| Tuesday, June 11, 2024 |
| MSU President speaks on major improvements to university | |
 | School may be out for the Summer, but there's still a lot going on on the campus of Mississippi State University. MSU President Dr. Mark Keenum gave Starkville business and community leaders an update on the University's projects and plans for the future. Things are busy here on campus at Mississippi State. Some of the progress you can see, like new construction. Some, like new programs and majors, will be seen at the academic level. There are facility upgrades, like a new academic building, a new residence hall, improvements to the recreation center, and a major renovation at the Perry Cafeteria. "All of this would do nothing but help strengthen and experience for our entire campus community," Keenum said. "Especially for our students and we are most thankful to the Mississippi Legislature in large part for helping us have the resources we need to improve and invest back into our university that's growing and thriving." Keenum said the investments in growth areas like these help guarantee a strong future for MSU. "The state of our university is just sound and doing well and that makes me very proud," Keenum said. "It's a great team of leaders working on our campus, working in our community, working with our state leaders, that are making a tremendous difference for the future not only for our university but for the state of Mississippi." |
| Multi-day festivities planned for Juneteenth | |
 | More than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, federal troops arrived in Texas, the last stronghold of institutionalized slavery, on June 19, 1865, to inform more than 250,000 enslaved people in the state of their freedom. The day became known as Juneteenth. The holiday was primarily celebrated in Texas before growing in significance across the nation, including annual local celebrations in the Golden Triangle. It was declared a federal holiday in June 2021. This year, the Golden Triangle will be commemorating Juneteenth with a slate of activities and events planned to celebrate Black history, culture and progress. Yulanda Haddix, president for the Oktibbeha County Branch of NAACP, said Starkville's Juneteenth celebrations this year are all about community. Starkville's Juneteenth celebrations kick off with an opening ceremony at 4 p.m. Friday at J.L. King Park, followed by live jazz and blues music. On Saturday, festivities start with a 5K run or walk starting at the J.L. King Center. After the run, there will be a health fair hosted by University of Mississippi Medical Center and OCH Regional Medical Center. Haddix told The Dispatch anyone is welcome to attend the Juneteenth celebrations regardless of cultural background. |
| Two ATVs involved in chase ends in crash | |
| Most people think of the backroads as quiet and peaceful, but that wasn't the case for one country lane in Oktibbeha County this weekend. A four-wheeler and a side-by-side collided after leading a sheriff's deputy on a chase. No injuries were reported. But the Oktibbeha Sheriff's Office does need your help finding a suspect involved. It's right there in the name. "Off-road" vehicles like ATVs, UTVs, and four-wheelers were designed to be driven off-road. They are not allowed to be driven on city or county roads. It's Mississippi law. Oktibbeha County Sherriff Shank Phelps said a group organized a four-wheeler race on Oktoc Road and created hazards for residents of the area. "The deputy was going on a call, a different call, and got flagged down by a concerned citizen saying that the ATVs and four-wheelers were blocking the road," said Phelps. Minutes after the deputy cleared the road, he was flagged down again by more passersby with the same issue. "When he pulled up the second time, and turned his lights on, everybody scattered, and he followed two. The two vehicles that he followed were trying to get away from the deputy and ended up running into each other and running off the roadway," said Phelps. One of the drivers was charged with felony fleeing and attempted escape. "They were passing over hills, trying to get away from the deputy," said Phelps. |
| US gas prices are falling. Experts point to mild demand at the pump ahead of summer travel | |
 | Gas prices are once again on the decline across the U.S., bringing some relief to drivers now paying a little less to fill up their tanks. The national average for gas prices on Monday stood around $3.44, according to AAA. That's down about 9 cents from a week ago -- marking the largest one-week drop recorded by the motor club so far in 2024. Monday's average was also more than 19 cents less than it was a month ago and over 14 cents below the level seen this time last year. Why the recent fall in prices at the pump? Industry analysts point to a blend of lackluster demand and strong supply -- as well as relatively mild oil prices worldwide. "Demand is just kind of shallow," AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said, pointing to trends seen last year and potential lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Traditionally -- pre-pandemic -- after Memorial Day, demand would start to pick up in the summertime. And we just don't see it anymore." While gas prices nationwide are collectively falling, some states always have cheaper averages than others, due to factors ranging from nearby refinery supply to local fuel requirements. As of Monday, per AAA data, Mississippi had the lowest average gas price at about $2.94 per gallon. |
| State revenue continues slide, but financial position remains strong | |
 | While the state is still in a strong financial position, the downward trend in government revenue continued for May, according to a Legislative Budget Committee report. Through May, the 11th month of the fiscal year, the state has collected $6.9 billion in revenue or $17.9 million (-0.26%) less than what was collected during the same period the previous fiscal year. It is rare for the state to collect less revenue than was collected in the previous year. The collections would be much worse if not for a substantial spike in interest earnings due primarily to increased interest rates. Through May the state has collected $62 million or 96.7% more in interest earnings than it did during the same period last year. The biggest reason for the drop in revenue is that the state is collecting $155.7 million or 7.2% less in personal income taxes than were collected during the same period last year. The slowdown in state income taxes is due largely to the $525 million cut in the personal income tax passed in the 2022 legislative session and that will be fully phased in by 2026. While personal income tax collections are down nearly $156 million million for the year, sales tax collections are up $78.2 million or 3.1% and use tax collections (the 7% sales tax on items purchased out of state primarily through the internet) are up $14.4 million or 4%. Of the revenue collections, House Speaker Jason White, R-West, said, "We are watching. I would not say we are concerned." |
| Speaker White discusses education, healthcare reforms | |
 | The 2025 Mississippi Legislative Session is less than six months away, and lawmakers are already setting the table for what next year may look like. House Speaker Jason White (R-Miss.) said the Mississippi House of Representatives is not stopping with education reform after passing a brand-new public education funding formula in 2024. School choice and and school vouchers are up next. "We want any public school student to be able to go to another public school without the home district being able to hold them against their will. Sure, it's only in limited circumstances where maybe a parent works in a neighboring school district or two districts over and drives there every day, and it just makes sense. But we should be able to work that out in the 21st century. We should be able to figure out a way to give parents some choice," White said. More healthcare reform will also be on the table in 2024. Certificate of need laws, which are the regulatory tools used to manage health resources in state, will be reviewed. Another look at Medicaid expansion is also likely. |
| Speaker White wants to make it easier for Mississippi students to switch school districts | |
| House Speaker Jason White on Monday said he supports changing state law to make it easier for K-12 students to transfer to other public schools outside their home districts. White, a Republican from West who just completed his first year as speaker, told attendees at the Stennis Capitol Press Forum in downtown Jackson that parents should have greater freedom to select which school district their child attends, though the state would not provide them transportation to attend a school outside their home district under his proposal. "We want any public school student to be able to go to another public school without the home district being able to hold them against their will and the state portion of the per-pupil cost to follow that child," White said. The first-term speaker also said he personally supports a robust school choice or school voucher system but believes the political realities at the Capitol, including within the state GOP, make it extremely difficult for the Legislature to pass such a policy. But White, who attended both public and private schools as a child, told attendees that while he supports a significant voucher system, his goal is not to "blow up public education." "The last thing I want to do is go after public education, and while Republicans have gotten a tough rap on some of that, maybe we've earned some of it," White said. "I commit to you we simply want to make it better while acknowledging that our parents in this state have some rights when it comes to their kids and the education that they receive." |
| Hosemann gives recap of session achievements | |
 | Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann talked education, healthcare and tax cuts Monday as he provided local elected officials and community leaders with a recap of the 2024 legislative session. This year was an "education year," Hosemann said, with the House and Senate making several big changes to the way public school systems in Mississippi operate. The first big change, he said, is the passage of a new school funding formula. The Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the previous school funding formula passed in 1997, was fully funded by the Legislature just twice in its 27-year run. Hosemann said the new formula also came along with about $217 million in additional funding for public schools. About $8 million of that will be invested in Meridian and Lauderdale County schools to educate and raise future leaders. "So what do we expect from that," he said. "We expect them to produce young men and women who have an economic future. That's what we're trying to do." For Meridian and Lauderdale County, Hosemann said he sees the cultural revival, educational opportunities and community in the area and believes the region is ripe for new businesses and new industries to come to the Queen City. There have been several opportunities over the past few years that Meridian has just missed out on, he said, but this year feels like the year. "We've got the facility, we've got the location, we've got the things we need here. I think the community is ready for that," he said. "We've got the ability to educate anybody that comes here that needs their workforce, so I think this would be the year in which we'd go forward." |
| New Mississippi public safety laws address squatted vehicles, driver's education, first responder benefits | |
| Several bills intended to make the state a safer place were passed during the Mississippi's 2024 legislative session. Other legislation related to public safety looks to increase benefits for first responders and allow the Department of Public Safety to move offices. One of the most divisive new laws focused on the restriction of a vehicle modification that has become popular, often referred to as the "Carolina Squat." The modification lifts the front axle of a vehicle higher than the rear axle, essentially creating a visibility problem, said Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. Raising the front bumper can put it above other vehicles on the road, also creating a hazard during collisions. HB 349, authored by State Representative Fred Shanks (R), addressed that problem. While the goal was to ensure the safety of those on the road, the response from the public has been mixed, Tindell said. He told Magnolia Tribune that he has received comments ranging from, "Thank you very much," to, "The bill is an overreach of government." "The reality is, it is a public safety issue and one in which those trucks, in the way that they are operating and being modified, created a dangerous condition," Commissioner Tindell said. "And there is no manufacturer that would build a vehicle in that manner because of the safety concerns." |
| Mississippi Democratic Party calls for boycott of state fair after Gipson's Trump rally | |
| The Mississippi Democratic Party on Monday called for a boycott of this year's state fair after state Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson held a support rally for former President Donald Trump last week. "This event, hosted and funded by Ag Commissioner Andy Gipson's campaign, comes in the wake of Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election," a Democratic Party press release on Monday said. "... The Mississippi Democratic Party believes that this rally is not just a show of support for Trump, but a dangerous endorsement of criminal behavior and corruption. " ... In light of this event, we are calling for a boycott of the upcoming Mississippi State Fair, an event closely associated with the AG Commissioner's office. By boycotting the State Fair, we aim to send a clear message that the citizens of Mississippi will not support or tolerate the actions of leaders who stand with a convicted criminal." Gipson responded to the call for a boycott in a statement on Monday: "The Mississippi Democrat Party's statement and boycott of our State Fair is about as ridiculous as the charges brought against Donald Trump in New York City. I invite everyone to come enjoy the Mississippi State Fair October 3rd through 13th?" The 165th Mississippi State Fair is scheduled for Oct. 3-13. |
| In Trump's orbit, some muse about mandating military service | |
 | Kyra Rousseau remembers feeling trapped in her high school media center last fall when a phalanx of military personnel and faculty members shut the doors behind her and about 100 classmates before gathering everyone's phone. Rousseau, 18, was a senior here at Liberty-Eylau High School. The service members were recruiters. She recalled asking to leave but being told to sit down -- that her graduation hinged on completion of a military aptitude test. "They tricked us," Rousseau said. "They said 'ASVAB,' but they didn't say what the ASVAB was." It stands for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, a standardized test developed by the Defense Department decades ago to help the military funnel recruits into occupations that match their skills and intellect. And if Donald Trump's last defense secretary could have his way, all public high school students would be required to take it. Christopher Miller, who led the Pentagon during the chaotic closure of Trump's tenure in Washington, detailed his vision for the ASVAB and a range of other changes as part of Project 2025, the conservative Heritage Foundation's government-wide game plan should the presumptive Republican nominee return to the White House. Miller is among a cluster of influential former administration officials and GOP lawmakers who have mused aloud about a national service mandate and other measures to remedy what they see as a "crisis" facing the all-volunteer military. |
| House Democrats launch group to respond to possible second Trump term | |
 | A group of House Democrats is launching a new task force to respond to the possibility of former President Donald Trump's return to office. The group is reacting to the so-called Project 2025, a policy road map for the next presidential administration compiled by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Democrats have sought to turn the blueprint and its government overhaul proposals into a foil as campaign season ramps up. "This stuff is going to be coming at us at lightspeed. And if we are on our heels and reacting to it, we could lose our democracy. So we're going to need to be ready to confront it in real time. And those plans need to begin now," said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), one of the lawmakers spearheading the effort. Democrats want their task force to be a hub for members of Congress, advocacy groups and others to coordinate and respond to a future Trump administration -- and to raise awareness during the campaign. Huffman said it would be composed of lawmakers from across the caucus like Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.). Huffman stressed he believed President Joe Biden would still win reelection, but acknowledged "it would be extreme political malpractice to not be prepared for what's coming." |
| 'Dumping ground': Trump echoes conservative 'Project 2025' at first rally as a felon | |
 | Donald Trump used his first rally since his criminal conviction to rail against migrants entering the United States illegally, echoing harsh characterizations in the "Project 2025" policy blueprint for a second term drafted by some of his allies. The political world was watching the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee closely Sunday as he rallied loyalists in sweltering Las Vegas for the first time since a jury in New York found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump, at an outdoor rally in the desert city with temperatures over 100 degrees, mostly played his hits -- but he also dropped clues about a potential second term. Trump and President Joe Biden are locked in a tight battle nationally and in battleground states such as Nevada. Biden won the Silver State four years ago, capturing 50.06 percent of the vote to Trump's 47.67 percent. A Beacon Research-Shaw & Company Research poll conducted for Fox News June 1-3 showed Trump leading there by 5 percentage points; a RealClearPolitics average of six recent polls put Trump up 5.3 percentage points. In a throwback to his successful 2016 White House bid, the likely GOP presidential nominee hit one issue harder than others on Sunday: immigration. Trump's Sunday immigration remarks were in sync with policy proposals laid out in the "Project 2025" blueprint, the effort by a collaboration of Trump backers and Republican opinion-makers to scope out what a second Trump term might look like. On the whole, the document calls for a substantial expansion in the power of the Executive Office of the President, and it has been decried by Democrats. |
| Supreme Court Justice Alito talks polarization, his wife talks revenge in secret recordings | |
 | Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife were captured in secret recordings that featured the justice discussing the country's left-right divide, while Martha-Ann Alito implied she would take revenge against media outlets that reported on controversial flags flown at Alito family homes. "Look at me, look at me," Martha-Ann Alito said. "I'm German, from Germany. My heritage is German. You come after me, I'm going to give it back to you." The recordings were made at a June 3 gala for the Supreme Court Historical Society by liberal activist Lauren Windsor and released Monday night. "One side or the other is going to win," Justice Alito said in one recording after Windsor, posing as a Catholic conservative, asked him leading questions about political polarization in America. "There can be a way of working, a way of living together peacefully, but it's difficult, you know, because there are differences on fundamental things that really can't be compromised." Windsor also recorded Chief Justice John Roberts, who declined to take her bait. "Would you want me to be in charge of putting the nation on a more moral path?" Roberts asked her at the $500 a head gala. "That's for people we elect. That's not for lawyers." When Windsor replied that she believed "we live in a Christian nation and that our Supreme Court should be guiding us in that path," Roberts quickly shot her down, saying, "I don't know if that's true." "I don't know that we live in a Christian nation," the chief justice said. "I know a lot of Jewish and Muslim friends who would say maybe not, and it's not our job to do that." |
| Issues Affecting Women Take Center Stage as Southern Baptists Hold Annual Meeting | |
 | Southern Baptists are poised to vote at their annual meeting Tuesday and Wednesday on whether to crack down on women in pastoral leadership and whether to condemn the use of in vitro fertilization, setting up a referendum on the role of women in the nation's largest Protestant denomination and in American society. With almost 13 million church members across the United States, the Southern Baptist Convention has long been a bellwether for American evangelicalism. Its reliably conservative membership makes it a powerful political force, and its debates have attracted widespread interest from outside pundits and politicians this year. The denomination has experienced the same turmoil over politics and priorities that has divided the conservative movement more broadly in the wake of the 2016 election of Donald J. Trump as president. "I hope every single person in this room is voting not only in November but is voting tomorrow because of what is at stake in the Southern Baptist Convention," Ryan Helfenbein, the executive director of a think tank at Liberty University, told attendees at a lunch on Monday in Indianapolis near where the annual meeting will take place. The group is expected to vote on Wednesday on whether to amend its constitution to mandate that Southern Baptist churches must have "only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture." |
| Gaza Chief's Brutal Calculation: Civilian Bloodshed Will Help Hamas | |
 | For months, Yahya Sinwar has resisted pressure to cut a ceasefire-and-hostages deal with Israel. Behind his decision, messages the Hamas military leader in Gaza has sent to mediators show, is a calculation that more fighting -- and more Palestinian civilian deaths -- work to his advantage. "We have the Israelis right where we want them," Sinwar said in a recent message to Hamas officials seeking to broker an agreement with Qatari and Egyptian officials. Fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas units in the Gaza Strip's south has disrupted humanitarian-aid shipments, caused mounting civilian casualties and intensified international criticism of Israel's efforts to eradicate the Islamist extremist group. For much of Sinwar's political life, shaped by bloody conflict with an Israeli state that he says has no right to exist, he has stuck to a simple playbook. Backed into a corner, he looks to violence for a way out. The current fight in Gaza is no exception. In dozens of messages -- reviewed by The Wall Street Journal -- that Sinwar has transmitted to cease-fire negotiators, Hamas compatriots outside Gaza and others, he's shown a cold disregard for human life and made clear he believes Israel has more to lose from the war than Hamas. The messages were shared by multiple people with differing views of Sinwar. His ultimate goal appears to be to win a permanent cease-fire that allows Hamas to declare a historic victory by outlasting Israel and claim leadership of the Palestinian national cause. |
| High school scholars find community at Governor's School | |
| What do you get when you mix academically-talented teenagers, a welcoming community and sourdough bread? The Mississippi Governor's School. Or at least that has been Sarah Young's experience. Young, a 16-year-old from Northwest Rankin High School, is one of 60 students from across the state participating in the Governor's School, a residential honors program where students take a variety of interdisciplinary classes ranging from the standard math and science courses to baking sourdough. "We've made dozens of loaves," Young told The Dispatch Saturday. "I've been eating a lot of bread. It's a lot of fun." For two weeks in June, gifted high school juniors and seniors attend the Governor's School at Mississippi University for Women to participate in academic classes and leadership activities. The program was established in 1981 by Gov. William Winter and the MUW administration. During the program students take a traditional course in the morning and a second in the afternoon that allows students to explore their own interests, like baking bread or urban planning, Director Renita Crosby told The Dispatch. Students earn three hours of college course credit for the classes they take at MGS. |
| Tek2Go Advanced Manufacturing Camp introduces students to manufacturing fields | |
 | This week, the annual Tek2Go Advanced Manufacturing Camp is giving high school students an introduction to the world of manufacturing careers. Now in its 16th year, the student camp follows the previous week's Tek2Go teacher camp. The teacher camp, which began around seven years ago, gives teachers the information needed to guide their students toward manufacturing careers. Tek2Go is a Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs (NBT) Foundation Camp sponsored by the Tupelo Community Development Fund, Itawamba Community College, Hawkeye Industries, and the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund. Both teacher and student campers pay $25 to attend. Black advertises the camp to schools in Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe, Pontotoc and Union counties, and she generally accepts student campers based on recommendations from their teachers. Seventeen students heading into their eighth, ninth, 10th, and 11th-grade years are attending this week's camp. They spent most of Monday in ICC Belden's precision-machine lab, using different machines to make their own aluminum name plates and metal ink pens. On Tuesday, the campers will head to Hawkeye, where they'll get to make key parts for and assemble their own metal clocks. Wednesday they'll be in ICC Belden's welding and robotics labs, making and spray-painting plaques. And to end the camp, the students will spend Thursday at the Toyota manufacturing plant. |
| Northsider gifts U. of Mississippi foundation to support engineering chair | |
| Since graduating from the University of Mississippi, Mike McRee's career has been dotted with disparate ventures: though his primary business has been asset management, he's owned radio stations, a blues club, an agricultural business and even a bank in Crystal Springs. These investments and other opportunities paid off, allowing the Northsider to commit a $2 million planned gift to the university that's expected to help attract top faculty to the School of Engineering by establishing the Michael T. McRee Chair in Engineering Endowment. Potentially, some $3 million more from his estate will establish an endowment designed to assist the Foundation in its efforts to support the University of Mississippi. "You reach a certain age and you start to think more about the institutions and people who have shaped your life and to whom you are grateful" said McRee, president of Investek, Inc. in Jackson. The electrical engineering graduate said he found value in his degree in the way it taught him a certain discipline and analytical process for thinking through decisions. In designating Ole Miss as the beneficiary of his estate, McRee chose to take advantage of a unique financial vehicle, investing $1 million of the proposed total in a charitable giving annuity (CGA). |
| First resident physicians complete training at Baptist Memorial Hospital | |
| The 12 founding resident physicians of the first medical residency at Baptist Memorial Hospital– North Mississippi will complete their training this month and are moving on to the next steps in their medical careers. The three-year Internal Medicine residency training program's mission is to train clinically and procedurally competent physicians in the specialty of Internal Medicine. According to Seger S. Morris, DO, founding program director, the program had been in the works for several years after Baptist Memorial Health Care made a strategic effort to start developing graduate medical education programs. "Bill Henning, the retired CEO of Baptist North Mississippi, was very supportive of developing our Internal Medicine Residency and hired me as the founding program director to create and implement the initial vision," Morris said. In March of 2021, the Class of 2024 matched with BMH-NM in the National Resident Matching Program's Main Residency Match after a rigorous recruitment, interview, and ranking process. BMH welcomed two additional classes of resident physicians in 2022 and 2023. A new class will start on July 1, bringing the program up to 36 resident physicians. The biggest change to the program, Morris said, has been to expand and promote faculty. |
| Journalist and host of 'The View' Sunny Hostin to speak at JSU | |
 | Sunny Hostin, who you may recognize as co-host of "The View," will serve as keynote speaker at this year's Jackson State University Mary E. Peoples Scholarship Luncheon in September. Hostin, a legal journalist by trade, has also won three Emmy Awards and is a New York Times best-selling author. Her books include "Summer on the Bluffs," "I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Words," and her most recent novel "Summer on Sag Harbor." During her career as a journalist, Hostin helped create "Soul of a Nation," an ABC newscast that aimed to put Black experiences in America front and center. The Mary E. Peoples Scholarship Luncheon directly benefits the scholarship of the same name, honoring Mary E. Peoples, who was the wife of former JSU president John A. Peoples Jr., who served from 1967 to 1984. Following tradition, LaToya Redd Thompson, wife of the current JSU president Marcus Thompson, will serve as the event's co-chair. In a press release announcing the event, Thompson said she is grateful to Hostin for coming to Jackson and encouraged the JSU community to support the scholarship. |
| New studio theater, enhanced outdoor amphitheater coming to Gogue Center | |
 | Built in 2019, the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center will soon undergo two major renovation projects. During Friday's meeting of the Auburn University Board of Trustees, the board gave final project approval for significant improvements at the Gogue Performing Arts Center. The project will include constructing a new 3,500-square-foot indoor studio theater as well as constructing a new exterior stage and enhancing the existing outdoor amphitheater. The total estimated cost for the project is $15 million, financed by gift funds. "The Gogue Performing Art Center, proposes to build out a studio theater, and an amphitheater to realize a full vision of the size-diverse multi-venue performing arts center at Auburn University," said Simon Yendle, Interim Vice President of Facilities Management at Auburn University. The studio theater will serve as a versatile indoor performance venue including a technical gallery according to the Board of Trustees' meeting materials. ... The AU Board of Trustees gave final project approval to the $25.7 million project to build a new videoboard in the north end zone of Jordan-Hare Stadium. According to the memorandum, the videoboard will be 47 feet high and 154 feet wide, roughly two-thirds the size of the south end zone videoboard. |
| Gainesville funds U. of Florida study seeking to make inventory of city's trees | |
 | Researchers at the University of Florida have begun a two-year project to make an inventory of trees on public rights-of-way and city parks throughout Gainesville. The study is funded by the city of Gainesville and is meant to serve as an ecological analysis of the city's public and private urban forest, according to a city news release. The study is led by researchers whose expertise lie in forest systems and environmental horticulture. "We're looking forward to the study results. How can you best manage Gainesville's urban forest if you don't know exactly what you've got?" said City Arborist David Conser in the release. "We expect the information gathered will help us to continue to maintain, and even enhance, this incredible public asset for years to come." The same study was conducted in Gainesville in 2016, the release says, the same year shading of residential buildings by trees saved residents an estimated $7.7 million in energy costs. "Gainesville is unique in how we approach trees," Mayor Harvey Ward said in an interview with The Gainesville Sun. "We are still Tree City, by the way, we get that designation every year. We still have the highest percentage of tree canopy of any city in Florida, consistently." |
| U. of Kentucky, KCTCS create pathways allowing community college students to transfer into UK | |
 | Students from all Kentucky Community and Technical College System schools will now be able to transfer to the University of Kentucky for a four-year degree, according to an agreement signed Monday by both schools. The transfer agreement is designed to allow students attending any of the 16 KCTCS schools to transfer easily into UK for a four-year degree, and offer support to students like waived application fees and advisors who work specifically with the schools. New transfer pathways will be established to ensure the maximum amount of course credits transfer between schools. It's also designed to address workforce shortages around the state, while also expanding access to higher education in Kentucky, said UK President Eli Capilouto. "It's a critical step forward in building a more qualified workforce that can meet the Commonwealth's needs," Capilouto said. "By providing clear pathways, from associate degrees at KCTCS to baccalaureate degrees at UK, we are equipping more students with advanced skills and knowledge essential for today's competitive job market." KCTCS has 70 locations around Kentucky, where students can earn certificates, diplomas and associate degrees. The transfer agreement means students will have the option to continue their education with a four-year degree from UK. |
| 'The Spirit of the Place' showcases history of Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M | |
 | Ohio native Donna Franco checked the first box off her bucket list of touring every U.S. presidential museum with a visit to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on Monday. While it was Franco's first time at the museum on the Texas A&M University campus, she joined returning visitors in experiencing the debut of "The Spirit of the Place." The rotating exhibit opened this week and showcases the history of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Center in Bryan-College Station and its impact on the local community. The unveiling of the exhibit coincides with "41@100: A Celebration of George H.W. Bush." The week of festivities honors the life and legacy of the 41st president over what would be his 100th birthday and is headlined by a Community Day on Thursday. "The Spirit of the Place" is divided into four sections, with displays on the planning and design phases of the museum, the archival process of artifacts, the Bush School of Government & Public Service and George and first lady Barbara Bush's public service. There are also mementos on the range of events hosted at the Presidential Center. "I really liked how they're making it personal," Franco said. "This really shows [Bush's] real life. Things that they did, things that they hosted. ... It seems very informative so far." According to the exhibit, Bush's choosing of A&M as the host of his presidential library was influenced by his fondness for its campus, students and academic distinction. He made his decision in May 1991, kicking off over six years of design and construction before the opening in November 1997. |
| U. of Missouri has a new vice provost and university librarian | |
 | Kara Whatley has been appointed MU's new vice provost for libraries and university librarian, according to a news release Monday. University Provost Matthew Martens, who was appointed last week, selected Whatley for the position. She is the university librarian at California Institute of Technology and will start at MU on Oct. 1, according to the release. The position includes "enhancing the opportunities, activities, and initiatives of MU Libraries," according to a job listing for the position. "I am delighted to be joining the University of Missouri as its vice provost for libraries and university librarian," Whatley said in the release. "I look forward to continuing the tradition of strong library leadership at Mizzou, and I'm excited to be part of the MizzouForward vision." Deborah Ward formerly held the position. She retired May 31 after over two years in the position, according to MU spokesperson Christopher Ave. The annual salary for the position is $275,000. |
| What to do when salaried employees fall below the new overtime threshold | |
| A college administrative professional makes an annual salary of $43,000. Because her compensation exceeds $35,568 per year, she is not eligible to earn overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act's regulations as amended in 2019. That will change in less than one month, however, thanks to a recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Labor. The agency published its final rule updating overtime pay eligibility, which increases the FLSA's minimum annual salary threshold via a pair of changes set to take effect over the next several months. July 1 marks the first increase from the current minimum of $35,568 per year to $43,888 per year. After that, the threshold will next increase to $58,656 per year on Jan. 1, 2025, roughly 65% higher than the present-day mark -- and will automatically increase every three years thereafter using a formula outlined by the DOL. The HR department at our hypothetical administrative professional's college now has a series of choices to make. The employee could be kept at her current pay level and converted from exempt to nonexempt status, making her eligible to earn overtime pay. Alternatively, the college could increase her pay so as to exceed the new threshold so that she may remain exempt. The American Council on Education, higher education's top lobby, has noted that the changes will "have significant budgetary, programmatic, and human resource implications for colleges and universities." |
| Clean energy boom brings high-paying jobs to rural communities | |
| A gale was recently tearing through Colorado's rural eastern plains, an inspiring sound for Benjamin Sussman. "It is generating power," Sussman said. "All the farms near here, that's why there's so many built out in the plains." Sussman is a student in the Renewable Energy Department at Northeastern Junior College in rural Sterling, Colorado. It's one of the few degree programs in the country for aspiring wind turbine technicians, like Sussman. "I'm hoping to go straight into the wind industry," he said. While his classmates fiddled with wires and circuitry in the lab, the 22-year-old suited up in safety gear to practice the ladder climb. He adjusted his hard hat, buckled into a harness, and up he went. In that simulation, Sussman's ladder was only about 20 feet tall. In the field, he'll have to climb turbines as high as 300 feet or more. "I've always been interested in climbing something supertall," he said. "I climbed a lot of trees as a kid." But Sussman isn't just indulging his love of heights; he's making a smart career move. Demand for wind turbine technicians is booming. It's the fastest-rowing occupation in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
| Will Your Master's Program Keep Enrollments Up? Don't Bet on It. | |
 | When the Institute of International Education issued its annual foreign-student census last fall, it was one for the record books: International enrollments clocked their largest one-year increase in more than four decades. Of course, the growth followed the single-biggest decline since the institute began its count just after World War II. During the pandemic, with international travel restricted and consulates closed, new enrollments of foreign students had fallen more precipitously than for any other demographic group in American higher education. The rebound is a relief for colleges, many of which have come to depend on a reservoir of overseas tuition dollars to remain financially afloat. But it isn't exactly a return to normal. Pre-pandemic, the typical student-visa holder was an undergraduate from China -- the country that accounted for one of every three foreign students -- as enrollments at that academic level shot up nearly 90 percent over a decade. Now the typical international student is in a graduate program and from India or, to a lesser extent, from sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere in South Asia. In fact, there now are more foreign graduate students in the United States than there were international undergraduates during their pre-pandemic heyday. And those gains have been especially strong in master's-degree programs. |
| Colleges fear FAFSA fiasco may hurt enrollment and revenue | |
| This was shaping up to be a remarkable year for Mount St. Mary's University in Los Angeles. Applications were up 40 percent for the 2024-2025 academic year, and the women's liberal arts school was on track to welcome its largest freshman class in eight years. But the recent tumultuous rollout of the new federal financial aid form has disrupted progress. The number of students who have paid deposits to attend Mount St. Mary's in the fall is 7 percent lower than it was last year. Admissions workers are still hosting campus visits and coaching students through the aid process, at a time of year when enrollment should be settled. "We continue to be in recruitment mode," said Susan Dileno, vice president for enrollment management at Mount St. Mary's. "Usually, we'd be done and moving on to the next class. But this year is unlike any other." The disastrous debut of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a process plagued by delays, miscalculations and errors, threatens college enrollment just as schools recover from the declines brought on by the pandemic. Some schools fear the disruption could lead to budget shortfalls and deepen financial instability, especially at institutions that depend heavily on tuition dollars to keep their doors open and serve large populations of students from low-income households. |
| Faces of the FAFSA Fiasco: Botched rollout more than just a policy failure. It's a human crisis | |
 | The rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) has been, unequivocally, a mess. Inside Higher Ed has reported on every beat in the debacle, from the first signs of concern in 2022 to the lingering completion gap that threatens to undermine years of college-access progress. But beyond the delays and calculation errors, all the worries about yield rates and calls for accountability, the real travesty has been the huge swath of students who suddenly find their college plans in limbo. Many of these students see postsecondary education as a pathway out of economic hardship or the road to a dream career. There is a human face to the policy failings that plagued the FAFSA rollout -- in fact, there are thousands of them. That's why, for the past month, our team of reporters, editors and digital producers has worked to give those students and their families the chance to share their own experiences with the new FAFSA. Their stories are as varied as they are damning. Students from families of mixed immigration status who struggled for months just to create an account; parents who spent countless hours waiting on Education Department helplines to address vexing technical errors; an Indigenous student who decided that given all the headaches of securing the necessary federal aid, going to college just wasn't worth it this year. A couple managed to submit their applications without too much trouble, but they were decidedly in the minority -- and some ran into hurdles elsewhere in the process. |
| Americans are split on Biden's student loan work, even those with debt, new AP-NORC poll finds | |
| As he campaigns for reelection, President Joe Biden frequently touts his work on student debt, pointing to the millions of people who received cancellation under his watch. Yet relatively few Americans say they're fans of his work on the issue, even among those who have student loans. Three in 10 U.S. adults say they approve of how Biden has handled the issue of student loan debt, while 4 in 10 disapprove, according to a new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The others are neutral or don't know enough to say. The outlook wasn't much better for the Democratic president among those responsible for unpaid student loan debt, either for themselves or for a family member: 36% approve, while 34% disapprove. The poll reveals a deep divide over the issue of student debt relief even as Biden makes it a campaign priority. The president is pressing ahead with a new cancellation plan while he strives to energize young adults and Black and Hispanic Americans -- groups that are more likely to prioritize student loan relief but have flagging approval for the president. |
| A Potential Path Forward for Pell Grant Expansion | |
| Bipartisan legislation to expand the Pell Grant to workforce training programs that run between eight and 14 weeks could move forward this week, months after the bill's sponsors pulled it off the House floor at the last minute before a vote. Now sponsors of the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act are trying to attach the bill as an amendment to a national security and military bill that must pass before the end of the year. It's one of more than 1,300 proposed amendments on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025, which could receive a floor vote this week. But it's unclear whether the House Rules Committee will consider the Pell Grant expansion relevant to the bill when it meets Tuesday to decide on which amendments are greenlighted. Even if the amendment gets the go-ahead and passes the House, it will face a difficult road in the Senate, which has a different bill expanding the Pell Grant, which provides federal financial aid to low-income students. The legislation's cosponsors -- New York representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican, and Virginia representative Bobby Scott, a Democrat -- have made a case for including it in the NDAA. The Pell expansion, they wrote in an amendment summary, will help "equip students with the necessary skills to be prepared for work in high-demand fields that are aiding our national security and global competitiveness." Those fields include shipbuilding and cybersecurity. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State baseball: Offseason more than replacing stars | |
| It was getting late into the evening on June 1 when Virginia's Bobby Whalen stepped to the plate against Mississippi State baseball. Facing MSU in the first game of the winner's bracket with the teams tied at 4 in the Charlottesville Regional, the Cavaliers had the ninth hitter in the lineup stepping up. However, Mississippi State wasn't getting handed an easy out in the ninth inning with the winning run at third base. Instead, Whalen came to the plate owning a batting average of nearly .400. He came through, sending a hard-hit ball to second base that brought the winning run in. It reminded Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis of what his team was missing and must address this offseason. "We need a little more depth offensively," he said the following night, after Virginia eliminated MSU. "That was one of the big areas." The Bulldogs had only three regular starters hit above .300 this year -- shortstop David Mershon and outfielders Dakota Jordan and Connor Hujsak. Along with slugging left-handed first baseman Hunter Hines (.257, 16 home runs), MSU had a strong core to its lineup that it will need to replace this offseason. It's easy to pitch to potential transfers an opportunity to hit third and start every day. Can Lemonis and his staff find enough talent to add depth to the lineup? That's an important question lingering this offseason. |
| Mississippi State pitcher Aspen Wesley signs professional contract with Texas Monarchs | |
| After leading Mississippi State's pitching staff in nearly every statistical category this spring, Aspen Wesley is moving up to the professional ranks, signing with the newly-formed Texas Monarchs of the Women's Pro Fastpitch league. Wesley's fifth and final season as a Bulldog was her finest yet, with a 15-7 record, a 3.15 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 129 innings pitched. She closed out the regular season with complete-game wins in each of her last three starts, becoming the first pitcher to shut out Georgia all year, and was named to the All-Southeastern Conference second team. She pitched another shutout in the opening round of the NCAA regionals against Cal State Fullerton. "I'm thrilled for Aspen as she embarks on her professional career," MSU head coach Samantha Ricketts said in a news release. "She has worked tirelessly as a Bulldog to earn this opportunity to represent MSU and her home state at the highest level. Aspen will remain a role model for young girls across Mississippi and in her tribe as she pursues her journey as a professional softball player." Wesley joins former Bulldogs outfielder Brylie St. Clair on the Monarchs' roster, with infielder Madisyn Kennedy also now playing professionally with the independent Florida Vibe. |
| 'I was once one of those kids:' Former Starkville, MSU football standout Gay hosts inaugural youth football camp | |
| Willie Gay Jr. has accomplished more in football than just about anyone who has ever come out of Starkville. So after four seasons in the NFL and back-to-back Super Bowl rings with the Kansas City Chiefs, Gay spent his Saturday at his high school alma mater, leading children from all over the Golden Triangle in the first-ever Willie Gay Jr. "Juiceman" Youth Football Camp. "Knowing that I was once one of those kids and seeing older guys before me coming from all around this area, they made it and they gave back to us," Gay said. "I wanted to make sure I did the same thing when I got to the position I'm in now. That's the beauty of it." A two-way star in high school at linebacker and running back, Gay helped lead Starkville to the MHSAA Class 6A state championship as a junior in 2015. He remained in his hometown for college, becoming exclusively a defensive player, and was a huge piece of Mississippi State's outstanding defense as a sophomore in 2018. Yellow Jackets head coach Chris Jones arrived in Starkville just two months after Gay played his final high school game, but Gay still lives in Starkville in the offseason and visits his old stomping grounds at least once each year. "He's just a normal guy (when he comes back)," Jones said. More than 200 children attended the camp, which was split into two sessions. |
| With impending NCAA revenue sharing, Auburn's John Cohen has many unanswered questions | |
 | Auburn athletic director John Cohen joked that he might have set the record for the most times using the word "standard" while being interviewed on the Paul Finebaum Show, but it isn't far off from the questions he's had long before the long-standing nature of college sports took a complete reset because of the impending implementation of a court settlement to share collegiate athletics revenue and in turn, pay athletes. Before the much-discussed House vs. NCAA settlement became a reality, Cohen had frequently discussed seeking a standard. He had his own thoughts and opinions to tackle big picture questions on the ever-evolving world of Name, Image and Likeness deals as well as the transfer portal. He suggested bringing NIL collectives to be under the umbrella of a school's athletic department before the revenue-sharing outcome came to fruition. But what he really sought was just some sort of standard. Some sort of guideline to follow. That still doesn't exist. Pressed on what the settlement could mean for the future of non-revenue sports, Cohen said he will have to make "difficult decisions." |
| South Carolina targeting legendary LSU coach Paul Mainieri to lead baseball program | |
 | South Carolina is reeling in a big fish. Exactly a week after South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner let go of Mark Kingston, the Gamecocks are set to hire former LSU coach Paul Mainieri to take over the program, a source with knowledge of the hiring process told The State on Monday. Baseball America was the first to report the news. Nothing was official as of Monday afternoon, but the University of South Carolina announced a 4 p.m. Tuesday board of trustees meeting for the "Approval of Athletics Employment Contracts." The school's baseball, softball and men's golf head coaching jobs are all vacant. Mainieri, who coached at LSU for 15 seasons and led the Tigers win the 2009 College World Series, had been retired since 2021. Mainieri is 66 years old. He'll be the one in charge of building South Carolina back to national relevancy and get the Gamecocks back to the College World Series for the first time since 2012. His track record should inspire confidence. Mainieri's teams have played in Omaha a half-dozen times (once with Notre Dame and five times at LSU), including the 2009 Tigers national championship team that won 56 games and lost just once in the entire NCAA Tournament. Mainieri is the sort of intriguing, splashy hire that Tanner has never made with his baseball program. |
| Baker: Antitrust settlement creates certainty for new system | |
| NCAA president Charlie Baker said the association's pending antitrust case settlement will put financial pressure on everyone in the college sports industry, but he believes it also creates more certainty for schools to plan for a new system that will allow them to share more money with their athletes. The NCAA announced last month that it had agreed to terms to settle three federal antitrust cases that loomed as the most immediate and arguably largest threats to the future of the association. As part of the settlement, the NCAA will pay former athletes nearly $2.8 billion in back damages. In addition, schools will be allowed to share a significant portion of revenue -- roughly $20 million per year starting in 2025 -- directly with their athletes. In exchange, the plaintiffs have agreed to drop three cases that some in college sports believe could have resulted in close to $20 billion in total damages. "There is a lot of pressure here on everybody," Baker said. "I think it's much better than the pressure of what could have been catastrophic losses. That would have taken another few years. So, we'd be spinning our wheels for another few years without really knowing what was going to happen." |
| What legal threats still remain for NCAA? Latest on ongoing litigation | |
| When the NCAA approved settlement terms in the landmark House case late last month, it marked a historic step as college sports continues its rapid evolution before our eyes. But the NCAA's legal threats are far from over. For starters, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken must in the coming months certify the settlement, which would close the door on at least three antitrust cases: House, Carter and Hubbard. Wilken's approval is not guaranteed. Secondly, separate from the array of antitrust lawsuits are ongoing proceedings in two consequential cases being weighed by the National Labor Relations Board -- outcomes that could open the door to an employment model and collective bargaining for at least some athletes. And lastly, it is unclear to what extent the House settlement protects the NCAA from further legal challenges from athletes who have not yet stepped foot on campuses. Leading stakeholders continue to aggressively lobby Congress for at least limited antitrust protection and codification that college athletes are not university employees. This much is certain: It has been a dizzying period of unprecedented disruption in the college sports ecosystem. How much is changing before our eyes, and how those changes spark further advances or unintended consequences has been difficult for those in the administrative class to gauge, much less for garden variety fans. And so, in the aftermath of the agreement on House settlement terms –--a seismic development -- here is the most updated snapshot of ongoing legal threats facing the NCAA. |
| 10 members of NC State's 1983 national champions sue NCAA over name, image and likeness compensation | |
| Ten players from North Carolina State's 1983 national champion basketball team have sued the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Company seeking compensation for unauthorized use of their name, image and likeness. The players filed suit in Wake County Superior Court, requesting a jury trial and "reasonable compensation." The late Jim Valvano's 1983 team became known as the "Cardiac Pack" for a series of close victories culminating in a 54-52 win over Houston on Lorenzo Charles' dunk in the final seconds. Valvano's run around the court became an iconic moment frequently replayed as part of NCAA Tournament promotions. "For more than 40 years, the NCAA and its co-conspirators have systematically and intentionally misappropriated the Cardiac Pack's publicity rights -- including their names, images, and likenesses -- associated with that game and that play, reaping scores of millions of dollars from the Cardiac Pack's legendary victory," the lawsuit said. The suit contends that "student-athletes' value to the NCAA does not end with their graduation; archival footage and other products constitute an ongoing income stream for the NCAA long after the students whose images are used have moved on from college." |
| Why Capitol Hill remains a key battleground in college sports | |
| College sports are in transition again, this time spurred by last month's legal settlement that could lead to schools directly paying athletes. It would be a monumental change, ending decades of fighting over whether athletes deserve a cut of the massive revenue they help generate. But before it can happen, the settlement has to go through a months-long approval process, starting with an official submission to Judge Claudia Wilken in the Northern District of California. That's expected to come in July. And after that, should Wilken move forward with the terms as written? More steps through the legal system, including athletes having their chance to object to the settlement, at which point Wilken would consider those opinions before making a final decision. If revenue sharing were approved, it probably would start in the fall of 2025. It's a lot to track. If you feel confused, don't worry: You're in the same boat as the administrators, coaches and athletes who would be most affected. But one certainty in all of this is that Congress remains a key component. The NCAA and its conferences are continuing to lobby -- and lobby hard -- for a federal bill that would offer antitrust protections, a preemption of state laws that contradict NCAA rules and a "special status" for college athletes that says they cannot become employees. To date, Congress has held a dozen hearings on the future of college sports, but no bill has made it past the introductory phase. According to multiple people on Capitol Hill, most Senate and House members don't have entrenched views on the subject, meaning it should be possible to find a bipartisan solution. But that does not apply to Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) or Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). |
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.
