| Friday, March 15, 2024 |
| Mississippians should be on high alert for termites in spring | |
 | Officials with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service said house and building owners need to be on high alert each spring, because structures could be threatened by swarms of both native and introduced termite species. Native, subterranean termite species have started swarming in late February in South Mississippi to early March in more northern areas. The non-native, invasive and very damaging Formosan subterranean termite begins swarming in some parts of Mississippi in May. Santos Portugal, MSU Extension Service urban entomologist, said the native subterranean termites in their natural environment are a good thing as they help to break down dead trees and release nutrients back into the soil. "But termites in structures are a bad thing, especially since we tend to make our buildings out of their favorite type of food -- dead trees," Portugal said. Professionals recommend that due to the high level of termite activity in Mississippi, all building owners should have a current termite contract on their structures. Seeing swarmers anywhere in the landscape is a reminder to ensure the contract is current, and the building has been treated. |
| Warmer sea surface temperatures have led to a bull shark population increase, scientists say | |
 | Not all animal species are experiencing a detrimental effect due to warming global temperatures. The number of bull sharks -- one of the most aggressive species of shark in the world -- increased significantly in a 20-year period, and researchers say warmer seawater is to blame. Increasing sea surface temperatures over the past 20 years have coincided with a five-fold increase in the abundance of juvenile bull sharks in Mobile Bay, an estuary in Alabama, according to a study published Thursday in Scientific Reports. Bull sharks are among the shark species most likely to have a negative interaction with humans, along with the great white shark and the tiger shark. Researchers measured changes in the distribution and abundance of bull sharks in Mobile Bay using data from 440 bull sharks captured and released during surveys conducted between 2003 and 2020 by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which has been conducting a gill net survey of the Alabama coastline, Lindsay Mullins, a Ph.D. student at Mississippi State University's wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture department and lead author of the study, told ABC News. |
| In Louisiana, Extreme Weather Does the Unforgivable: Endanger Crawfish Season | |
 | Adlar Stelly is 42 years old, which means it is fair to say that he has been involved in farming crawfish in Louisiana for just shy of 42 years. He grew up surrounded by the shallow ponds dotted with the netted crawfish traps set by his father. At 7, he was steering the boat while his older brother pulled in the traps. Before long, he graduated to emptying them himself. He and his brother now have some 3,000 acres of ponds of their own in southern Louisiana. He has seen abundant seasons and others that were more sparse. But over all that time, he has never experienced a season as distressing as this one, where, week after frustrating week, the traps have been so consistently bare. The haul at one pond on a recent day was enough to fill four sacks, each roughly the size of a large pillowcase. In a better year, that haul would have been 25, maybe even 30 sacks. "Here we are, we're halfway through Lent," Mr. Stelly said, pointing out what is usually the peak time for boiling live crawfish in this heavily Catholic part of the world. "You're running out of time," he added. "The stress is at an all-time high." The persistent heat that roasted the Gulf Coast during a record-setting summer is still punishing Louisiana. Farmers and scientists say the summertime drought has delivered a blow directly to the state's soul in a way that hurricanes or other extreme weather never have: It has come perilously close to ruining crawfish season. |
| Discover Mississippi: Hal's St. Paddy's Parade is a Jackson tradition | |
| If the streets of Jackson are filled with people wearing green, it's a sure bet it's time for Hal's St. Paddy's Parade & Festival in downtown Jackson. The parade and festival are scheduled for next weekend, Saturday, March 23. And yes, the actual St. Patrick's Day is Sunday, March 17. Why not draw out the fun for as long as possible? What has become a major event for the capital city, the parade had a wacky, and tacky, beginning back in the early 1980's. The brainchild of the parade is Malcolm White, and as legend has it, he obtained a permit from the city, gathered up some friends, dressed in characters from Tennessee Williams plays, and strolled down Capitol Street. While it was fun, Malcolm had loftier goals. He wanted Jackson to celebrate something that was uniquely Jackson. White combined his love for Mardi Gras with a dose of St. Patrick's Day to create something original. He called it Mal's St. Paddy's Parade and it morphed into one of the largest St. Paddy's parades in the country. Now called Hal's St. Paddy's Parade and Festival, in honor of Mal's late brother, Hal, who was a major supporter of the annual event. Over the years, the parade has spawned pseudo social clubs that take advantage of the opportunity to dress in outlandish costumes and parade in the streets of Jackson. Each year there is a theme and grand marshal. It's only fitting that Walt Grayson serves as the head parade poohbah, since the theme is Telling the Mississippi Story. Grayson is a long-time broadcaster and master storyteller. He started his career in radio and moved into television weather in the early 1990s. Soon he was producing his "Look Around, Mississippi" segment that became wildly popular. Grayson told the Mississippi story better than anyone, from the places we all know to the obscure and interesting places that pique curiosity, making us all want to know more. |
| House seeks new set of eyes on PERS Board | |
| Lawmakers have taken action to restructure the Mississippi Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) Board in a proposal authored by State Representative Hank Zuber (R). The PERS Board as it is comprised now mostly consists of government employees and retirees elected to serve by their peers. HB 1590 was brought before House members on Wednesday with a proposed strike-all amendment that would reconstitute how the PERS Board is organized. The bill restructures the board with 11 members, to include four to be appointed by the Governor, three to be appointed by the Lt. Governor, the State Treasurer, the Commissioner of the Department of Revenue, one current employee, and one current PERS retiree. The Speaker of the House will also have the option of recommending two of the Governor's appointees and two of the three appointees from the Lt. Governor. "For years now, the unfunded portion of our retirement plan has continued to increase while the funded portion continues to decrease. House Bill 1590 will bring a new set of eyes to look at the plan in its entirety while maintaining representation from present employees and retirees," Rep. Zuber said on the legislation. "New appointees must meet strict financial qualifications to ensure that we have the best people in these positions. We have the best retirement plan in the country and we want to preserve it for future teachers and state employees. The bill makes absolutely no change to benefits nor is that the intention of the legislation." |
| House votes to replace elected PERS board with political appointees | |
| The Mississippi House has voted to remove the board that currently oversees the state government pension -- composed primarily of governmental employees and retirees elected by their peers -- and replace it with a board dominated by political appointees. The legislation also would block the enactment of a 2% increase in the amount governmental bodies contribute toward the retirement system. The governing board of the Public Employees Retirement System said the extra 2% levied on the paycheck of each employee -- to be paid by the governmental entities -- is needed to ensure the financial stability of the massive system. PERS provides retirement benefits for most state employees, local governmental employees, and public education employees and university and community college staff. The legislation, House Bill 1590, is the latest salvo between legislators – particularly the House leadership -- and PERS officials. Various government leaders -- including House Speaker Jason White -- have complained of the planned increased cost to governments. PERS impacts well over 10% of the state's population. It has a membership of more than 350,000 current and former government employees who are receiving or will receive benefits. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, has said repeatedly that a priority for the current legislative session is preserving the financial integrity of the retirement system and ensuring the promises made to former and current state employees about benefits are fulfilled. |
| Pending House bill would change the makeup of PERS board | |
| Anytime the public employee's retirement system is brought up at the State Capitol, a lot of Mississippians start paying attention. It impacts more than ten percent of the people in our state. The system needs more money, but, a bill meant to address concerns of local leaders about increasing contributions has another element that's kicking up dust. Decisions about how to manage the money that's paid into the public employee's retirement system are made by the PERS board. Right now, there are 10 members. All of them are elected aside from the state treasurer and one appointee by the governor. House Bill 1590 would change that. Rep. Hank Zuber notes the unfunded portion of the system has continued to increase, while the funded portion has decreased. Sam Valentine is on the board of the Mississippi Retired Public Employees Association and says they're raising a red flag on the bill. "This changes the picture completely, suddenly, you have political parties, who have no obligation to the retirees, they certainly would have an obligation to whoever the politician was that appointed day on perhaps," said Valentine. "And that disturbed us greatly because this money is money, we have contributed, and we feel like we need to have the biggest voice in it." Meanwhile, 42-year public employee David Williams plans to retire in June and is hoping the system is left alone. "I would say just let it stay like it stay like it is and let everything be just like it is and we want to have this going on for years and years to come," noted Williams. |
| Ag commissioner thinks these proposed bills threaten Dixie National Rodeo | |
 | Two bills aiming to regulate how the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce raises or collects funds from the Dixie National Rodeo and the Agriculture and Forestry Museum have moved forward in the Mississippi Legislature. The only problem? MDAC Commissioner Andy Gipson believes the proposed laws would take away his ability to effectively fundraise from private donors, obtain sponsorships or even put on festivities at the Mississippi State Fair Grounds or at the agriculture museum, as well as other local events. The bills would also place any private dollars into the hands of lawmakers for final approval, Gipson said. "I have already been contacted by the main Dixie National Rodeo and State Fair sponsors, as well as by dozens of other event promoters who are adamantly opposed to these bills," Gipson said Tuesday in a written complaint to lawmakers. "They see this as a money-grab by the Legislature; a true attempt to confiscate their voluntary private sponsorship dollars by the State. The result of this legislation will either be diminished investment in the Mississippi State Fairgrounds and the Agriculture and Forestry Museum, or an increase in taxpayer dollars going toward those facilities instead of private sector dollars. Both outcomes are unnecessary. Past legislatures have created laws and policies for the Fairgrounds and Museum to operate under state control but in the mode of a business to save taxpayer dollars." Both pieces of legislation, House Bill 1357 and Senate Bill 2631 have passed on to be considered by the other chamber. |
| House leaders kill school voucher bill without vote | |
| A school voucher bill died Thursday -- a deadline day -- when House leaders opted not to bring it up for consideration. House Bill 1449, which was first introduced as a far reaching, universal voucher bill allowing public funds to be spent on private schools, had been amended to create a committee to study the issue. But on Thursday the bill died when it was not brought up for consideration, killing not only universal vouchers, but the prospect of studying the use of vouchers. "Even though it was just a study committee, the code section was still alive," meaning spending tax dollars on private schools could have been reincorporated in the bill later in the process, said Rep. Daryl Porter, D-Summit. "We wanted it to die -- at least I did," he said. There might be bills alive where some form of voucher legislation could be enacted, but the most far reaching -- the Mississippi Student Freedom Act -- will no longer be alive during the process. The bill was unique in the legislative process because it would not have placed any limitations on who could receive vouchers – referred to as a scholarships in the legislation. House Education Chair Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, said when he filed the legislation he just wanted to start a conversation on the contentious issue and indicated then the bill would not survive. Even after the bill was changed to a study committee, Mississippi Today reported that House leaders were saying it would be killed in the House and not advanced to the Senate. |
| House Medicaid expansion bill won't survive Senate markup | |
| On Thursday, State Senator Kevin Blackwell (R) told reporters a strike-all would be brought forward for the House Medicaid expansion bill in the Senate Medicaid Committee which he chairs. "Our plan is to let our bill die on the calendar and then we will take the House bill and do a strike-all and put our Senate language in the bill," said Blackwell. Blackwell said a work requirement would be a hardline for the Senate, and that at this time those are the only details he could share about the expected language. As far as the hours for the work requirement, Blackwell said it will be consistent with other states but did not clarify an exact number. "We will have more to say as we develop it, but we are still working on the details. I would imagine we would have a committee hearing sometime middle of next week and we will discuss the full bill at that time," said Blackwell. As for allowing the Senate bill to die, Senator Blackwell attributed timing as the cause of this strategy. HB 1725 was passed by the House of Representatives at the end of February. The bill would have the Division of Medicaid request a work requirement waiver approval from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and would expand Medicaid up to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). However, if the waiver is not approved, the House bill would still direct the Division of Medicaid to expand Medicaid up to that threshold. During the Biden Administration, CMS has been reluctant to approve work requirement waivers. Those approved during the Trump Administration have all but one been overturned by courts. However, House leadership has said that they remain hopeful that CMS will consider Mississippi's specific request and grant the waiver. |
| Senate killing its Medicaid expansion bill without a vote, continues work on a plan | |
| The Republican-controlled Senate will delay voting on a bill to expand Medicaid coverage to the working poor this week while it works to build support among members for its own version of an expansion plan. Senate Medicaid Committee Chairman Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, on Tuesday said that he will let a Senate bill to expand Medicaid die on Thursday's deadline to pass all Senate bills in the full chamber. Instead, Blackwell said he plans to use the House's Medicaid expansion bill that overwhelmingly passed that chamber last month and amend it by inserting a Senate plan. That Senate plan has yet to be made public, and Senate leaders including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann have provided scant details. The Senate's bill to-date was a "dummy bill" that contained only code sections required to expand Medicaid with no details or new policy. "We're going to do a strike-all amendment on the House plan," Blackwell said. Blackwell did not disclose any details of an expansion plan, but he's previously said his proposal would contain a work requirement for those who enroll in the expanded coverage -- something experts have told lawmakers would not receive needed federal approval. Physicians from around the state convened at the Capitol on Thursday afternoon to urge lawmakers to pass a measure to expand Medicaid coverage. |
| Mississippi ballot initiative process faces narrowing path to being restored | |
 | A push to revive Mississippi's ballot initiative process is in peril as proposals are receiving weak support from Senate Republicans, and the House and Senate are pushing significantly different plans. In a narrow 26-21 vote Thursday, the state Senate gave first approval to a bill that would allow Mississippi residents to put some policy proposals on statewide ballots. But several Senate Republicans, who dominate the chamber, voted against the proposal that already contains core differences from a competing measure passed by the House in January. "I would call it on life support at this point," said Sen. David Parker, the Republican sponsor of the Senate proposal, when asked about reviving the initiative process. A state Supreme Court ruling in 2021 invalidated the process for putting issues on statewide ballots. During 2022 and 2023, the House and Senate disagreed on details for a new initiative process. House Speaker Jason White has said restoring initiatives was a core concern of most voters he spoke to during the 2023 election. Both the House and Senate proposals would not allow initiatives to alter the state's abortion laws. Lawmakers have cited the Mississippi Legislature's role in defending a state law that laid the groundwork for the U.S. Supreme Court to upend abortion rights nationwide. |
| Mississippi Senate votes on rules to control harbors and Coast casino sites | |
 | The Tidelands bill that clarifies where casinos can be built on the Coast and control of local harbors unanimously passed Thursday in the Senate. The bill has another 30 days until a final vote, said Sen. Scott DeLano, R-Biloxi. Two amendments were added to the committee version of Senate Bill 2780 before Thursday's vote. The first, offered by David Blount, D-Hinds County, chairman of the Senate Gaming Committee, makes clear that a Tidelands lease will be required between the municipalities on the Coast and the secretary of state. "There's been a lot of conversations involving local government on the Gulf Coast to protect their authority to manage ports and harbors down there," Blount said. Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes, who served as president pro tempore of the Mississippi Senate for five years, and Biloxi Mayor Andrew "FoFo" Gilich were among Coast officials who were at the Capitol over the last two weeks to discuss their concerns with the Coast delegation. Blount said he and Secretary of State Michael Watson "are not interested in micromanaging" the local harbors. While decisions about harbor management and revenues are best managed by locals on the Coast, he said, the amendment further clarifies a lease with the secretary of state is required. Under the bill, the secretary of state can't restrict the public uses of the property, he said, provided it is for the higher public purpose. The amendment also requires all casino developers to get a tidelands lease directly from the state and not the municipality, as happened when the Mississippi Gaming Commission in December gave site approval to RW Development for a casino in Biloxi. |
| Mississippi bills seeking to limit transgender identity move forward | |
| Mississippi lawmakers have moved forward several bills that aim to restrict how transgender people can legally identify, where they can use the bathroom, change their clothes for sporting events and whether they are allowed to room with certain people at college. One of those bills, House Bill 585, would create a law that allows binary gendered people to force transgender people not to room with them in prisons or college dorms despite how these people identify or if if they have received gender affirming treatments such as a sex change. "A female shall not have to suffer the indignity of having a male housed with them or be allowed to be put in with them," said Rep. Gene Newman, R-Pearl, who presented HB 585 on March 7. "We have had students come to us complaining that they are being forced to be housed with a male.... that male is a trans woman." Two other bills, Senate Bill 2753, otherwise known as the Safer Act, and House Bill 1607, dubbed the Mississippi Women's Bill of Rights, would legally bind sex to binary terminology consisting of male and female and seemingly take away lawful recognition of transgender identity in Mississippi. SB 2753 would also restrict trans-people from using certain bathrooms and other gender-assigned places that match their chosen sex. All three bills passed through their first chamber with large majorities. |
| House takes on hemp products with high levels of THC | |
| A bill to restrict the sale of hemp products that contain a high level of THC passed on the floor of the Mississippi House this week. House Bill 1676, known as the "Mississippi Intoxicating Hemp Regulation Act," received a 77-38 vote to move to the Senate, putting it a step closer to becoming law. Concerns expressed about the bill focused on how the change might impact small businesses. State Representative Lee Yancey (R), the bill's author, presented the legislation to the House, informing members that the measure aims to address the presence of products advertised as being hemp-based, but that actually contain high levels of THC. The products are being sold at gas stations and businesses that advertise CBD products. "You may be aware that in your gas stations all across the state and CBD stores across the state, that they have been selling intoxicating hemp. We are differentiating between the types of hemp," Yancey told the House on Wednesday. "So, hemp and marijuana come from the same plant and things that are hemp are considered soap and rope and CBD and things like that. And things that are considered marijuana were those things that had more than 0.3 percent THC. So, what has happened in our gas stations across the state, those who are selling these products have figured out an ingenious way to sell people something that gets them very high. And so, we have a recreational drug problem in our state right now in our gas stations." Yancey said the hemp products in question contain THCa, which converts to THC when heated. |
| Law enforcement misconduct bill moves forward in Legislature | |
| The Mississippi House has passed legislation to give the state's officer training board the power to investigate law enforcement misconduct. "We're glad that it's moving forward," said Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. House Bill 691 now moves to the Senate, where the fate of its own version, SB 2286, is uncertain. Tindell said he's happy to see "continuing conversations on how to improve the board and its oversight." If the bill becomes law, he anticipates the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training would hire two or three investigators who would investigate matters and make recommendations. "Ultimately," he said, "it's going to be up to the board." The bill comes in the wake of an investigation by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting at Mississippi Today and The New York Times into sheriffs and deputies across the state over allegations of sexual abuse, torture and corruption. For the first time, deputies, sheriffs and state law enforcement would join police officers in the requirement to have up to 24 hours of continuing education training. Those who fail to train could lose their certifications. Other changes would take place as well. Each year, the licensing board would have to report on its activities to the Legislature and the governor. |
| The Supreme Court seems bitterly divided. Two justices say otherwise. | |
 | The bitter confirmation battle was behind her, and Amy Coney Barrett was the nation's newest Supreme Court justice -- a conservative protégé of the late Antonin Scalia whose antiabortion bona fides helped make her President Donald Trump's pick to cement a 6-3 supermajority. She was still celebrating at the White House when she received her first congratulatory phone call from the high court. On the line: Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court's leading liberal, an Obama nominee and the first Latina on the bench. The unlikely pair are now headlining joint public appearances to make the case for disagreeing more agreeably at a time when the country is more polarized than ever and public opinion of the Supreme Court is at historic lows, with approval divided sharply along partisan lines. The justices are at the center of a huge number of politically consequential disputes, all falling in an especially polarized presidential election year. The opinions they issue from their stately courthouse, in view of the U.S. Capitol, often contain heated language and reveal vigorous disagreement. But sitting side by side onstage at two recent events, Barrett and Sotomayor insisted the vitriol ends there. "When we disagree, our pens are sharp," Sotomayor said, turning to look at Barrett. "But on a personal level, we never translate that into our relationships with one another." "We don't sit on opposite sides of an aisle. We all wear the same color black robe. We don't have red robes or blue robes," Barrett told a gathering of the National Governors Association last month as part of its Disagree Better initiative. "Our loyalty lies to the Constitution and the court." |
| Schumer calls Netanyahu obstacle to peace, urges new elections | |
 | Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and urged Israel to hold elections to choose new leadership, marking the strongest rebuke of Israeli policies by a senior elected U.S. official and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S. "I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government," Schumer said in a floor speech. "I also believe a majority of the Israeli public will recognize the need for change, and I believe that holding a new election once the war starts to wind down would give Israelis an opportunity to express their vision for the post-war future." The New York Democrat said Netanyahu and his "radical right-wing" allies in Israeli government and society are obstacles to peace, along with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Schumer's criticism, particularly if Netanyahu remains in power, is the latest sign of weakening in one of Israel's most critical national security assets: ironclad bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, regardless of who occupies the Oval Office. Other long-time Senate Democratic supporters are leaving office or rethinking how they show their support. The White House responded neutrally to Schumer's comments. GOP leaders were quick to condemn Schumer for attempting to interfere in Israel's domestic affairs. |
| Biden-Ireland Split on Israel Casts Shadow Over St. Patrick's Day Meeting | |
 | A St. Patrick's Day visit by Ireland's Taoiseach to the White House took on a somber tone this year, as the leader of President Biden's ancestral homeland pushes for a cease-fire in Gaza. Heavy on green ties and nostalgia, the annual event has been a fixture in Washington for decades and Biden, a proud Irish-American, has embraced the tradition since taking office. Irish leader Leo Varadkar visited the White House on Friday for a one-on-one meeting with the president and will return Sunday -- St. Patrick's Day -- for a reception where the Irish leader gives the U.S. president a bowl of shamrock. But this year, the war in the Middle East cast a shadow. The Irish public has long supported Palestinian civilians, a sentiment some ascribe to a shared history of fighting for independence. While Irish leaders have condemned the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas, they have also called for a permanent cease-fire and lamented soaring civilian casualties and an unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Varadkar, who resisted some calls at home for him to boycott the standing engagements at the White House, said Friday during his meeting with Biden: "We need a cease-fire as soon as possible to get food and medicine in, to get the hostages out. And we need to talk about how we can make that happen and move towards a two state solution." Biden, who opened the meeting by saying that more needed to be done to increase humanitarian assistance, nodded after Varadkar's comments and said, "I agree." |
| Why are so many voters frustrated by the US economy? It's home prices | |
| Lori Shelton can't fathom ever having the money to buy a home -- and that's a major reason why so many voters feel down on the economy ahead of this year's presidential election. Shelton, 67, drives an Uber to help pay rent in Aurora, Colorado. An advance on her pay covered her apartment's security deposit. But it also cut into her next paycheck, leaving her bank account dangerously low when the rent was due -- a cycle that never seems to end. "I'm always one step behind," said Shelton, her voice choking up. "It's a nightmare, it's a freaking nightmare right now." The United States is slogging through a housing affordability crisis that was decades in the making. At the root of this problem: America failed to build enough homes for its growing population. The shortage strikes at the heart of the American dream of homeownership -- dampening President Joe Biden's assurances that the U.S. economy is strong and underscoring the degree to which Republican Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive GOP nominee for 2024, has largely overlooked the shortage. The lack of housing has caused a record number of renters to devote an excessive amount of income to housing, according to a Harvard University analysis. Not enough homes are for sale or being built, keeping prices elevated. Average mortgage rates have more than doubled and further worsened affordability. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said that the outcome of the November election could ultimately depend on the path of 30-year mortgage rates. |
| Realtors Reach Settlement That Will Change How Americans Buy and Sell Homes | |
| The National Association of Realtors has reached a nationwide settlement of claims that the industry conspired to keep agent commissions high, it said Friday, a deal set to usher in the biggest changes to how Americans buy and sell homes in decades. The $418 million agreement will make it easier for home buyers to negotiate fees with their own agents and could lead more buyers to forgo using agents altogether, which has the potential to drive down commission rates and force hundreds of thousands of agents out of the industry. NAR agreed to abandon longstanding industry rules that have required most home-sale listings to include an upfront offer telling buyers' agents how much they will get paid. Under a system in place for a generation, sellers have typically set buyers' agents fees. Consumer advocates say the arrangement has prevented buyers from negotiating to save money and kept commissions in the U.S. higher than in most of the world. The association has said the current model helps buyers benefit from an agent's advice even if they can't afford to pay an agent out of pocket. If the settlement is approved by a federal court, listings of homes for sale in most parts of the country would no longer include upfront offers to buyers' agents starting in mid-July, and buyers would be able to negotiate compensation upfront with their agents. |
| The Rough Years That Turned Gen Z Into America's Most Disillusioned Voters | |
| Kali Gaddie was a college senior when the pandemic abruptly upended her life plans -- and made her part of a big and deeply unhappy political force that figures to play a huge role in the 2024 election season. Her graduation was postponed, she was let go from her college job and her summer internship got canceled. She spent the final months of school taking online classes from her parents' house. "You would think that there's a plan B or a safety net," she said. "But there's actually not." Today, Gaddie, 25, works as an office manager in Atlanta earning less than $35,000 a year. In her spare time, she uploads videos to TikTok, where she's amassed thousands of followers. Now, that's at risk of being taken away too. All of this has left her dejected and increasingly skeptical of politicians. Young adults in Generation Z -- those born in 1997 or after -- have emerged from the pandemic feeling more disillusioned than any living generation before them, according to long-running surveys and interviews with dozens of young people around the country. They worry they'll never make enough money to attain the security previous generations have achieved, citing their delayed launch into adulthood, an impenetrable housing market and loads of student debt. And they're fed up with policymakers from both parties. "It's funny how they quickly pass this bill about this TikTok situation. What about schools that are getting shot up? We're not going to pass a bill about that?" Gaddie asked. "No, we're going to worry about TikTok and that just shows you where their head is.... I feel like they don't really care about what's going on with humanity." |
| Fani Willis can stay on Trump Georgia case, but only if Wade steps aside, judge says | |
| The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case against former president Donald Trump and his allies ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) could continue with the prosecution but only if Nathan Wade, the lead prosecutor she appointed and had a romantic relationship with, exits the case. In a 23-page ruling issued Friday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote that the defendants "failed to meet their burden" in proving that Willis's relationship with Wade was enough of a "conflict of interest" to merit her removal from the case, including allegations that she was financially enriched through trips the two took together. But the judge also found an "appearance of impropriety that infects the current structure of the prosecution team" and said either Willis and her office must fully leave the case or Wade must withdraw for the case to proceed. "As the case moves forward, reasonable members of the public could easily be left to wonder whether the financial exchanges have continued resulting in some form of benefit to the District Attorney, or even whether the romantic relationship has resumed," McAfee wrote. "Put differently, an outsider could reasonably think that the District Attorney is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences. As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist." McAfee's order is a significant legal victory for Willis, who maintains control of the historic criminal case against the former president and his allies that she began investigating more than three years ago. But the tawdry diversion has come at a personal and professional cost to Willis, as embarrassing details of her personal life and romantic relationships have come under scrutiny inside the same courtroom where she had hoped to put Trump and his co-defendants on trial this August. |
| Federal judge denies Trump's request to dismiss classified documents case | |
| The federal judge overseeing the classified documents case against Donald Trump has denied his request to throw out the charges against him, rejecting his attorneys' argument that the law he's accused of breaking is "unconstitutionally vague." U.S. Judge Aileen Cannon's decision followed lengthy debate in a Fort Pierce courtroom Thursday stemming from two of Trump's motions to dismiss. Cannon has yet to rule on the second motion, which contends that the former president was legally entitled to the records he took from the White House after his presidency ended. Special Counsel Jack Smith's team of prosecutors called both motions "frivolous" and "offered for one transparent purpose -- to delay the trial." Cannon, whom Trump appointed to the federal bench in 2020, called their motions "premature" and suggested that the issues would be better decided by a jury than a judge. She dismissed the motion "without prejudice," which means his attorneys may revive their request at a later time. Cannon's order, released shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday, maintained the sentiment she expressed throughout the hearing: that striking down the Espionage Act under which Trump is charged would be "quite an extraordinary step." However, she appeared to take seriously Trump's concerns about selective prosecution, noting to prosecutors that no former president found to have retained classified documents has ever been criminally charged for doing so. The judge questioned whether Trump should have known he was running afoul of the law when he retained boxes of classified documents after his presidency ended. Prosecutors rejected the comparison to other officials, calling Trump's case "starkly different." |
| Is There Something More Radical than MAGA? J.D. Vance Is Dreaming It. | |
 | J.D. Vance arrived at Saddle Up Saloon -- a Western-themed bar 30 miles outside Manchester -- dressed for the part: blue jeans, pale-blue button down and a bright red MAGA hat. As he grabbed the mic and took his place in front of a "Trump 2024" backdrop, he slid seamlessly into a stream of classically Trumpian attacks: on Joe Biden; on the liberal elites who want to send American jobs to China and American troops to Ukraine; on the radical Democrats who allow inflation to wreck the economy and immigrants to flood the country; on the liberal media who lie about it all. This was the version of J.D. Vance that most of country has come to know since he was elected to the United States Senate in 2022: crass, confrontational and unconditionally committed to defending Donald Trump. One year into his first term representing Ohio, Vance has completed a dramatic evolution from outspoken Never Trumper to unwavering Trump loyalist and dogged defender of the ex-president's most authoritarian assertions -- from the lie that the 2020 election was stolen to the legally dubious claim the president is immune from criminal prosecution. In exchange for his public displays of loyalty, Vance has been warmly embraced at Mar-a-Lago, earning a spot on Trump's shortlist of potential vice presidential running mates for 2024. But Vance's new identity as the MAGA militant has existed alongside -- and, at times, served to obscure -- another influential role that Vance has taken on in Washington. |
| Bill to reconsider study of MUW, MSMS losing steam | |
 | A motion to reconsider a Senate bill proposing a feasibility study for Mississippi University for Women and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science appears to already be losing steam. Monday is the deadline for the Senate to hear the bill again on the floor, but District 6 Sen. Chad McMahan, R-Guntown, who moved for reconsideration of SB 2715 after the bill originally failed Wednesday, told The Dispatch he would rather it not be heard again. "The chair and I have spoken about it," he said, referring to District 43 Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, who authored the bill and chairs the chamber's Education Committee. "I've also spoken to (MUW President Nora) Miller as well as (Mississippi State University President) Dr. (Mark) Keenum, and they've answered my questions. My recommendation to the chair was not to bring it back up for a motion to reconsider. ... It's up to the chairman though." Originally authored in February as a bill to relocate MSMS from The W campus to MSU, DeBar passed a substitute bill through the Senate March 5 that would transfer control of MUW to MSU. The substitute breezed through the Education and Appropriation committees. DeBar abandoned the university merger bill on the floor Wednesday, asking his colleagues to instead pass an amendment for the feasibility study. A narrow majority of senators shot that effort down. McMahan told The Dispatch on Thursday he had brought up the motion in case there were continuing conversations to be had about a possible study. His subsequent conversations with MUW leadership, he said, included questions about enrollment and tuition as well as facility improvements on the campus. |
| Mississippi Sound Coalition holds public forum | |
 | The Mississippi Sound Coalition held a public forum at the Knight Nonprofit Center on Thursday. Scientists spoke to the audience and answered questions about the effects of the 2019 opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway. University of Southern Mississippi Associate Professor Dr. Kim de Mutsert is in charge of an ecosystem modeling project. She said the goal is to better examine the impact of freshwater intrusion on the oyster population, as well as other effects of the opening. "I'm developing a marine ecosystem model to look at at what point the mortality of oysters really exceeds natural mortality with a certain amount of fresh water inflow from the Bonnet Carré Spillway." Mutsert said. Her project begins this summer. The coalition plans to launch a website with more information soon. |
| UGA announces spring Commencement speakers | |
 | The University of Georgia announced on Wednesday the speakers for their 2024 spring Commencement. Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering Jenna Jambeck will give the graduate address and Olympic athlete Allison Schmitt will give the undergraduate address. The graduate Commencement address for master's and specialist degrees is scheduled to take place at Stegeman Coliseum at 10 a.m. May 9, and the address for doctoral degrees will follow at 2 p.m. The spring undergraduate Commencement address is scheduled to take place at Sanford Stadium at 7:30 p.m. May 10. Schmitt is a four-time Olympian and 10-time Olympic medalist in swimming, and remains the current American record holder in the 200-meter freestyle, a title she has held since 2009. After Schmitt received her bachelor's degree in psychology from UGA in 2014, she was elected captain by her teammates at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. Schmitt last year earned a master's degree in social work from Arizona State University. Jambeck is co-developer of the Marine Debris Tracker mobile app, which gives citizen scientists the ability to identify trash and debris throughout the world. Users of the app have documented more than 8 million pieces of litter and debris to date. Jambeck is an internationally acclaimed researcher, and her work has received attention from Congressional leaders, the G7, the G20, and the United Nations Environment program. |
| Legendary U. of Kentucky restaurant known for burgers, all-day breakfast planning to move locations | |
 | Is a Wildcat dining institution about to move ... again? It seems that way. Tolly-Ho, which has served burgers, shakes and breakfast any time to generations of University of Kentucky students, is slated to move down Broadway later this year, according to UK officials and public records obtained by the Herald-Leader. The move comes after a February vote by the University of Kentucky board of trustees to authorize purchase of the current Tolly-Ho building at 606 S. Broadway for $2.3 million. The former location of Hart's Dry Cleaning, the building was purchased by Milling in 2010 and the restaurant moved from its location on South Limestone in spring 2011. The building at 606 S. Broadway is surrounded by properties already owned by UK, in "an area planned for development of an innovation corridor that stretches from The Cornerstone building on South Limestone to the Gray Design Building at Broadway and Scott Street. This multiyear project will further connect the university to downtown Lexington and serve as a catalyst for innovation, design, entrepreneurship and job creation in the decades to come." UK spokesman Jay Blanton said, in an email, "We have signed a purchase and sale agreement for the property. We are now in the process of conducting due diligence, so I don't have a timetable on a next phase. Our hope, long term, is for this property to be part of the growing innovation district off of Broadway that includes the Gray College of Design, Cornerstone and the presence we have there with our College of Fine Arts." |
| Gov. Ron DeSantis' war on 'woke' appears to be losing steam in Florida | |
 | In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign against ideas he considers "woke" has run into some roadblocks. A court settlement this week blunted his Parental Rights in Education Act, a law that critics call Don't Say Gay. And earlier this month, a federal court blocked another key measure that DeSantis introduced in 2021 and called the Stop WOKE Act. It marked the beginning of DeSantis' efforts to reshape how Floridians view and teach issues involving race and gender identity. The Stop WOKE Act banned instruction in schools or mandatory training in workplaces that suggest a person is privileged or oppressed because of their race, sex or national origin. Other bills and regulations soon followed, targeting programs to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. For decades, DEI programs as they're known have worked to promote fair treatment of underrepresented groups. The impact of DeSantis' campaign might be greatest on Florida colleges and universities. Backed by Republican lawmakers, he's banned all DEI programs from state schools. DeSantis told a conservative group recently that he wants to stop the "indoctrination" of students at colleges and universities. "DEI is really insidious," he said. "First of all, it's very divisive because it tries to divvy people up based on superficial characteristics. But it also serves to supplant merit in favor of this agenda." The University of Florida recently eliminated all of its full-time DEI positions, the latest school to comply with the new regulations. The university's faculty union condemned the move, saying it ignores Florida's history of discrimination. Union President Meera Sitharam, who is also a professor of computer science, says DeSantis has signed laws weakening faculty tenure and has put pressure on schools to promote conservative viewpoints. His administration recently removed sociology as a core course at state schools. |
| U. of Texas students drop foreign language classes | |
| University of Texas students are showing less and less interest in foreign language classes, mirroring national trends. The trend is part of a broader movement from liberal arts to STEM classes on university campuses. The total number of undergraduate enrollees in 11 foreign language classes, from Arabic to Spanish, dropped from 4,750 in the fall of 2014 to 4,224 in the fall of 2023, per data provided by UT to Axios. In 2014, Spanish classes made up 39.2% of all of the university's foreign language enrollment. By 2023, that number was 48.9%. Richard Meier, adviser to the dean of the College of Liberal Arts for Languages and Area Studies, told Axios the decline could be because many popular degree plans do not require extensive coursework in a foreign language. "A second factor that we discuss often is that many students do not feel that they can devote the time that is required by a six-credit hour course in one of the foreign languages," Meier added. Enrollment in languages other than English at U.S. colleges and universities dropped 16.6% between the fall of 2016 and the fall of 2021, the Modern Language Association (MLA) reported last year. Language study on college campuses peaked in 2009 and has been dropping ever since, the MLA noted. |
| Former White House chief seeks to inform people of potential risks of marijuana use | |
 | Every day as chief of the emergency department of her hospital in San Diego, Roneet Lev sees the consequences of marijuana use in many of her patients. Lev talked Wednesday in Memorial Union at the University of Missouri in the inaugural Three Deans Lecture, referring to the School of Medicine, Sinclair School of Nursing and College of Health Sciences. Lev, chief medical officer of the White House National Drug Control Policy from 2018-2020, gave a talk titled "It's just pot. What's the problem?" There are many, it turns out, she said. She said she's no marijuana prohibitionist. "If you're going to be a user, you need to be informed," Lev said. "You need to know the risks." The information isn't easily available, she said. Talk of marijuana was discouraged in the Trump administration, she said. "When I was at the White House, it was the M-word," Lev said. "It was too political." One often hears that marijuana isn't addictive, but it's not true, Lev said. "Marijuana is addicting like any other drug," Lev said Speaking to reporters after the talk, she said the formal term is cannabis use disorder, but it's an addiction. Patients in her emergency department are in denial when they insist they're not addicted and can quit anytime, she said. Emergency room visits related to marijuana use aren't an everyday occurrence, but they have increased at MU Hospital since legalization of marijuana, said Christopher Samson, emergency department physician. With adults, it's often first-time users who seek medical attention, he said. |
| Nashville Police do not suspect foul play in Riley Strain disappearance | |
 | Nashville police do not currently believe foul play was involved in the disappearance of University of Missouri student Riley Strain. Sergeant Robert Nielsen with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department provided an update on the search for Strain at a news conference Thursday afternoon in Nashville. "There's absolutely no indication whatsoever that any kind of foul play or other crime involved; this is strictly a missing persons case at this point," Nielsen said. Nielsen clarified that this may change, but the current search is solely focused on finding Strain, and police do not believe a crime occurred. There has been no indication so far that he was in a fight or altercation, according to police. Strain, 22, was last seen around 10 p.m. last Friday in the lower section of downtown Nashville after being kicked out of Luke's 32 Bridge Food + Drink. Strain traveled to Nashville with the Delta Chi fraternity for a private event and was reported missing at 1:40 p.m. Saturday by his fraternity brothers. Thursday marks Day Six in the search for Strain. Ryan Gilbert, Strain's father, can hardly watch the security camera footage of his son from Friday night. "What I'm seeing is, Riley was a great kid," Gilbert said. "It's very hard for me to watch these videos, seeing your son in the distress that he's in, and people are just driving by, nobody calling the police to help him as far as we know." |
| College is still worth it, research finds -- although these majors have the lowest rate of return | |
| For decades, research has showed that earning a degree is almost always worthwhile. Recent college graduates working full-time earn $24,000 more a year than those with just a high school diploma, according to newly released data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Additionally, finishing college puts workers on track to earn a median of $2.8 million over their lifetime, compared with $1.6 million if they only had a high school degree, according to "The College Payoff," a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. In general, bachelor's degree holders earn 75% more over their career, the report found --- and, in many cases, the higher the level of educational attainment, the larger the payoff. However, a lot still depends on the choice of major, research also shows. A recent study published in the American Educational Research Journal found that engineering and computer science majors provide the highest returns in lifetime earnings, followed by business, health, and math and science majors. Education and humanities majors and arts majors had the lowest returns of the 10 fields of study considered. "Our cost-benefit analysis finds that on average a college degree offers better returns than the stock market," said Liang Zhang, a professor of higher education at the New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and co-author of the study. "However, there are significant differences across college majors." |
| Civil Rights Groups Push Back Against Wave of Anti-DEI Bills | |
 | Despite vocal opposition from faculty members and racial justice groups, Indiana's Republican governor signed legislation Wednesday diminishing diversity, equity and inclusion programs and tenure protections in public colleges and universities while simultaneously promoting, as the new law puts it, "intellectual diversity." In a failed scramble to stop Senate Bill 202, an Indiana coalition called the University Alliance for Racial Justice said that, while it opposed the threatened "loss of tenure" and other ramifications faculty members had decried, "what is most egregious about the bill is the fact that such sanctions would be imposed as a consequence for speaking about discrimination and racism in higher education classes in the state of Indiana [emphasis in original]." Despite the outcry, it passed. The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis was among about 70 groups that signed the petition opposing the bill. In a new statement Thursday on the bill becoming law, David Greene Sr., a Black pastor and president of the group, said that "in what it targets -- diversity, equity, and inclusion -- and who it targets -- Black university faculty -- [the law] is clearly racist." It's not the only anti-DEI bill that's reached or neared the finish line in the last couple of weeks. Spencer Deery, the Republican Indiana state senator who was lead author of the new law, says it's neither racist nor an assault on academic freedom. He wrote in an email to Inside Higher Ed Thursday that "Indiana data shows the two groups least likely to be able to express themselves in higher education are African Americans and political conservatives. Both facts should concern us." |
| Revamped Overtime Rule Promises Higher Pay and Higher Costs | |
 | For Christopher L. Gardner, the looming change in the federal rule governing overtime pay "feels a little bit, like Yogi Berra would say, déjà vu all over again." Gardner was assistant vice president for finance at Wofford College in 2016, the last time the U.S. Department of Labor set out to tweak the section of federal law that governs which workers get paid overtime for working more than 40 hours a week and which workers don't. Now he's chief financial officer of Wofford, a small private college in Spartanburg, S.C., and the government is changing the rule again. But there's a critical difference. In 2016, Gardner (no relation to this reporter) and other administrators spent months preparing for the overtime-rule change, bracing themselves for red-tape headaches and budget impacts, only to watch the proposed change fizzle. Now, with the final language of the new rule expected in April, Gardner and many other college leaders may be facing bigger headaches and more substantial budget blows. "Institutions are on notice," said Susan L. Deniker, a lawyer with the firm Steptoe & Johnson who specializes in labor and employment law, and colleges "need to be prepared, because this is coming around the corner quickly." What is the overtime rule? A section of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act says that workers who make $35,500 or less annually must be paid overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week. For salaried workers who make more than that amount, any additional hours they put in are assumed to be covered under their salary -- they are considered exempt from overtime under the rule. |
| Biden Administration Wants Accreditors to Set Benchmarks For Student Outcomes | |
| After years of debate and calls for the watchdogs of higher education to crack down on institutions with poor student outcomes, the nation's accrediting agencies could be required to set benchmarks for student achievement. Accreditors are charged with monitoring the quality of colleges and universities and serve as gatekeepers to institutions' access to federal financial aid. Lawmakers, advocates and analysts across the political spectrum have argued for years that accreditors are failing in their quality-assurance role, pointing to low graduation rates at accredited institutions, among other data points. The Biden administration has proposed requiring accreditors to set minimum expectations of performance on a number of standards such as graduation and licensure pass rates. The specific metrics would be up to each accreditor. This change, if enacted, would represent a significant shift for the Education Department, which has sought to strengthen the oversight of colleges and universities. What exactly this proposal means for institutions is unclear, though critics of accreditors hope it will push the agencies and institutions to focus more intently on student achievement. If a college or university fell below any one benchmark or performance standard, it likely wouldn't lose access to federal financial aid. |
| Analysis: How NSF's budget got hammered | |
| Two summers ago, officials at the National Science Foundation (NSF) had good reason to anticipate years of healthy budget increases for the basic research agency. In August 2022, President Joe Biden had signed the CHIPS and Science Act, landmark legislation to revive the U.S. semiconductor industry that included a promise to more than double NSF's budget, to $18.9 billion, by 2027. And that December, Congress made a down payment on that promise by adding $1 billion in so-called emergency spending to the agency's base budget, boosting it to nearly $9.9 billion. In March 2023, Biden added to the momentum by asking Congress to boost NSF's budget by 19%, to $11.3 billion, in the upcoming 2024 fiscal year. In hindsight, however, that was the high-water mark for NSF's lofty ambitions. Over the past year, the rosy NSF spending scenario envisioned by the CHIPS act collided with an increasingly firm political consensus to hold down overall federal spending. And austerity won out. Last week, Congress slashed this year's NSF budget by 8%, to $9.06 billion, as part of a bill to fund several agencies through the rest of the fiscal year and avert a partial government shutdown. It's an unprecedented reduction for an agency that, historically, has enjoyed a stellar reputation in Congress. And there's little chance things will get better anytime soon. For example, in a 2025 budget request submitted last week, Biden is asking Congress to give NSF only $300 million more than it received in 2023, a modest boost of 3%. So what happened? The answer lies in two high-level spending agreements between Democrats and Republicans struck in the past 10 months to avoid potentially catastrophic government breakdowns -- and in how lawmakers decided to allocate money among the 12 annual spending bills that fund the government. |
SPORTS
| Hubbard leads Mississippi State to 70-60 win over LSU in SEC Tournament's second round | |
| Josh Hubbard scored 14 of his 24 points in the second half when he helped Mississippi State pull away late and beat LSU 70-60 on Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament. The ninth-seeded Bulldogs (20-12) snapped a four-game losing streak that ended their regular season and will face top seed and No. 5-ranked Tennessee in Friday's quarterfinals. Mississippi State beat the Volunteers 77-72 on Jan. 10. Hubbard was only 6-of-16 shooting but made 9 of 10 free throws. Dashawn Davis added 12 points. Tolu Smith grabbed 13 rebounds and D.J. Jeffries had 11 boards as the Bulldogs outrebounded the Tigers 24-12 in the second half, reversing the first-half totals. The Bulldogs rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit, outscoring LSU 12-5 to tie the game on a Smith dunk and grabbed the lead for good with 12 minutes left on two Hubbard free throws. They had a nine-point advantage after a Shakeel Moore 3-pointer with eight minutes remaining. They shot 51% in the second half when they outscored the Tigers by 17. Hannibal led a LSU comeback and got the Tigers within a point but Hubbard hit a pair of 3-pointers and added another basket over the next four minutes and the Bulldogs went out in front by 10 with a minute left. |
| Men's Basketball: With backs against the wall, Bulldogs rally past LSU in SEC Tournament | |
| All it took was one. Mississippi State's offense was lifeless as could be in the first half of Thursday's must-win Southeastern Conference Tournament game against LSU. The Bulldogs went nearly eight minutes without a field goal to close the half, and first-team all-SEC center Tolu Smith had not scored a point. Then Smith finally scored on a dunk six and a half minutes into the second half, and it was as if a collective weight was released from MSU's shoulders. Smith's dunk was part of a 14-2 Bulldogs run that turned a six-point deficit into a six-point lead. With its backs against the wall, No. 9 seed MSU rallied for a desperately-needed 70-60 win over the No. 8 seed Tigers to advance to the quarterfinals and likely secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. "Tolu, he's hard on himself, sometimes to a fault," MSU head coach Chris Jans said. "A lot of guys out there, players, coaches are like that, and I get it, but during the game, that's not the time to do that. He had a bunch of teammates and coaches encouraging him to focus and keep playing, and he did. That was a big moment for everybody to just take a sigh of relief." The win earned MSU a date with top-seeded Tennessee at noon Friday. The Bulldogs defeated the Volunteers in the teams' only regular-season meeting in Starkville back on Jan. 10. |
| Mississippi State basketball found its identity vs. LSU. Can it repeat vs Tennessee? | |
 | Coaches often refer to the start of conference tournament play as the opening of a new season. Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans took that to another level as the Bulldogs looked to flush a four-game losing skid and find a win against LSU in the second round of the SEC tournament on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena. "Listen, we're going to coach you hard for three days," Jans told his team Monday. "We've got to get back to some baseline stuff like it's October." "We went back to some basic fundamentals defensively that kind of get lost in the scout mode, to be honest with you," he added. "You get caught up in personnel, guard this set and that set, and you forget sometimes you've got to brush your teeth every day." Along with needing to get over a losing streak, Jans needed his team to regain its identity. MSU did so, defeating LSU 70-60. To Jans, it wasn't just about losing -- defeats against Kentucky, Auburn, Texas A&M and South Carolina did little damage to MSU's NCAA tournament résumé -- that was disappointing. Mississippi State allowed 84 points per game in the streak. For a team ranking No. 22 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, it was a losing formula even with freshman guard Josh Hubbard averaging nearly 30 points per game. |
| What to watch, keys to victory for Mississippi State against Tennessee | |
 | Mississippi State has played on back-to-back days just once this season, and in so doing the Bulldogs picked up their two biggest wins in non-conference play. On Nov. 18 and 19 in Uncasville, Conn., MSU defeated two projected NCAA Tournament teams in as many days in Washington State and Northwestern to win the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. The experience can only be a positive for the Bulldogs as they prepare to play for the second day in a row Friday against top-seeded Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. "You don't get to play back-to-back very often, other than the fall tournament and the conference tournament," MSU head coach Chris Jans said. "It's definitely something that we'll be talking about as we move into scout mode." The No. 9 seed Bulldogs (20-12) defeated the SEC regular-season champion Volunteers 77-72 at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 10, a top-five win for MSU and the biggest of the Jans era at the time. Josh Hubbard had 25 points that night and Tolu Smith added 23 as the Bulldogs survived a furious second-half Tennessee rally led by Dalton Knecht and Zakai Zeigler, who combined for 54 points. Knecht leads the conference in scoring with 21.4 points per game and was named the SEC Player of the Year earlier this week. A 40.5 percent shooter from 3-point range, Knecht is one of the best offensive players in all of college basketball and scored 40 points in his team's regular-season finale against Kentucky. |
| What will the future of the men's NCAA tournament look like? | |
| The NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket will be unveiled Sunday, beginning a magical sporting event that unifies the country every year for nearly a month. The tournament that gave us UCLA's dominance, Villanova's perfection and Butler's pluck remains poised for another edition of upsets, buzzer-beaters and the transformations of unknown players to household names in a 67-game blur. Meanwhile, the NCAA is dealing with a flurry of court cases, labor board decisions and congressional apathy. And as college sports teeters on the precipice of significant change, there's concern the NCAA's hallmark event will change with it. According to ESPN sources, there are ongoing discussions about expanding the men's NCAA basketball tournament from the current 68-team format to one featuring no more than 80 teams. There are also fears about what could happen to the all-comers tournament if the power leagues break away from the rest of college athletics, as football decisions continue to define the direction of major college sports. Amid all the uncertainty, former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski asks that college sports leaders take a pause until "we can see the future better. "You don't change something now not knowing -- Is there going to be an NCAA? If there will be an NCAA, what will it be? Before you start messing around with [the tournament], understand what it is. It's a treasure. It's not something where you flippantly say, 'Let's go to 96 [teams].' Everyone, just keep quiet and recognize the treasure we have." |
| Diamond Dawgs Open SEC Play Against LSU | |
| The Mississippi State baseball team returns to Dudy Noble Field this weekend to open SEC play. The Diamond Dawgs host No. 2 LSU Tigers in a three game series that opens up Friday. Friday and Sunday's game will be broadcasted on SECN+, while Saturday's game will be on SEC Network. The series will also be carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by LEARFIELD along with live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand. LSU is ranked 2nd in the D1 Baseball Top 25 and enter this weekend with a 16-2 record. The Tigers are coming off a two-game midweek series sweep against North Dakota State. LSU's offense holds a .304 batting average and a .488 slugging percentage with Steven Milam leading the Tigers with a .389 batting average. The LSU pitching staff has collected a 2.81 ERA, the sixth best ERA in the nation. Will Hellmers, Gage Jump and Luke Holman each have a 0.00 ERA. LSU's pitchers have punched out 234 this season. At the dish, the Tigers have five players hitting .300 or better on the season. Steven Milam leads the team with a .368 batting average. LSU has hit 21 homers this season, by eight different players. Jared Jones leads the team with six home runs on the season. Mississippi State leads the series 218-190. The Diamond Dawgs last faced LSU in Baton Rouge in 2023 and took the series 2-1 in walk off fashion. The Dawgs dropped the first game of the series before bouncing back and winning the next two. The first meeting between these two programs came during the 1907 season. |
| Mississippi State baseball ace Nate Dohm not included in weekend rotation for LSU series | |
| Mississippi State baseball ace Nate Dohm is not listed in the Bulldogs' rotation for the upcoming weekend series against defending national champion LSU. Dohm, who owns a 1.50 ERA in 24 innings this season, left last Friday's start against Evansville with apparent discomfort in his throwing arm. "I think he had a little zinger," MSU coach Chris Lemonis said afterward. "He was tired, but he just felt a little zing. He didn't feel like it was anything major. I'm not a doctor, but if he doesn't act like it's a big deal, I'm not going to act like it's a big deal." Sophomore Evan Siary is expected to start in Dohm's place against LSU (16-2). Siary has allowed three earned runs in six innings this season. None of his four outings for Mississippi State (13-5) this season has lasted more than two innings. Khal Stephen and Jurrangelo Cijntje will retain their slots as the Bulldogs' Saturday and Sunday starters. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m on SEC Network+. |
| SEC baseball preview: Arkansas, Texas A&M and LSU lead a loaded conference once again | |
 | LSU baseball starts Southeastern Conference play this weekend as the Tigers travel to Starkville, Mississippi, to face Mississippi State in a three-game series beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. To preview the series and the Tigers' upcoming weekend matchups moving forward, here's a look at where the SEC stands heading into the start of conference play on Friday. The West is as deep as ever: Three of the top four teams in the country are in the SEC West, according to D1Baseball's top-25 rankings. Arkansas (1), LSU (3) and Texas A&M (4) have all featured dominant starting pitching staffs and the Aggies' offense has been elite as well. Also cracking the top-25 rankings are Alabama (14) and Auburn (18). The Crimson Tide's offense has picked up where it left off a year ago despite losing most of its starters and Auburn is third in the conference in home runs. Ole Miss and Mississippi State have also played better in recent weeks after struggling to open the season. Not everything has gone according to preseason forecasts in the conference. Which trends stick and which ones won't will determine the fate of what is a loaded SEC once again. |
| Hard-throwing teens draw scouts, scholarships. More and more, they may also need Tommy John surgery | |
| Most teenagers celebrate their high school graduation with friends, family and maybe a party. Brandon Compton had Tommy John surgery. It's been nearly 50 years since the game-changing procedure -- which reconstructs a torn ulnar collateral ligament in a pitcher's elbow -- was first performed by Dr. Frank Jobe on Tommy John's left arm in 1974. Since then, over 2,200 pros have tried extending their careers with the operation, most of them successfully. In a more recent development, it's also helping teenage baseball players -- some as young as 14 -- get back on the mound after injuries early in their playing careers. Compton was 18 when he had the surgery on May 26, 2022, following his senior season in high school. "Mentally, it killed me," Compton said. "And I bet it's the same for everybody. You're a young player, you're going into college at a Power Five program, you're going to win all the time. That's not how it worked out." But two years later, he's playing baseball for Arizona State. Compton's not alone in his early Tommy John journey. In 2023, there were 23 players selected in the first 10 rounds of the MLB amateur draft who had already had the procedure, one year after a record 31 players in 2022. To compare, just three players fit that description in the 2011 draft. The relative success and normalcy of the surgery has been a boost for dozens of careers. But why do so many more young players need Tommy John? |
| State Hosts No. 13 Texas A&M In SEC Home Opener | |
| No. 21/21 Mississippi State will welcome No. 13/17 Texas A&M to Nusz Park this weekend for its SEC home opener. The Bulldogs and Aggies will open the series at 4 p.m. CT on Friday with the second game scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday. The series finale is set for 11 a.m. on Sunday. All three games will be broadcast on SEC Network+. The Bulldogs (20-4, 2-1 SEC) have won their SEC home opener in each of the last two years, but both games were tightly contested, one-run affairs. State downed rival Ole Miss, 9-8, in 2022, and won an extra-innings battle with South Carolina, 6-5, in walk-off fashion last year. State brings in some of the hottest bats in the nation right now. Madisyn Kennedy has seen seven of her last 10 hits leave the ballpark and now leads the SEC and ranks second nationally with a 1.149 slugging percentage. She tied the school record for RBIs with seven in her last game. Kennedy has reached base safely in a career-best 11 consecutive games. Meanwhile, Jessie Blaine is riding a team-leading, career-long 13-game reached base streak, and Ella Wesolowski has reached in nine straight. Wesolowski is on a career-long five-game hitting streak, and her .391 average ranks fourth among SEC freshmen this year. She is joined in the top five by Salen Hawkins, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, who has hit .371 to this point. The first 200 fans in attendance on Friday will receive "Spread the Nusz" t-shirts. State is 13-0 at home this year with nine run-rule victories inside Nusz Park. Saturday is the Bulldogs' annual Think Pink game with rally towels to the first 100 fans. To close the series, MSU will recognize members of the armed forces with its Salute to Service game on Sunday, complete with a flyover from nearby Columbus Air Force Base. |
| No. 15 MSU At Home Versus 52nd-Ranked Vandy | |
| Mississippi State men's tennis surged seven spots to No. 15 in the latest ITA rankings following a 4-3 road victory over then 19th-ranked LSU last Sunday. The Bulldogs have another ranked Southeastern Conference opponent on deck as they welcome No. 52 Vanderbilt to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Friday at 3 p.m. In case of inclement weather, Friday's match will move indoors to the adjacent Rula Tennis Pavilion. MSU enters its matchup against the Commodores at 10-4 overall and 2-1 in league play. Matt Roberts' Bulldogs are 7-2 in Starkville this spring and have won three straight at home, including a 4-3 victory over then 43rd-ranked Georgia earlier this month. No. 121 Carles Hernandez has played exceptionally well all season. The senior from Spain has won 14 of his last 16 singles matches dating back to last spring and leads the team with a 10-2 record during dual match play. No. 27 Petar Jovanovic tops State in overall singles wins with 19 and also makes up half of the nation's 35th-ranked doubles tandem alongside fellow sophomore Benito Sanchez Martinez. Together, Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez have earned four victories over ranked duos this season, including last week's 6-3 decision over No. 51 Stefan Latinovic and Aleksi Lofman of LSU. Vandy rolls into the weekend with a 9-6 overall record and are off to an 0-3 start to SEC action. The Commodores dropped their third-straight match last Sunday, falling 4-3 at home to No. 21 Alabama. |
| Julia Lopez Ramirez earns SEC Golfer of the Week honors | |
| The most prolific golfer in Mississippi State women's golf history, Julia Lopez Ramirez, added to her trophy cabinet on Thursday. For the sixth time in her career, the junior won Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Week honors following her seventh career individual victory at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. That win put her in sole possession of first place for most individual victories as a Bulldog, shooting a 7-under 64 in the third round to finish at 5-under in the tournament, tied for first place with two others. It was the lowest round ever recorded at the Intercollegiate and tied her lowest career round at MSU. Her scorching third round also tied for the third-lowest round in program history as well. Lopez Ramirez now owns 10 of the 20 lowest rounds in Mississippi State women's golf history following her performance last week. |
| CFP leaders set to approve new ESPN extension, revenue split; expansion not yet finalized | |
| The 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame are expected on Friday to sign off on key details that move the sport one step closer to the next iteration of the College Football Playoff, several sources briefed on the approval process told The Athletic. The agreement is a precursor to approving ESPN's six-year, $7.8 billion extension that runs through the 2031-32 season. After months of discussions, the leagues this week finally agreed to a new revenue model in which the Big Ten and SEC will receive nearly double the share of CFP revenue as the ACC and Big 12, beginning with the start of the next contract in 2026. However, other key details -- most notably whether the field will expand from 12 teams to 14 and whether the "Power 2" will receive more automatic berths than the other leagues -- are not expected to be finalized on Friday. Expansion decisions can be made separate from the ESPN deal because the network is unwilling to pay more money for additional first-round games, according to executives briefed on the negotiations. The parties are instead expected to sign a framework that includes certain protections for everyone if the field expands beyond 12. There had been momentum for a 14-team field in recent weeks, but in a television interview Thursday, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey suggested there's not agreement among the group yet to expand. "People have talked about 12 and 14," Sankey said on SEC Network. "Let's set those maybe as bookends to the conversation, put them on the shelf, where bookends belong, for a moment, get this 12 thing right, get it locked in, and then we'll go forward." |
| Universities could pay athletes under bill OK'd in Oklahoma Senate | |
| Universities in Oklahoma would be allowed to pay athletes to play football, basketball or other sports under legislation that passed through the state Senate on Tuesday. Senate Bill 1786 was characterized by its author, Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, as a "trigger bill" that would kick in only if federal lawmakers or the NCAA acts to change rules currently on the books that prohibit universities from hiring athletes as paid employees. She said several other states already have enacted similar legislation. Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, a former quarterback and coach at the University of Tulsa, described the measure as an acknowledgment that the days of star student athletes choosing universities based on scholarships have come to an end. "Please do not use the term 'student athlete' anymore," he said. "The student athlete has passed. We are paying our athletes." Rader said Oklahoma can't afford to fall behind other states in the race to compete, but he lamented that the transactional relationship between athletes and institutions likely will diminish the fierce loyalties that many people feel for universities and their teams. "I don't want to put our universities at a disadvantage. We're talking about a lot of money here, and I take pride when our schools win," he said. "But I'm sorry to see something that was really, really good come to an end and be replaced, with the honor of pursuing an education being replaced with a paycheck." The bill advanced to the House after passing through the Senate on a 33-15 vote. |
| Gov. Pillen slams U. of Nebraska over presidential search, athletic director's departure | |
| Gov. Jim Pillen is blaming Nebraska's eight elected regents for not naming a presidential successor for the University of Nebraska and for the departure of the flagship campus' athletic director. Pillen, in a Thursday "call to action," said that NU is "immeasurably bigger than one person" but that leadership matters. He called on the NU Board of Regents to support a decisive choice for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's next athletic director while working quickly to appoint a permanent presidential successor. "The long-term success of our university depends immensely on having committed public servants as its leaders," Pillen said. UNL Athletic Director Trev Alberts ended a day of speculation Wednesday night by confirming reports he would leave to accept the same role with Texas A&M University, effective this Friday. "I am deeply disappointed by Trev Alberts' decision to leave so soon after restating his commitment to Nebraska and I don't fully understand or know his reasons why," Pillen said in a statement. "I do know that the time for reflecting on the failures of university leadership, which led to his decision, must come later," Pillen continued. "Now is the time to act." Alberts, in an interview late Thursday with the Omaha World-Herald, said he was approached for the job by Texas A&M and did not apply. He confirmed that leadership, or the lack thereof, played a role in his decision to leave. "I'm not going to say anything bad about my alma mater," Alberts told the World-Herald. "I love Nebraska. But I think it's fairly obvious there are some challenges. ... I think some of the challenges are reflective of where we are as a society as far as divisive things that are part of our everyday culture. It is what it is." |
| College swimmers, volleyball players sue NCAA over transgender policies | |
| Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among more than a dozen college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing transgender woman Lia Thomas to compete at the national championships in 2022. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, details the shock Gaines and other swimmers felt when they learned they would have to share a locker room with Thomas at the championships in Atlanta. It documents a number of races they swam in with Thomas, including the 200-yard final in which Thomas and Gaines tied for fifth but Thomas, not Gaines, was handed the fifth-place trophy. Thomas swam for Pennsylvania. She competed for the men's team at Penn before her gender transition. Another plaintiff, Tylor Mathieu of Florida, finished ninth in the preliminary heats of the 500 free, which left her one spot from swimming in the final that Thomas would go on to win. Thomas was the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title in any sport, finishing in front of three Olympic medalists for the championship. By not making the final, Mathieu was denied first-team All-American honors in that event. The lawsuit also lists the University of Georgia system as a defendant because one of its schools, Georgia Tech, hosted the 2022 championships. The suit seeks to halt the NCAA from employing its transgender eligibility policies "which adversely impact female athletes in violation of Title IX" at upcoming events being held in Georgia. |
| Sixteen female athletes file Title IX lawsuit over NCAA transgender policies | |
| Sixteen former and current collegiate female athletes filed a lawsuit Thursday against the NCAA, the University System of Georgia and other institutions in the Northern District of Georgia. The group of athletes is specifically challenging the NCAA's regulations allowing male athletes to compete in women's sports. The lawsuit seeks to change the NCAA policies that allow male athletes who identify as transgender to participate in women's sports, according to a release. The argument states that current NCAA regulations compromise the fairness and integrity of women's competitive sports and discriminate against women, therefore violating Title IX principles. The Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS) also announced exclusive funding to support the lawsuit. The complaint requests an injunction against the NCAA and the universities hosting championships in 2025 and 2026 from implementing the governing body's transgender policies. The SEC Swimming and Diving Championships are scheduled for Feb. 18 to 22, 2025 at the University of Georgia. The 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Division Championships are set to be held at Georgia Tech. NCAA President Charlie Baker was asked about the debate surrounding transgender athletes' participation in women's sports during a Congressional NIL hearing in October. Baker, who replaced former NCAA President Mark Emmert in March 2023, said during the hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee that he would not defend what happened before he took over. "I wasn't there. I was still governor of the Commonwealth. What I will say is, we have very specific rules and standards around the safety and security of all our student-athletes, and anyone who hosts one of our national championships has to accept that they know what they are and then abide by them accordingly. I don't believe that policy would be the policy we would use today." |
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