relieved that we can return our focus to carrying out our mission, growing our enrollment and working with MSMS to get the funding to address their facility needs as part of our campus master plan," she wrote in a text to The Dispatch after the vote. |
| Ole Miss students use technology to create app that tracks local bar information | |
| There seems to be an app for just about everything today and the tech-savvy are using that technology to craft a way into the future by bringing knowledge of a myriad of subjects to the fingertips of everyone with a cell phone. At 18 years old, Julian Bourgeois has already developed two new apps. While still in high school he created an app that tracks basketball shots for the Apple Watch. After arriving at the University of Mississippi in August as a freshman, an idea for a new app came to him while out and about in Oxford. "When I came here, I immediately noticed the problem of how high the bar covers were, but I didn't really act on it right away," he said. "Then one of my friends, who is an Uber driver, said, 'Hey, what if there was a way to track bar covers? And that got me thinking." After doing extensive research, Bourgeois decided to develop his new app, "Crowd Cover," using crowdsourcing technology to allow users to see how much a bar is charging for a cover charge, whether there is a waiting line to get in and how crowded the bar might be. By September, Crowd Cover was released for iPhones on the App Store, allowing Oxonians, visitors and Ole Miss students to see which bar was charging a cover and whether or not they'd have a wait to get into the restaurant or bar. "It was an instant hit right away," Bourgeois said. "In the first month, we had 10,000 downloads." |
| USM professor named new president of Mississippi Historical Society | |
 | A professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi is the new president of the Mississippi Historical Society. Rebecca Tuuri, an associate professor of history and interim associate dean of USM's Honors College, took over as head of the organization last month. The Miss. Historical Society produces books, maps and other materials for educational purposes. It also hosts annual meetings, with various speakers and tours of historic sites. The organization was founded in 1858. Tuuri has been a member of the Southern Miss faculty since 2013. "I grew up in New Orleans, so I do love that, but I love Mississippi, there are so many wonderful things about it," said Tuuri. "There are so many historical figures of the past, who both saw the challenges of learning Mississippi's history, but also the possibilities and recognizing that it's just such a beautiful state in so many ways." |
| Miss Mississippi Vivian O'Neill tours USM coastal research facilities | |
 | Miss Mississippi 2023, Vivian O'Neill spent Wednesday taking a deep dive into the world of marine life. The state title holder visited the University of South Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and Center for Fisheries Research & Development to get an up-close look at the blue crab and oyster industries "So, this is actually my second time at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory," says O'Neill. "This is definitely something new for me because I have a degree in PR. I'm not a big science girl but it's so fascinating to learn about all of the incredible work and industry around agriculture and seafood that is here in the state of Mississippi." With seafood being a major part of Mississippi's culture, she says it's important for her to expand her knowledge. "I mean if it's one thing we know how to do down here, it's cook and eat well," she says. "So, I knew that that was really important." Hailee Nigro, a Ph.D. candidate with the research lab facilitated the onset of O'Neill's tour, highlighting the importance of how temperature impacts blue crabs both environmentally and economically. "The blue crab supports a large commercial industry, especially here on the coast, so we're interested in seeing how things like climate change might affect the species," Nigro says. O'Neill graduated from the university in 2020 with a degree in public relations and a minor in political science. |
| It's not your parents' pot: ER doctor lectures on hazards of potent marijuana | |
 | The high-potency THC found in most recreational marijuana today, coupled with the abuse of the drug, can lead to various negative side effects ranging from "scromiting" to bad interactions with prescription medication, according to a leading emergency room doctor and addiction expert. The importance of knowing the risks of high-potency marijuana was the topic of Roneet Lev's lecture to medical and non-medical faculty and students in the inaugural Three Deans' Lecture at the University of Missouri on Wednesday. Lev laid out 10 of the most common problems associated with cannabis use, some of which she sees daily while working in the emergency room at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. The problems are addiction, potency, mental health issues, edible storage, drugged driving, effects on the body, interaction with other medications, misleading health claims, contamination of recreational products and effects on the growing brain. The negative effects on many of these issues stem from problem two on the list -- potency. "There's no warning label that says this can happen to you," Lev was told by a patient who suffered from cannabis-induced psychosis. "We don't have low potency anymore," Lev said about today's cannabis products. |
| Delta-8, an unregulated form of THC, is popular among high school students | |
 | A national survey of more than 2,000 high school seniors across the country found that more than 11% used a drug called delta-8 THC in the past year. The psychoactive compound is derived from hemp, and often called "diet weed' or "weed lite." It's milder than its cousin, delta-9 THC, the main intoxicant in marijuana, but has similar effects on the brain and the body. The percentage of teens using the drug is higher in the 19 states with no regulations around the compound and in states where marijuana has not been legalized. The findings are published in a study published this week in JAMA. The data comes from Monitoring the Future, which surveys teen behaviors. It's the first time teens were asked about this drug in this survey. "It's a growing concern," says Renee Johnson, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Johnson wasn't involved in the new study, but wrote an accompanying editorial about the public health concerns over the largely unregulated sale of delta-8 THC products. Products containing delta-8 began to be marketed after the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act (commonly known as the Farm Bill) included a provision legalizing the sale of hemp-derived cannabis products, containing less than 0.3% of delta-9 THC. This led to the "de facto legalization" of hemp-derived psychoactive delta-8 products," writes Johnson. But the problem is the lack of oversight around delta-8 products -- often sold as edibles or vapes -- in many states, says Johnson. "What is sold is unregulated," she says. "In most states we don't know the potency [of the drug]." |
| Riley Strain disappearance: Tennessee ABC probes Luke Bryan's bar | |
 | The search for Riley Strain, the 22-year-old University of Missouri student who went missing during a visit to Nashville on March 8, intensified late Wednesday as the city's office of emergency management deployed two boats outfitted with sonar technology on the Cumberland River. But crews were unable to locate the missing man after they searched for hours along the riverbank around Nashville in coordination with the Metro Nashville Police Department. Strain was last seen at about 10 p.m. Friday night shortly after he got kicked out of Luke Bryan's Broadway bar. He was reported missing the next day. As search efforts stretched into Thursday, a new kind of investigation was getting underway. The Tennessee Alcohol and Beverage Commission has launched a probe into Luke Bryan's downtown bar, Luke's 32 Bridge, to see whether the bar overserved Strain before kicking him out. TABC director of legislation, policy and communication Aaron Rummage told The Tennessean in a statement that the investigation will determine if any violation occurred. Rummage declined to provide any additional details about what led to the investigation. Strain was out with a group of Delta Chi fraternity brothers Friday night when he got kicked out. |
| Hilton Bets on College Towns With $210 Million Deal | |
 | Hilton Worldwide Holdings has agreed to pay $210 million for a hotel operator that focuses on college towns, a bet that business near campuses can fuel the next leg of the lodging heavyweight's growth. It is acquiring Graduate Hotels, a 10-year old company that owns and operates dozens of hotels in some of the country's biggest college towns, from Ann Arbor, Mich., and Oxford, Miss., to Chapel Hill, N.C. It also owns hotels in the U.K., including one by Cambridge University. Hilton Chief Executive Chris Nassetta said college towns have been historically underserved by their current hotels, which he said tend to be older, high-end properties central to campus or more boilerplate, limited-service hotels removed from the action. Graduate properties tend to be closer to the campuses and strive to offer guests a stay that reflects the community. College sports events, reunions, parents' weekends and typical university business will help drive demand at the hotels, Nassetta said. He added that the brand is an opportunity to establish an early relationship with college students and build loyalty with parents. The deal is a rare acquisition for Hilton, which, counting the Graduate, will own 23 brands. Hilton created most of those brands from scratch, rather than buying competitors. Nassetta said the company has always been open to deals, but few have met the company's thresholds. He was introduced to the Graduate brand years ago while visiting his daughter at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. |
| Inside the Blunders That Plunged the College Admission Season Into Disarray | |
 | There were just days left to process a batch of federal financial aid applications when Education Department officials made a fateful discovery: 70,000 emails from students all over the country, containing reams of essential data. They were sitting in an inbox, untouched. That discovery last week started a panicked, three-day crash effort by more than 200 of the department's employees, including Richard Cordray, the nation's top student aid official, to read through each of the emails one by one and extract crucial identifying information required for financial aid. The students' futures depended on it. "It needs to get untangled," Mr. Cordray told his staff members on Thursday, according to recordings of two back-to-back meetings that The New York Times obtained. "So, you know, I'm getting pretty impatient." An exasperated staff member shot back, "We worked all night long -- literally -- all night."It was another setback in the botched rollout of a new version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, that millions of families and thousands of schools rely on to determine how students will pay for college. Three years ago, Congress ordered the Education Department to revamp the new form to make it easier and more accessible. It has been anything but. |
| Abortion and Gun Laws Matter in College Choice, a New Study Finds | |
 | State laws on abortion and guns may affect students' choice of where to go to college, a new poll suggests. Eighty-one percent of current and prospective students said campus gun policies could influence their college decisions, according to the Lumina Foundation-Gallup 2023 State of Higher Education survey. Seven in 10 students said state laws on reproductive health could be a factor in their enrollment decisions, with 38 percent calling access to such care highly important -- an increase from the previous year. The saliency of these social issues crossed partisan lines. A majority of Democrats and Republicans said gun policies were at least somewhat important in their college choices. Likewise, for students for whom reproductive health care was a factor in their decision-making, Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike would prefer to attend college in a state with greater access to such services. The share of students who said they consider laws governing reproductive health -- including abortion, emergency contraception, and other related health-care issues -- when deciding where to study has ticked up over the past year. When Gallup and Lumina first surveyed students, in late 2022, about two-thirds of those polled called the issue at least somewhat relevant. Strikingly, in the latest findings, released on Thursday, the biggest jump was among those students who saw access to abortion and contraception as highly important to college choices. The share of such students increased by eight percent, from 30 to 38 percent. |
| The Politics of College Choice | |
 | For a growing number of students, choosing what college to attend is becoming something of a political referendum. Survey data released today from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation show that state policies -- especially on hot-button issues like reproductive rights and gun control -- can have a big impact on where prospective students enroll. According to the survey, 81 percent of students say campus gun policies are important in choosing which institution to attend and 70 percent say reproductive health policies play a role in their decision. Of those, 84 percent prefer campuses in states where gun access is restricted, and 80 percent look for colleges in states with less restrictive access to reproductive care. The Gallup survey also found that 76 percent of students say a state's "divisive concepts" law -- like those in Florida and Texas restricting public institutions' ability to teach content on gender, sexuality and race -- would play a role in their decision to attend a college there. Zach Hyrnowski, Gallup's research consultant on higher education, said such policy issues still take a back seat to more immediate factors in students' college decisions, such as cost and academic reputation. But more and more, "they're not as far behind as you'd think," he said. "Is leniency on campus gun policies, for instance, an enrollment risk?" he asked. "I think it's certainly becoming a relevant question." |
| Medical Students Fought to Get Training in Abortion Care. Then Came 'Dobbs.' | |
| Emma, a fourth-year medical student in Texas, remembers one two-hour family-planning lecture in all of med school in which about 30 minutes were devoted to medication abortion, which constitutes just over half of the abortions in the United States. Procedural abortion, used later in pregnancy in the case of, for example, a fatal fetal diagnosis, or when a woman's health -- or life -- is in danger, wasn't taught at all. (Because of the political climate around abortion in Texas, we are not using Emma's real name or the name of her school.) To learn about that, and how to counsel patients about their options, Emma applied to an "away rotation" in Massachusetts. The elective course, at Brigham & Women's Hospital, in Boston, lasted a month, and she paid for her housing and transportation out of her own pocket, about $2,500. Her school is one of a few in Texas in a consortium with Harvard Medical School, which offered the rotation, so she paid no tuition. Emma puts what she learned into "three buckets." How to do procedural and medication abortions and counseling is one, talking patients through the steps, what to expect. She also worked at a Planned Parenthood, where she realized that, bucket No. 2, "abortion is a really normal part of health care" and "faster than getting your teeth cleaned." She grew up in a conservative, Christian family in Houston. The most valuable thing she learned in Massachusetts she puts into the third bucket: "Reflecting on my own bias, that kind of internalized stigma that I didn't realize I had about abortion," from being in a community where the topic is "hushed." "And that was really powerful," she said. At least 10 percent of medical schools offer no formal training, clinical or classroom, in abortion care. In 2013, the last time The Chronicle wrote about abortion training, the number was a third. |
| How bad is maternal mortality in the U.S.? A new study says it's been overestimated | |
| The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics' most recent report put the U.S. maternal mortality rate at a whopping 32.9 deaths per 100,000 births. That number garnered a great deal of attention, including being covered by NPR and other news outlets. A new study suggests the national U.S. maternal mortality rate is actually much lower than that: 10.4 deaths per 100,000 births. The widely reported issue of racial disparities in U.S. maternal mortality persists, even with the lower overall rate. Black pregnant patients are still three times more likely to die than white patients, according to data in the study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology on Wednesday. "We have to prevent these deaths," says K.S. Joseph, a physician and epidemiologist in the OB-GYN department of the University of British Columbia. Joseph is the lead author of the peer-reviewed paper. "Even if we say that the rate is 10 per 100,000 and not 30 per 100,000, it does not mean that we have to stop trying." The fact that the rate of maternal mortality in the U.S. seems to have been significantly inflated may be disconcerting. Experts NPR spoke with about the data explain that measuring maternal deaths is complex, and that CDC was not intentionally misleading the public. They also emphasize that most maternal deaths are preventable. The trouble with the data started about 20 years ago, when the national death certificate was updated to include a pregnancy checkbox that the person certifying someone's death could tick. This checkbox created problems, which CDC analysts have acknowledged in their own papers, and changes were made in 2018 to CDC's methods for calculating maternal deaths. But Joseph and other researchers suspected the data was still not reliable. |
| College Republicans and Democrats agree: Defend speech that hurts feelings | |
| More than two-thirds of college students believe universities should protect free speech -- even if the speech extends to physical threats or inciting violence, according to a new Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll. The stunning finding reveals a desire to push the limits of free expression on campus. It hints at deep divides over how to advocate for Palestinian civilians while protecting the safety of Jewish students. Free speech was students' third most-cited concern about their institutions (32%), after tuition (50%) and safety (46%). A clear majority of students -- 68% -- argued for pushing the limits of speech on campus even if there's some risk of violence. That's much higher than the 43% of non-students with that view. 77% of respondents said campus speech should be protected even if some feel the language is deeply upsetting. 86% said their institutions should make them feel safe sharing their opinions on tense social issues and global conflicts, and be a safe haven for free speech for the student body. There was no difference between Democratic students and Republican students. But there was a gender gap, with 74% of men but just 61% of women arguing for expanded speech. |
| Conservatives Plot Ways to 'Take Heads' and Defeat DEI | |
| Conservative researchers and activists see a window of opportunity in their long-running war on diversity, equity and inclusion programs and policies. At a Washington, D.C., event Wednesday called "Seizing the Moment to Defeat DEI," hosted by the Heritage Foundation, panelists said several factors -- the upcoming presidential election, a push at the state level to end DEI programs at colleges and universities and Americans' increasing skepticism of higher education -- present a chance to more firmly uproot the policies that they say have taken hold in higher education as well as the military, the media and corporate America. During the event's panel discussion about DEI policies in higher education, speakers outlined how, in their opinion, DEI has created problems at law and medical schools as well as in teacher preparation programs. They called for changes in accreditation and federal policy. Panelists also urged students and faculty to speak up and resist DEI policies such as requirements to submit a diversity statement. "It's a see something, say something moment," said Kristina Rasmussen, executive director of Do No Harm, a nonprofit that aims to eliminate critical race theory and DEI in medical schools. Several of the speakers pointed to the rise in campus antisemitism following the start of the Israel-Hamas war as proof that DEI policies and staff members aren't working. Republicans in Congress, among others, have blamed DEI policies for antisemitism on campuses. |
| Censorship efforts at libraries continued to soar in 2023, according to a new report | |
| Bannings and attempted bannings of books soared again in the U.S. last year, continuing to set record highs, according to a new report from the American Library Association. On Thursday, the ALA announced that 4,240 works in school and public libraries had been targeted in 2023, a substantial hike from the then-record 2,571 books in 2022 and the most the library association has tallied since it began keeping track more than 20 years ago. As in recent years, many of the books being challenged -- 47% -- have LGBTQ and racial themes. The number of separate challenges recorded by the ALA, 1,247, is actually down by 22 from last year. But efforts to censor dozens or even hundreds of books at a time have surged in Florida and Texas, among other states, reflecting the influence of such conservative organizations as Moms for Liberty and such web sites as www.booklooks.org and www.ratedbooks.org. "Each demand to ban a book is a demand to deny each person's constitutionally protected right to choose and read books that raise important issues and lift up the voices of those who are often silenced," Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, said in a statement. Caldwell-Stone said she was especially concerned about the rise in challenges at public libraries, now some 40% of overall challenges -- more than double the percentage from 2022. |
SPORTS
| MSU travels to Nashville for second straight year squarely on NCAA Tourney bubble | |
| Mississippi State entered the Southeastern Conference Tournament last season with some work to do in order to lock up an NCAA Tournament berth. The Bulldogs arrived in Nashville coming off a close loss at Vanderbilt, which dropped them to the No. 9 seed at 8-10 in SEC play. MSU took a 14-point lead over No. 8 seed Florida late in the first half but went cold offensively after the break before Tolu Smith's layup with five seconds left in overtime gave the Bulldogs a 69-68 win. MSU lost by 23 points to top-seeded Alabama the next day, but the victory over the Gators proved to be just enough to send the Bulldogs to the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, for a matchup with Pittsburgh. If some of that sounds familiar, it's because MSU is in almost the same situation this year. The Bulldogs (19-12, 8-10 SEC) looked like a near-lock for March Madness two weeks ago, but they closed the regular season with four consecutive losses and are once again the No. 9 seed in Nashville. Most bracket experts seem to think a win Thursday over No. 8 seed LSU (17-14, 9-9) would put head coach Chris Jans' team firmly in the field of 68. "It's win or go home. All or nothing," senior guard Shakeel Moore said. "We were here last year. We know what we have to do to automatically be in the NCAA (Tournament)." All five starters from last year's team -- Smith, Moore, Cameron Matthews, D.J. Jeffries and Dashawn Davis -- are still playing key minutes for MSU, even though freshman guard Josh Hubbard has stolen many of the headlines with his recent hot-shooting stretch. |
| Where Mississippi State basketball sits in March Madness projections before SEC tournament | |
 | Mississippi State basketball opens its stint in the SEC tournament on Thursday (12 p.m., SEC Network) with a matchup against LSU. The No. 9-seeded Bulldogs (19-12) are looking to add to their NCAA Tournament résumé as March Madness looms. The opportunity to do so comes against against LSU (17-14), which MSU handled in its only meeting this season. Mississippi State won at LSU on Feb. 24 − cruising toward an 87-67 victory. The Bulldogs got 32 points from All-SEC guard Josh Hubbard en route to the second true road victory for MSU. As the SEC tournament begins, here's a look at where Mississippi State stands in the latest bracketology. ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Mississippi State as a No. 11 seed in his latest projection. The Bulldogs are among the last four teams in the field of 64, according to Lunardi, who believes a win against LSU (17-14) secures their spot in the bracket. He has MSU projected to face No. 6-seeded Utah State in the first round. CBS has MSU projected as a No. 10 seed. The Bulldogs would face No. 7-seeded Saint Mary's in Jerry Palm's latest projection. |
| D.J. Jeffries and the Bulldogs are driven to make noise in Nashville and hopefully beyond | |
| D.J. Jeffries has seen a little bit of everything over the course of his college basketball career. So, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to learn that as Mississippi State gets set for a huge game against LSU at noon on Thursday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament -- a contest that could potentially determine MSU's March Madness fate -- Jeffries is handling it like the veteran he is. "Just go out there and give it our all," Jeffries said of his mindset shortly after the Bulldogs finished a shootaround inside Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday afternoon. "It's like a survive and advance. Around this time in March, you don't know what'll happen. So, you just go out and play your hardest. We're all locked in right now trying to get the win and advance in the tournament." A victory might not just keep the Bulldogs singing in Music City. It could also solidify an invite to the big dance. ESPN's Joe Lunardi has consistently projected throughout this week that a State win over LSU would lock up a Bulldog at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. While that's only a prediction and not a certainty, a Thursday triumph at the very least would allow MSU to enter Selection Sunday this weekend with confidence. Speaking of confidence, Jeffries and the Bulldogs already have plenty of it headed into Thursday versus the Tigers. Despite a tough couple of weeks to close out the regular season, these Dawgs haven't been shaken. "We've all been there and done that," Jeffries said. "I've been a part of a lot of losing streaks and I've been a part of a lot of winning streaks. We've just learned to never get too high and never get too low." |
| Brooks Helps Get Bulldogs Ready for Tigers | |
| It likely goes without saying, but Mississippi State isn't taking anything for granted headed into Thursday's noon showdown against LSU at the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Sure, the Bulldogs dominated the Tigers 87-67 back on Feb. 24 down in Baton Rouge, but the 20-point MSU triumph hasn't slowed down State assistant coach George Brooks' efforts one bit as he's taken charge of the scout for the rematch against the Tigers. The veteran basketball mind knows full well once the ball is tipped Thursday, the past is out the window. It's why he's been leaving no stone unturned in recent days. "Oh yeah, [LSU] will throw a few wrinkles in this time," Brooks shared shortly after MSU wrapped up its shootaround at Bridgestone Arena Wednesday afternoon. "[To scout them] you've got to really do a good job of watching your game tape with them and [seeing] things they may have not exploited that you have to tighten up so they can't take advantage of it this time. "And because [the previous meeting] was a couple of weeks ago, you have to still go through other tape with a fine-tooth comb. You have a pretty good feel for their personnel, but personnel could change, too. Because tendencies can change. Guys evolve. And they're a well-coached team so the same mistakes they were making two weeks ago, they won't make this time. Vice versa for us as well." Put another way, chances are high that round two between State and LSU looks different than round one. Brooks anticipates figurative punches, counterpunches and everything in between. By this point, Brooks is likely to know LSU as well as anyone that's not wearing purple and gold. MSU's regular season had barely concluded last weekend when Brooks began scouting the Tigers. Before the country's clocks sprang forward in the wee hours of Sunday morning, Brooks was already neck-deep in preparations for what'll happen in The Music City on Thursday. |
| Five things to watch as LSU men's basketball begins play in SEC tournament | |
 | Just weeks before the college basketball season began last fall, few people could have expected -- or even imagined -- where LSU would wind up in mid-March. After finishing 2-16 in his maiden Southeastern Conference voyage a year ago, Matt McMahon and his team were picked in a preseason poll to make a modest jump of one spot -- to 13th -- in the 14-team league. But with the second-best improvement in conference play among the six major conferences -- behind only South Carolina's nine-win jump -- LSU tied Texas A&M for seventh place with a 9-9 record. No. 8 seed LSU can earn more respect with a nice showing in the SEC tournament, which starts for the Tigers at noon Thursday against No. 9 seed Mississippi State. Here are five things to look for as the Tigers begin postseason play. |
| Former MRA standout wins Howell Trophy | |
| A Madison-Ridgeland Academy graduate is the first college freshman to be awarded the Bailey Howell Trophy announced Monday by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Mississippi State University freshman guard Josh Hubbard was awarded the Bailey Howell Trophy on Monday, March 11, during a luncheon at the Golden Moon Casino held by the MSHF. Fellow Bulldog Jessika Carter of Harris County received the Gillom Trophy. "The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame is proud to recognize Jessika, Josh, and all of the finalists on their tremendous accomplishments this season," said Bill Blackwell, Executive Director. "We appreciate the partnership of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and Pearl River Resort, as well as their commitment to honoring our state's outstanding college athletes in both basketball and baseball." Under Coach Richard Duease at MRA Hubbard finished his high school career as the state's all-time leading scorer with 4,367 career points. This broek record that had stood for 37 years. Hubbard's MRA squad was the 2021 MAIS Class 6-A state champions and the 2022 MAIS Class 6A runner-up. Quinndary Weatherspoon, another Madison County standout out of Velma Jackson High School was a two-time recipient during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. |
| Diamond Dawgs Defeat New Orleans, 2-1 | |
| The Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs got its first extra-innings win of the season to close out the Hancock Whitney Classic on Wednesday night. Aaron Downs came up to the plate with the bases loaded and walked off New Orleans, 2-1, improving the Dawgs to 13-5 on the season. Downs clinched the win for the Dawgs with a single up the middle in the bottom of the 11th inning. He came in as a pinch hitter and made his at-bat count with the game-winning hit. Nolan Stevens collected his first career home run to start things off for the Dawgs. Stevens ended the night 1-for-3 at the plate. Tyson Hardin earned the start on the mound, as he worked two innings and struck out two. Karson Ligon pitched three innings of relief work and punched out three for the Dawgs. Colby Holcombe led the bullpen with seven punchouts through four innings. Cam Schuelke collected the win going the final two innings and tallied one strikeout. Mississippi State is back in action for the first SEC series at Dudy Noble Field against LSU. First pitch is set for Friday at 6 p.m. and can be seen on the SECN+. |
| Bulldog Bats Use 12-Run Fourth Inning To Cruise To Midweek Victory | |
| Mississippi State sent 15 batters to the plate and scored a single-inning season-high 12 runs in the fourth inning as the Bulldogs cruised to their 11th run-rule victory of the season against ULM. Madisyn Kennedy and Nadia Barbary both hit grand slams in the inning, and Kennedy later added a second homer in the frame. No. 21/21 State (20-4, 2-1 SEC) also threw its seventh shutout of the year in a 15-0, five-inning victory. "That was a lot of fun," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "This offense, really all year long, has done a really great job of really staying with it. Even if we're not getting the knockout punch early on when we had opportunities to -- the bases were loaded earlier in the game -- it doesn't frustrate them. They're really using it to learn for that next at-bat. I think there are a lot of mature approaches. Madisyn (Kennedy) was locked in at the plate. It was a chance to see a lot of really good things. I think that inning starts when you have Brylie St. Clair and Sierra Sacco getting on base. It really just turned into a big team effort." After a day off, the Bulldogs will welcome No. 13/17 Texas A&M to Nusz Park for a three-game series on March 15-17. Friday's game is set for a 4 p.m. CT first pitch with Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. The series finale is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on Sunday. All three games will air on SEC Network+. |
| Why are sports brands overstocked? | |
| Adidas reported its first annual loss in over 30 years Wednesday and expects a down year for sales in North America. Part of the problem is there's just too much inventory. And it's not just Adidas --- other sporting goods brands are also dealing with overstocked shelves. Before your favorite sneaker gets to the shelf, it's already gone on a drawn-out journey through the international supply chain, said Sonia Lapinsky with AlixPartners. "The cycle to kind of make and buy and ship footwear is usually, it's quite a bit longer than typical apparel category," Lapinsky said. Adidas and other companies have to choose what shoes to make and how many of them way ahead of time, all while trend cycles are speeding up. "By the time they've got all this product domestically, the consumer trends have shifted, we've had some softening in the market, and they're just stuck with too much stuff and often the wrong stuff," she said. And there's also an Adidas-specific problem afoot, said Shawn Grain Carter with the Fashion Institute of Technology. It has to do with merchandise by Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, and his antisemitic rant. "It impacted their gross margins, it impacted their revenue and it impacted their product, their profitability immediately. They still are trying to unload the Yeezy-branded merchandise," Carter said. And consumer demand for footwear and other sports apparel just isn't what it was compared to, say, 2021, David Swartz with Morningstar said. "Their spending has shifted towards other things like travel. If you're spending money on going to Disney World or something, maybe you're not spending as much money on running shoes," he said. |
| A&M hires Nebraska's Alberts as AD | |
 | Texas A&M University has hired Nebraska's Trev Alberts as its athletic director. Alberts, 53, has been AD at Nebraska, his alma mater, since July 2021. He will replace Ross Bjork, who was hired in January by Ohio State to replace Gene Smith who is retiring in June. This will be the second time A&M has hired an AD from Nebraska, having hired Bill Byrne in 2003. He held the job until 2012 when he retired. "With Trev's expertise, the Aggies are poised to not only excel on the fields, tracks and courts, but also successfully navigate the multi-faceted intersection of sports, commerce and student-athlete empowerment," A&M President Mark A. Welsh III said in a statement late Wednesday afternoon. "He has a profound understanding of the intricate business of athletics and the evolving landscape of college athletics, particularly in the realm of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). "I can't imagine a better individual to lead the Aggie Athletics program into the future." A press conference to introduce Alberts will be scheduled early next week, A&M officials said. Alberts' move comes months after Nebraska lost its president, Ted Carter, who went to fellow Big Ten school Ohio State, where he hired Bjork. Nebraska has yet to hire another permanent president. |
| LSU's investment in Kim Mulkey has her atop women's college basketball coaches pay list | |
 | When Kim Mulkey left the women's basketball powerhouse at Baylor in April 2021 to take the job at LSU, the fiery Louisiana native earned a new nickname: R-O-I. As in, "return on investment," what ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli expected when the Tigers persuaded Mulkey, who'd won three national championships at Baylor, to return to her home state, making her the highest-paid coach in women's hoops. LSU athletics director Scott Woodward said he knew it would be money well spent, but could anyone have predicted this? In USA TODAY Sports' review of compensation for Division I women's basketball head coaches, Mulkey is the highest paid at $3.26 million this season, edging South Carolina's Dawn Staley and Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, who both make $3.1 million. She is one of 18 coaches making $1 million or more this year, an uptick from 11 since USA TODAY Sports last did this investigation in 2021-22. The spike in "million-dollar babies," as one agent likes to call them, speaks to the exponential rise in both investment in women's sports and their popularity. And while women's coaches say there are still significant improvements to be made, the numbers from LSU's annual financial report back up what many have been arguing for years: It takes money to bring in more money. |
| Majority of U.S. adults are against college athletes joining unions, according to AP-NORC survey | |
| As Dartmouth men's basketball players move toward forming the first labor union in college sports, a majority of Americans say they are against college athletes unionizing -- though younger respondents are more supportive. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most adults, 55%, believe NCAA athletes should not be permitted to form unions that would allow them as employees to collectively bargain with their schools. But younger Americans, Democrats and Independents are more open to unionization. About 6 in 10 adults under the age of 45 support allowing college athletes to form unions. That drops to 36% among those between the ages of 45-59 and 23% of adults ages 60 and older. Across party lines, 56% of Democrats and about half of Independents say athletes should be permitted to form unions. Only 23% of Republicans are supportive. In a recent interview with Fox News, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, a former major college football coach and a harsh critic of unions in general, said athletes unionizing would "absolutely kill college sports." "You know, the last time I looked, they're not employees. These students are student-athletes. And if you want the federal government involved and ruin something, you try to make the student-athletes employees," said Tuberville, who has sponsored a college sports bill that would block employee status. |
| Sources: College Football Playoff leaders close to finalizing agreement for future | |
| The College Football Playoff is inching closer to finalizing its agreement for the future. Presidents in the ACC and Big 12 voted to authorize their commissioners to adopt the future framework related to a new CFP, including a new revenue model and concepts around a playoff format -- all of which will be part of a new contract with ESPN. Those with knowledge of the discussions spoke to Yahoo Sports under condition of anonymity. The two leagues were thought to be the most resistant to a deal. Their presidential vote is viewed as a significant hurdle crossed to reaching an agreement. The Big 12 and ACC votes were unanimous, sources told Yahoo Sports. The CFP Management Committee, the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director, are expected to meet over the next few days in a gathering that should produce some finality on what's been a long, dramatic march to the playoff's future beginning in 2026. Each conference and Notre Dame will be asked to either commit, or not, to the new CFP framework. The expectation, pending the approval from each conference presidential board, is that all 10 conferences will commit to, most notably, a new revenue-distribution model, parameters around a playoff format and new governance structure. Notre Dame is supportive of the framework, multiple sources tell Yahoo Sports. As detailed in a Yahoo Sports story last Friday, a proposal for a new revenue-distribution model is heavily weighted toward the Big Ten and SEC, according to those briefed on the matter. |
| Watching Sports Is a Mess. Can a New Streaming Service Fix That? | |
| New York Yankees fan Deb Wan pays over $160 a month to watch her favorite team. Phoenix Suns fan Jordon Low has a much better deal: $0. Wan relies on a cable-TV subscription and several streaming services to catch all Yankees games. All Low needs to watch the near-totality of the Suns' regular season is a free antenna he got from the team. The wide gap between both fans' experiences is indicative of the fragmented nature of sports watching in America, where cord-cutting and the proliferation of new platforms have made things easier for some, and more complicated -- and costly -- for others. Last month, a consortium of media giants unveiled plans for a new streaming service that is expected to make sports watching simpler. The streamer, which is scheduled to go live this fall, will bundle ESPN+ with 14 sports-heavy channels owned by its parents: Fox, Disney's ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery. The companies have yet to come up with a name or disclose a price for the service, but news of its creation sent shock waves through the sports and media worlds. Sports has never been more crucial to the survival of traditional television: Of the 100 most-watched broadcasts in 2023, sports accounted for a whopping 96, according to Nielsen. The popularity of sports has led some observers to proclaim that the planned sports-streaming service would deal the final blow to traditional television, while others have brushed off the effort as a half-baked attempt to fix Americans' long-broken sports-viewing experience. The new service's appeal depends on what sports you like to watch. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
