| Monday, June 17, 2024 |
| MSU president shares details on campus construction | |
 | The Mississippi State University campus is undergoing construction this summer. Crews are building new roads, and renovating existing ones. Three existing buildings are being remodeled while another three are being built from the ground up. MSU President Dr. Mark Keenum said they're adding a new kinesiology building, and a new residence hall that will include a dining area and a storm shelter. "We're also building a high-performance supercomputing center here on our campus," Keenum said. All of these projects are possible thanks to the Mississippi Legislature. |
| MSU camp for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder opens college doors | |
 | Building on the previous two years of success, Mississippi State again offered a highly interactive summer experience for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder -- possibly the only camp of its kind in the U.S. -- which now has proven a successful camp-to-college path for participants. From Sunday through Friday, the residential camp hosted 18 high-school age students with ASD for science-based, hands-on demonstrations, seeing creativity at work in research centers and playing games that drive home scientific concepts. The students learned about aerodynamics, astronomy, electricity, geosciences, nuclear physics and robotics, among other topics, leading to the "Physics Olympics" daylong activity on Friday. Ben Crider, associate professor in MSU's Department of Physics and Astronomy and camp director, said many students with ASD may find courses focusing on science and related fields particularly appealing and the camp is now helping ASD students find a pathway to college. "The opportunity to explore interesting topics in a university setting has already had a strong impact on former students who participated in the camp, as feedback from former camp participants indicates that several have decided to pursue a college degree as a result of attending our camp," he said. |
| Mississippi State adding Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence | |
 | Mississippi State University is adding an innovative degree program to its roster. "We are progressive, we look at the future and we try to stay ahead of the curve," Computer Science and Engineering Department Head Shahram Rahimi said. Beginning this Fall semester, Mississippi State University will begin offering a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence. Rahimi says the program prepares students for more specialized positions within the field. "This program that we brought in is a program that introduces a comprehensive view of artificial intelligence not only the territory but also practices," Rahimi said. The program will combine elements of computer science, humanities, ethics, cognitive science, and more. There will also be opportunities for hands-on experience. This degree is a first of its kind in Mississippi and Rahimi says they hope it brings development to the region. "Doing this program is going to help the state of Mississippi by training people in this very important area. It's going to help to bring businesses and companies into the state. It's going to help our students to get better and higher paying jobs so it is a fantastic development in the state of Mississippi," Rahimi said. |
| Satellite to act as artificial star, help measure brightness of celestial objects | |
| An artificial star will one day circle the Earth, helping astronomers understand how bright stars really are, with help from a Mississippi State University researcher. Angelle Tanner, an MSU associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is leading the science portion of a collaborative $19.5 million NASA Space Mission known as "Landolt," a Wednesday MSU press release said. Tanner is managing a $300,000 sub-grant for the satellite's development, which will use lasers to help astronomers more accurately measure stars' brightness. "Whenever you look at stuff in the sky, you have to compare how bright they are compared to each other," Tanner told The Dispatch Friday. "So if you take an image of a star with nothing else in it, you don't know how bright it is compared to the stars around it, unless you have something to compare it to. And that keeps getting built up and up and up, and you can compare the brightness of stars to the brightness of galaxies and the brightness of supernova." Tanner said she originally joined the NASA project thanks to a graduate school connection with George Mason University Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Peter Plavchan. While Tanner and MSU students will be working on the scientific side of the project, Plavchan and others at George Mason will be taking on the engineering work and construction. |
| To calibrate telescopes on Earth, NASA's launching an 'artificial star' to orbit | |
 | Come 2029, skywatchers can glimpse at least one "star" in the sky made by humans. Earlier this week, NASA announced plans to place a small satellite in Earth orbit at a little over 22,000 miles (35,400 kilometers) above our planet's surface -- far enough for the satellite to mimic a real star to telescopes on Earth. Scientists say the satellite, named Landolt, wouldn't be bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye, but if you happen to have a personal telescope at home, you may be able to spot a shoebox-sized object hovering above the United States in a stationary position. The mission's primary goal is to help calibrate telescopes on Earth and create new, more accurate catalogs of the brightnesses of real stars. Data from the $19.5-million Landolt mission will reduce uncertainties in brightness measurements of stars from 10 percent to one percent, astronomers say. "That makes a difference when propagated into the properties of exoplanets and, believe it or not, some of the parameters used to determine the structure of the universe," Angelle Tanner of the Mississippi State University, who leads the mission's science and manages a sub-grant of $300,000, said in another statement. |
| Southeast farmland value continues to climb | |
| Corn Belt farmland prices remain strong, but Southeast farmland values are running at a stout pace, too. In a recent Southern Ag Today article, Kevin Kim, an economist with the Mississippi State University Extension, broke down farmland trends across the country, including the Southeast. "In the last couple of years, despite interest rate hikes that have increased the cost of funding for farmland purchases, the demand for agricultural land and farm profitability have remained strong. Strong demand, coupled with a limited supply of agricultural land, average agricultural land prices soared by 7.7% in 2023, according to the USDA," he said. Citing USDA numbers, Kim said farmland value is the largest part of a farmer's net worth, accounting for 80% of the average farm balance sheet. "Therefore, monitoring farmland value per acre is crucial, as it affects farmers' and ranchers' ability to secure additional funding from lending institutions, given that these lands are used as collateral." According to the USDA, since 2021, cropland prices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have increased by 20%. Prices in Texas and Oklahoma have increased 22%. |
| Two local educators graduate from policy program | |
 | Two local educators were among 15 fellows representing various statewide institutions who graduated from the Mississippi Education Policy Fellowship Program, hosted by Mississippi State's Social Science Research Center, this spring. The Mississippi EPFP is part of a national cohort coordinated by the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C. The program brings together professionals who have a direct interest in education policy from early childhood through higher education and workforce development. Local graduates of the program were Robbi Cooper, assistant principal at West Lauderdale Middle School, and LaMareshia Johnson, an instructor in the Division of Education at Mississippi State University-Meridian Campus. Mississippi's fellows, led by program coordinators Devon Brenner and Amanda Tullos, focused on working together to advance equitable policies for the state's students. Over nine months, fellows learned about specific policy issues, policymaking and implementation processes; the intersections of local, state and national policies; and how effective leaders function in the policy environment. |
| Road work in Starkville could affect travel this week | |
| For citizens of Starkville, daily routes could be affected this week. The City Street Department will repair portions of the concrete roadway on East Lee Boulevard starting on Monday, June 17th, at 7:00 a.m. There are multiple areas in need of repair. Since the roadway is concrete, the repair time will take longer than normal. The closure is expected to last through Friday, June 21st. Through traffic will not be permitted. Old Mayhew Road and Hwy 182 should be used as a detour. |
| Change of Command: Gipson replaces Klein at Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District | |
| Col. Christopher D. Klein transferred command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District to Col. Jeremiah A. Gipson in a formal change of command ceremony Friday at district headquarters in Vicksburg. USACE Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) Commander and Mississippi River Commission (MRC) President Brig. Gen. Kimberly Peeples was the reviewing officer of the ceremony. During Friday's ceremony, Gipson said he looks forward to serving in Vicksburg. "These are historic milestones," Gipson said, mentioning the ceremony being held on the U.S. Army's 249th birthday. "I've got to share a little bit from heart. When we received orders, we were stationed in Boston. This has been a journey of discovery. We experienced the heart of Southern hospitality; how welcoming and charming life in the South truly is. There is a reason Vicksburg's motto is Key City. What Vicksburg represents, in terms of culture, tradition, and geographic importance to the nation, cannot be overstated." Gipson received his commission from the United States Military Academy in 2002. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from West Point, and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri. |
| New commander coming to Columbus Air Force Base | |
| Columbus Air Force Base will welcome a new commander Monday for the 14th Flying Training Wing. Col. James Blech will assume command during a ceremony at 9 a.m. on the base. He will replace Col. Justin T. Grieve, who has led the training wing since July 2022. CAFB changes commanders every two years. Blech comes to Columbus from Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, where he served two years as commander for the 47th Operations Group. He joined the Air Force through the United States Air Force Academy in 2003 and earned his pilot wings by 2005. He's been deployed to the Middle East and Europe to support operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya, according to his online biography. He also held a position in the Pentagon as chief bomber aircraft and nuclear programs directorate of legislative liaison for the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2000 and earned his pilot wings by 2001. |
| Jobs, savings accounts encouraged for Mississippians with disabilities | |
 | Last week, two dozen businesses were at the Cadence Bank Conference Center for a job fair, looking to interview and hire new workers. But this wasn't just any job fair. It was billed as the EmployAbility Job Fair, hosted by the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services. The department -- technically a labor agency in conjunction with other state agencies -- is in place to help Mississippians with disabilities find jobs and careers. Josh Woodward, MDRS director of business development, said typical three such job fair are held each year -- one in Southaven, one in Jackson and one on the Gulf Coast. But he said the agency realized that not many people were driving from other cities and towns to attend the job fairs, so instead, it decided to bring the job fairs to them instead. "We have 10 different districts, and Tupelo is the main town in what's called District 2, so we were trying to bring local businesses to local clients rather than expect them to travel," he said. Woodward said MDRS can essentially provide a job tryout for employers looking to employ disabled Mississippians but who might have qualms about how that might work. "We're trying to break down the barriers to how society views a disability, and this internship program does that without having to put a lot of skin in the game initially to overcome those anxieties they might have," Woodward said. |
| Could Mississippi Democratic Party have third leader in 11 months? Columbus attorney now in race | |
 | Columbus-based attorney Wilbur Colom is now running against Mississippi Democratic Party Chair Cheikh Taylor for the organization's top seat. In an email sent to several executive committee members in May, which was provided to the Clarion Ledger, Colom said he intends to face off against Taylor on June 22 during the party's executive committee meeting at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson. In that email, he outlined several of his initiatives if elected, but most notably he said his primary goal would be to fundraise for the party, increase community outreach and begin working to identify viable candidates for upcoming elections. "Fundraising is probably the most unpleasant activity in politics, requiring enormous discipline to put in the call time to donors," Colom wrote. " There are countless reasons to procrastinate, yet I have learned the importance of pushing through and have successfully executed fundraising initiatives for many years." Taylor, who has served as interim party chair since the executive committee voted out former chair Tyree Irving in July 2023, told the Clarion Ledger he is still seeking reelection for a full term, and he hopes to focus on bold moves for the party, but he did not give specifics. |
| Levi Strauss plant closing years after founder's family speaks on opening in Madison County | |
| The great grandnephew of Levi Strauss, the founder of denim manufacturer Levi Strauss & Co., spoke to members of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce in January 1981. Then president of Levi Strauss and an honoree at the chamber's annual awards banquet, Peter E. Haas promised that the Levi distribution plant in Gluckstadt would employ 400 people by 1984 and be one of the company's most efficiently operated plants. Chamber officials celebrated landing the distribution center as their major accomplishment for the year in 1981. The $20-million center at 501 Denim Way resulted from the Industrial Development Council, a group of counties including Hinds, Rankin, Madison, Yazoo and Warren that banded together to promote and attract industry to the area. The plant was made possible through the approval of an Urban Development Action Grant, which Congressman Sonny Montgomery's office was said to assist in speeding up the processing of the application. Times have changed. Now, Madison County leaders are waiting to hear when the plant will close. Levi Strauss & Co. announced in May it planned to "wind down operations" at the facility due to "accelerating operational costs and infrastructure needs." |
| Senate GOP farm bill plan: Billions more for farm subsidies, cuts in SNAP | |
| The new farm bill should spend tens of billions of dollars more on crop subsidies and crop insurance while paring SNAP outlays, said Arkansas Sen. John Boozman in releasing the Senate GOP's outline for farm bill discussions on Tuesday. "I hope that we can get a farm bill done" this year, he said. If action lags, Congress will need to pass a second extension of current law so the farm program can remain in operation, but a decision on that can wait until the lame-duck session following the Nov. 5 elections, said Boozman, the senior Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee. Congress is eight months late in enacting a successor to the 2018 farm law. Major elements of the Senate GOP framework mirror the five-year bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee on May 24, such as large increases in the so-called reference prices that trigger crop subsidy payments, making more land eligible for crop subsidies, requiring updates of SNAP benefit levels to be cost-neutral, and "loosening the guardrails" on how climate mitigation funding can be spent. "Unfortunately, the framework... splits the broad farm bill coalition," said Senate Agriculture chairwoman Debbie Stabenow. "It makes significant cuts to the family safety net that millions of Americans rely on and walks away from the progress we have made to address the climate crisis. Similar to the House, the framework also appears to propose spending far in excess of available funding." |
| Avian flu spread in cows not being tracked, posing greater risk of human transmission | |
 | Reliance on individual dairy farmers to help track the spread of avian flu is leaving the federal government without the data necessary to understand -- and slow -- the virus' spread in the U.S. The biggest challenge for the federal response, agriculture and public health officials told POLITICO, is that the more the virus spreads among dairy cows, the more opportunity it has to mutate and become easier to jump to additional humans. The number of documented infected dairy herds in recent weeks has risen rapidly -- and several other states have confirmed initial infections in cows. But many dairy farmers are declining to test their cows, leaving the nation vulnerable to a situation in which federal officials won't have adequate warning if the virus evolves and poses a greater risk of infection to people. "The longer this is prevalent in animal farms and livestock operations across the state, the greater the opportunity is for future mutations in animals or human risks in different ways going forward," said Tim Boring, who heads the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Michigan, a state with two confirmed human cases to date as it deals with a major bird flu outbreak among poultry and now dairy herds. While the risk to the public remains low, the CDC is focusing on preventing cases in populations at higher risk of infection. Given the extent of spread among dairy cows, additional human cases in farmers and dairy workers "would not be surprising," according to CDC spokesperson Rosa Norman. |
| Garland won't face contempt of Congress charge over Biden audio | |
 | The Justice Department said Friday it would not prosecute Attorney General Merrick B. Garland after the House held him in contempt of Congress earlier this week over a subpoena dispute. House Republicans, who passed the contempt measure on a nearly party-line vote, said the Justice Department had refused to release audio of former special counsel Robert K. Hur's interview with President Joe Biden, despite subpoenas from the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. In a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson dated Friday, a Justice Department official said the department "has determined that the responses by Attorney General Garland to the subpoenas issued by the Committees did not constitute a crime." "And accordingly the Department will not bring the congressional contempt citation before a grand jury or take any other action to prosecute the Attorney General," Carlos Felipe Uriarte, assistant attorney general for the Office of Legislative Affairs, wrote in the letter. The interview was conducted as part of a probe into Biden's handling of classified materials, and a transcript of the interview has been released. Last month, Biden invoked executive privilege over the audio. The department pointed to that executive privilege invocation in the letter. |
| Biden ad attacks Trump as 'convicted criminal' in $50M paid media blitz | |
 | President Joe Biden's reelection campaign is escalating attacks against Donald Trump over the former president's recent guilty verdict and other legal troubles, launching a new television ad Monday as part of a massive $50 million paid media campaign that slams Trump as a "convicted criminal." The 30-second spot, which will air in battleground states and on national cable television, marks the Biden campaign's first ad that tries to seize on Trump's guilty conviction on 34 felony counts in his New York criminal hush-money trial last month. "In the courtroom, we see Donald Trump for who he is: He's been convicted of 34 felonies, found liable for sexual assault, and he committed financial fraud," a narrator says in the ad, which shows clips of Trump in court. "Meanwhile, Joe Biden's been working." The ad's rollout comes 10 days before the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign, set for June 27 on CNN. By hitting Trump over his conviction, the Biden campaign risks further inviting attacks from Republican critics who argue Trump's prosecution was motivated by politics and the 2024 election. |
| Biden's Secret Weapon Against Trump: Older Voters | |
 | Senior citizens, long a reliable voting bloc for Republicans, are showing signs of turning into an election-year swing group, potentially giving President Biden an unlikely boost in his tough rematch against Donald Trump. Americans ages 65 and older turn out at significantly higher rates than younger voters do, giving them outsize clout as they choose this year between the Democrat Biden, 81, and the Republican Trump, who turned 78 on Friday. Their contest looks tight in bellwether Door County, Wis., where retirees have flocked to this peninsula during the past decade, accelerated by the pandemic. Sherry Mutchler, 74, wasn't very active politically for much of her life, focused on raising her children and her career as an educator. But now in her retirement, she and her friends are working to deliver their Wisconsin community for Biden -- and they are worried about the consequences if the president fails to win re-election. "Democracy -- we're scared to death we're going to lose it," said Judy Brodd, 78, who co-chairs with her husband, Mike Brodd, Indivisible Door County, a grassroots group supporting progressive candidates. "It's not because of us, but it's for our grandchildren and our children." Boyd Stewart, 77, misses the days of cheaper prices at the gas pump and the grocery store, and an economy he says was much stronger under Trump when he moved to this tourist destination to enter semiretirement. But he would prefer more choices for his fellow Republicans. "I don't love Trump, but on the other hand, I don't think we have a choice," Stewart said. |
| Black Farmers in Georgia Cool to Biden, Reflecting a Bigger Challenge | |
 | On a hot day in May, Andrew L. Smith Sr., a vegetable farmer from Ludowici, Ga., listened with skepticism as Tom Vilsack, the U.S. agriculture secretary, touted President Biden's efforts to help Black farmers overcome decades of discrimination. Seated alongside hundreds of farmers in front of a former plantation once owned by a Georgia slaveholder, Mr. Smith, 62, wondered why he had not benefited from any of those programs, including one aimed at helping Black farmers clear their debts. Mr. Smith voted for Mr. Biden in 2020. This year, he is considering backing former President Donald J. Trump. Black voters are key to Mr. Biden's re-election, but many say they are disenchanted with the president and are considering voting for Mr. Trump in November. The visit by Mr. Vilsack to the Sherrod Institute's annual "field day" in Albany, Ga., was part of an intensifying effort by Mr. Biden's top aides to court them ahead of the election. Polls show that Mr. Biden's support among a constituency that powered him to victory in 2020 has been shaky in critical swing states like Georgia, where Black farmers are a small but important voting bloc that is feeling let down. At the farm event, Mr. Vilsack tried to make the case that progress is underway. The overture was met with polite applause but also with doubts, echoing the sentiments expressed by Black farmers both in Georgia and nationwide during Mr. Biden's term. |
| For young voters, housing is a top issue in this election | |
| Housing affordability is among the top issues motivating Peyton Swift to vote in this presidential election, along with the war in Gaza, women's and gay rights and the environment. Swift, 27, works at an insurance tech company in Washington, D.C., one of the country's most expensive markets. Between the cost of housing and student loan debt, they said, they and their friends feel like they may never become homeowners. "It's really demoralizing, I think is the best word for it," Swift said. "It just feels sort of like the American dream is not something that's accessible anymore." That's a feeling many in Swift's generation share. Redfin asked roughly 3,000 homeowners and renters to weigh the importance of various issues in how they plan to vote. Ninety-one percent of adult members of Generation Z, between 18 and 27 years old, said housing affordability is somewhat or very important, a higher percentage than any other issue they were asked about. That's compared to 87% of millennials and 83% of Gen Xers. "Each generation that was older seemed to care a little bit less about housing when it came to the presidential election, I think because housing affordability is less of a concern if you already own a home," said Daryl Fairweather, Redfin's chief economist. |
| Young conservatives think enthusiasm is on their side in 2024 election | |
 | Sporting a "Pretty Girls Vote Republican" baseball cap and several buttons, including one reading "Gun Rights are Women's Rights," Lauren Kerby was surprised to be asked who she plans to vote for in the fall. "Obviously Trump," the 21-year-old from Berkeley, Mich., said with a laugh. "I came here for a reason." Here is the 'People's Convention,' run by Turning Point Action, the advocacy wing of Turning Point USA, one of the largest national organizations focused on engaging students on conservative issues. Turning Point -- which rose out of concerns about free speech on college campuses -- has grown into an unapologetically pro-Trump machine, focused on organizing for the former president ahead of the 2024 election. It hosts events like these, attracting voters like Kerby and hundreds of others like her who want to party, young conservative style. And this is certainly a Trump show. At the Huntington Place Convention Center in downtown Detroit, a bejeweled presidential seal with Trump's face in the center rests on the hood of a gold-painted Mercedes-Benz. At a nearby booth among dozens, vendors are selling "America First" cowboy hats and shirts reading, "Voting Convicted Felon, 2024." The festivities this year come as Turning Point Action works to significantly expand its organizing presence in key swing states ahead of the general election, including Michigan, home to this year's conference. |
| Surgeon general calls for social media warning labels | |
 | U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy said Monday he will push a requirement for warning labels on social media platforms to combat a mental health emergency among children and teens. In a New York Times opinion essay, Murthy said he will work with Congress to enact legislation requiring that social media platforms include a surgeon general's warning to "regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe." He cited evidence from tobacco studies showing that warning labels can change behavior. He said the warning labels should be just one part of a broader set of stepped-up rules to track and limit social media's effect on consumers -- all of which would require the help of Congress. Murthy cited a 2019 study that found the risk of depression and anxiety doubled among adolescents who spent more than three hours a day on social media, as well as statistics showing daily social media use among adolescents averaging 4.8 hours. He compared his proposal to other examples of the federal government taking action to protect consumers' health and safety, notably the grounding of Boeing airplanes in January and a recent recall of dairy products due to Listeria contamination. |
| The Influencer Is a Young Teenage Girl. The Audience Is 92% Adult Men. | |
| The mom started the Instagram account three years ago as a pandemic-era diversion -- a way for her and her daughter, a preteen dancer, to share photos with family, friends and other young dancers and moms. The two bonded, she said, as they posted photos of the girl dancing, modeling and living life in a small Midwestern town. The mom, a former marketing manager, oversaw the account and watched as the number of followers grew. Soon, photographers offered to take professional shots for the girl. Brands began sending free apparel for her to model. The mom also began to notice a disturbing trend in the data that showed up on the account dashboard: Most of the girl's followers were adult men. Sometimes the mom spent two to four hours a day blocking users or deleting inappropriate comments. At the same time, more sponsorships and deals were trickling in. The mom was torn. To reach the influencer stratosphere, the account would need a lot more followers -- and she would have to be less discriminating about who they were. That was a reason to say no. There were also reasons to say yes. The mom felt the account had brought her closer with her daughter, and even second- and third-tier influencers can make tens of thousands of dollars a year or more. The money could help pay for college, the mom thought. The mom said yes. And with that, she grew to accept a grim reality: Being a young influencer on Instagram means building an audience including large numbers of men who take sexual interest in children. Thousands of other young female influencers, and their parents, have made similar calculations in using social-media sites to promote posts and products. |
| The W's 2024-25 Community Read underway | |
| Mississippi University for Women is once again partnering with the community for the annual Community Read Program, which kicked off in May. This year, the Community Read Committee has selected "First Gen: A Memoir" by Alejandra Campoverdi. "The Community Read Committee saw so many opportunities for programming that would be meaningful to our entire community. The book touches on what it means to be 'first' or 'only' in your family to try something new, like college, while navigating the challenges involved in that change for individuals and communities," said Amanda Clay Powers, professor and dean of Library Services. The novel is described as, "Part memoir, part manifesto, 'First Gen' is a story of generational inheritance, aspiration and the true meaning of belonging -- a gripping journey to 'reclaim the parts of ourselves we sacrificed in order to survive.'" Each year, the Community Read seeks to bring The W and the Columbus community together for a shared learning experience. A book is selected and events are hosted throughout the year, beginning in the fall. |
| U. of Kentucky board votes to dissolve university Senate, outlines role of new faculty body | |
 | The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved a plan to dissolve the university Senate, changing the faculty's role in setting school policies. The vote at the board's meeting on Friday was the second on the role of the Senate and a slate of governing regulations for the university, moving the university Senate into an advisory role and giving policy-setting power to President Eli Capilouto and other administrators. The board also approved a process lasting through the end of the year to determine how the new faculty Senate is created and rules determined. Capilouto has said the changes are necessary to make UK more "nimble," and to streamline the decision-making process at the university. "Not everyone is supportive of this process or the resulting recommendations and revisions before you this morning," Capilouto said Friday morning. "I will always respect those who disagree, and respect that it comes from an honest, but still profound, difference of opinion." The vote came after months of objections from faculty, who have voiced concerns about the process used to bring the recommendations to the board and about long-term implications of moving into an advisory role. After the first vote in April, where the board approved initial rule changes and changing the role of the senate, the university Senate passed a vote of no confidence in Capilouto. |
| Trustees Vote to Dissolve U. of Kentucky Senate | |
 | The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees voted Friday morning to dissolve the university Senate, The Lexington Herald-Leader reported. The university Senate, which is more than a century old, is composed of faculty members who previously had the power to approve or reject new academic programs and courses. But as a result of Friday's vote, the body will take on an advisory role, shifting the policy-setting power to President Eli Capilouto and other administrators. Hollie Swanson, a faculty member on the Board of Trustees, was the only dissenting vote, noting the "absence of any compelling evidence," for the change. The board also approved a process that will determine the new faculty Senate's rules and how it should be created. A new faculty Senate will be selected by Oct. 31, according to guidelines approved Friday. Until then, a 22-member "provisional faculty senate executive committee" will be in place, and UK Provost Robert DiPaola will serve as chair. While the plan to dissolve the university Senate has support from student and staff representatives -- who say it will diversify perspectives in decision-making -- faculty have voiced opposition for months. |
| Florida government could censor university professors in classrooms, lawyer for state says | |
| An attorney representing education officials appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis Friday told a federal appeals court that Florida lawmakers, if they so choose, can prohibit professors from criticizing the governor in the classroom. "In the classroom, the professor's speech is the government's speech, and the government can restrict professors on a content-wide basis and restrict them from offering viewpoints that are contrary," said Charles Cooper of the Cooper & Kirk law firm, responding to a judge posing that scenario. The remarks came during oral arguments before a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over a key provision of DeSantis' much-touted "Stop WOKE Act," which limits discussion of race, gender and other topics in state university classrooms. That provision was blocked by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker of Tallahassee, who called it "positively dystopian." The circuit court last year denied the state's request to undo the block before it reached a final decision on the case. Friday's argument, held in Miami, focused on the line between academic freedom and the state government's ability to control institutions it funds and oversees. |
| George Strait draws US record 110,905 at Kyle Field concert | |
 | George Strait had never been to Kyle Field until Saturday night. The King of country music wasn't there for a long time, but brought a good time to Aggieland and broke a national attendance record for a ticketed concert. Out of the clear blue sky came a warm and breezy Texas summer night as 110,905 people packed Kyle Field for a never-before-seen show at Texas A&M's cathedral of a stadium. The show broke a 47-year-old record for highest-attended ticketed concert in United States history, which was previously held by The Grateful Dead who drew 107,019 people to a New Jersey show in 1977. Saturday's concert was also the largest-attended event in Kyle Field's history, surpassing the 2014 A&M football game against Ole Miss that drew 110,633 fans. Kyle Field's official capacity is 102,733, but thousands of floor seats and standing-room-only sections allowed for the event to surpass the stadium's official capacity. Strait's son, Bubba, who went to A&M, gave his father permission to "whoop." He joked onstage that he was scared to play in front of such a large crowd. "It's amazing," Strait said. "Never have we ever played in front of a crowd this big. I mean, we came close at Cowboys Stadium a few years back. I got 104 [thousand]. My gosh, [110,905]!" |
| Backlash against DEI spreads to more states | |
| Shortly after taking office in 2023, Republican state Rep. Katy Hall heard from constituents complaining about how their adult children were required to write diversity, equity and inclusion statements while applying for medical and dental schools and other graduate programs in Utah. "It doesn't seem right," Hall said. "It doesn't seem like it belongs in an application." It took two legislative sessions, but Hall successfully sponsored a new law that not only prohibits the use of such DEI statements but also bars state institutions from relying on specific individual characteristics in employment and education decisions. Additionally, it eliminates central offices dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion. In Utah and beyond, lawmakers are enjoying growing success in their pushback against DEI programs at public universities, many of which have hired administrators and established departments dedicated to creating more diverse faculties and student bodies. Some schools' requirement that job and student applicants explain in writing how they'd bring DEI initiatives to their work or schooling has aroused especially strong opposition. Some states have dismantled DEI departments and programs, as well as ended race- and gender-based programs and scholarships. |
| College Board President Will Oversee FAFSA Launch | |
| The Education Department has tapped College Board president Jeremy Singer to serve in a new role overseeing the rollout of next year's Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The news, provided first to Inside Higher Ed, comes as higher education groups have grown increasingly concerned that the agency won't launch a working FAFSA on time -- by Oct. 1 -- after this year's application faced a number of delays and technical glitches. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has repeatedly assured Congress, colleges and families that the form will be ready -- and that the application will be better. Bringing on Singer, a technology solutions expert who oversaw the development and launch of the new digital SAT, is the clearest signal yet that the department is shaking up its FAFSA approach as part of other "transformational changes" at the Office for Federal Student Aid (FSA). The form is key to unlocking billions in federal, state and institutional aid for millions of students. Singer, who has been president of the College Board since 2013, is a familiar face for colleges and universities, some of whom have grown skeptical of the Education Department over its handling of the FAFSA. Singer will be taking temporary leave from the College Board to be the FAFSA executive adviser. In that role, he'll lead FSA's strategy on the 2025–26 FAFSA as well as work with the department "to strengthen internal systems and processes, bolster technical capabilities, and drive innovation to help ensure optimal performance" of the application's launch. |
| Will Gov. Tate Reeves have to flip position on Medicaid expansion to keep pace with Trump? | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Republican Gov. Tate Reeves may have to do a flipflop on Medicaid expansion to remain in sync with former President Donald Trump, his political hero. Reeves has proudly hitched his political wagon to Trump, who endorsed both of his successful gubernatorial campaigns. Nowhere has Reeves strived to be more hand-in-glove with the former president than on the issue of opposing the Affordable Care Act, better known by some as Obamacare. As Reeves has argued against Mississippi expanding Medicaid as is allowed under the ACA to provide health care coverage for the working poor, the governor has often pointed out that he opposed Obamacare just like Trump. During the heated debate about Medicaid expansion in the 2024 legislative session, Reeves kept his arguments for not expanding Medicaid simple, eschewing the debate of health care policy and whether Medicaid expansion might help get Mississippi off the bottom of virtually every health care list in the nation. Instead, he simply reposted a social media post where Trump proclaimed in November 2023, "Obamacare sucks!!!" That argument prevailed. The Legislature adjourned unable to agree on a bill to expand Medicaid. But now Trump, campaigning desperately for a second term as president, appears to be doing his own political flipflop. |
| Speaker White eyes big things that move the needle | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: Mississippi recently edged further off the bottom on one national ranking, but stayed at the bottom on others. The Annie E. Casey Foundation follows national trends in child well-being. Its 2024 Kids Count Data Book shows Mississippi now ranked 30th in the education category. Up from 32nd, reported the Mississippi Department of Education, "the state's highest ranking ever." True, but the data book showed Mississippi ranked 49th overall in child well-being. While ranking 30th in education, the state ranked 50th in the three other categories that measured child well-being -- economic well-being, health, and family and community. "There is still a long way to go before children in this state fare as well as those in much of the rest of the country," concluded a Greenwood Commonwealth editorial after noting the gains made in education. Speaker of the House Jason White seemed attuned to that thought. Addressing the Stennis Capitol Press Forum in Jackson, White said Mississippi is "finally getting off the bottom on some national measures," but to do more must "challenge convention wisdom" and put more focus on "big things that move the needle." |
| Capital City plan to remove Andrew Jackson's statue a big mistake | |
| State Auditor Shad White writes at MagnoliaTribune.com: Yesterday the Clarion Ledger reported the City of Jackson plans to remove the statue of Andrew Jackson that currently sits in front of City Hall. This is nuts. The city is named Jackson, after all. If Jackson is such a reprehensible figure, why stop with the statue? Why not rename the city? Why not rename Washington, DC, for that matter? And then tear down the Washington Monument? Where does the cultural destruction end? For those who will say Jackson did bad things, please name someone through history who is perfect. I know of only one man who was without blemish, and he lived 2,000 years ago. Even Civil Rights heroes had their flaws, because we are all human. I also imagine that the Jackson-hating liberals cannot name the important political, military, and societal contributions Jackson made -- the reasons the city bears his name. They would have us forget his investigations of corruption and the new standards for tracking taxpayer money he instituted. They would blot out his initiatives to cut waste and the fact that he balanced the federal budget for the first time ever. They would have us ignore his stand against the Bank of the United States when there were allegations that only the rich and connected benefitted from the Banks' loans. The truth is, I seriously doubt these liberals have taken the opportunity to weigh Jackson's legacy, if they can even describe it accurately. |
SPORTS
| Lopez Ramirez Named Golfweek First Team All-American | |
| Mississippi State women's golf standout Julia Lopez Ramirez was named a Golfweek First Team All-American, the national organization announced. This All-America honor is her second of the season, after being named a First Team All-American by the WGCA. Lopez Ramirez picks up her second consecutive First Team All-America honor from Golfweek and her third all-time honor. She was a third team honoree as a freshman. Lopez Ramirez is also the only Bulldog to ever earn First Team All-America honors from Golfweek. In total, Lopez Ramirez has six All-America honors between the WGCA and Golfweek in her career. Her six career honors are tied with Ally Ewing for the most all-time. A native of Malaga, Spain, Lopez Ramirez has made a name for herself as one of the best collegiate golfers in the country. The junior All-American has again put together an impressive campaign, marked by numerous individual and team honors throughout the 2023-24 season. Lopez Ramirez was named the SEC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after becoming just the fifth women's golfer in SEC history to win back-to-back individual SEC Championships. She also earned First Team All-SEC honors for the third consecutive season. She helped lead the Bulldogs to their third straight NCAA Championship in 2024, becoming one of just 14 teams nationally to make each of the last three championships. |
| Former Mississippi State basketball star Jessika Carter signs with Las Vegas Aces | |
| Former Mississippi State women's basketball center Jessika Carter has signed with the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, the team announced Sunday. Carter was selected by the New York Liberty in the second round of the 2024 WNBA Draft, but she was waived before the start of the season. Now, she joins the defending back-to-back league champions. Carter spent six years at Mississippi State, staying put despite seeing four different head coaches come through the program during her career. Playing across five seasons, Carter averaged 11.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game -- though her numbers improved as her career progressed. In the 2022-2023 campaign, after missing the previous season due to personal matters, Carter posted 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest. This past season, she scored 14.9 points per game while adding 9.9 rebounds en route to her third All-SEC second team selection. The Aces are 6-6 through 12 games this season. They're led by former South Carolina star A'ja Wilson who paces the league in points (28) and rebounds (11.5) per game. |
| FSU's Link Jarrett pushed for reviews of check swings even before Friday's 'critical' call | |
| After a controversial check-swing call helped pave the way for No. 1 Tennessee to stage a ninth-inning rally Friday night in the opening round of the College World Series, Florida State coach Link Jarrett is optimistic the NCAA will make those plays reviewable by instant replay in the future. This is not a new stance for Jarrett, the Seminoles' second-year head coach explained Saturday afternoon. It is not something he is only advocating for now that FSU came out on the wrong side of such a call in a 12-11, walk-off loss to the Volunteers. "I've pushed with the umpiring groups for a review of the check swing," Jarrett said. "I would like to be able to challenge that. I told them ... this started back in September. I said, 'Every camera in the stadium has a view of that.' You have some random plays come up that are not captured (by cameras) -- those are captured. And it's a very, very difficult call. I think in umpiring, it is the hardest of calls to make." Jarrett, whose Seminoles were clinging to an 11-9 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning when umpires ruled that Tennessee batter Blake Burke checked his swing at a 2-2 pitch with two outs, said he doesn't blame umpires for not getting the call correct by using only their eyes in real time. |
| Ban sought on two Texas A&M fans who were kicked out of CWS | |
| Two men dressed in Texas A&M gear were escorted from a College World Series game Saturday night at Omaha's Charles Schwab Field for harassing the Florida dugout and now face a ban from the park. Krystina Engdahl, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, said Sunday that the nonprofit organization is seeking to serve paperwork resulting in the men being banned and barred from the stadium. The ban would be due to the violation of stadium safety policies, she said. ESPN cameras caught the incident in the second inning of the game which didn't start until 10:16 p.m. due to a weather delay. The two A&M fans could be seen exchanging words with Florida players before security personnel became involved and escorted them from the stadium. The game ended about 1:15 a.m. with a 3-2 Texas A&M win. Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle addressed the incident in his postgame press conference. "I want to apologize on behalf of Texas A&M whatever happened over in the dugout," Schlossnagle said "Whoever those two guys are, they don't represent what Texas A&M is all about. And whoever they are, don't come back. Let's not let those two guys back in the ballpark." The Omaha Police Officers Association said the two A&M fans were taunting the Florida players about the tragic death of a batboy for the team. |
| Mizzou sees its NIL model as 'one of the advantages' it has amid revenue-sharing questions | |
 | As the college sports world prepares for the onset of revenue sharing with athletes and the wide-ranging, still nebulous shakeup it will bring, Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch has his fair share of questions. He has some optimism, too: Veatch sees a clear advantage for Mizzou when it comes to the future of name, image and likeness compensation, or NIL, for athletes. But after a month and change on the job in Columbia -- and just a couple of weeks after the House v. NCAA settlement that will redefine the financial side of college sports -- he told the Post-Dispatch there's a lot to be determined. "The unknowns and the big questions that I have would, in many, many ways, be what you and others would have: just on the surface about the settlement and where it's headed," Veatch said. "It is a process that has to play out over the coming year. It's going to be another one of those scenarios, in some ways sort of like COVID, where you feel like you're trying to figure it out throughout the year as you go through the process." One part of the settlement involves billions in back pay to affected athletes, but that's not the aspect with so much landscape-shifting power. That power-conference schools will soon be able to distribute somewhere around $20 million in shared revenue each year to their athletes is the forward-leaning topic fueling discussions across athletic departments, including MU's. |
| Shilo Sanders Gets Court Dismissal of Part of NIL Bankruptcy Case | |
| A federal bankruptcy judge in Colorado Thursday dismissed some of the claims brought by security guard John Darjean against University of Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, who owes Darjean more than $11 million. Judge Michael Romero partially granted Sanders' motion to dismiss Darjean's lawsuit, which accuses Sanders of misusing the bankruptcy discharge process and limited liability companies to avoid paying. However, Romero denied parts of Sanders' motion and thus advanced some of the case to pretrial discovery. As Sportico recently detailed, Sanders was found liable in 2022 for assault and battery stemming from an incident in 2015 when Sanders was 15 years old. Darjean claimed that Sanders attacked him in a school lobby and inflicted permanent neurological damage as well as harm to his cervical spine. Sanders portrayed Darjean as the aggressor but did not participate in the trial, which was held in Texas. A court ordered Sanders to pay Darjean $11.89 million. Sanders -- whose brother, Shedeur, and father, Deion, are the Buffaloes' QB and head coach, respectively -- petitioned for relief under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code last year in hopes it would delay and discharge his obligation to pay Darjean. Although so-called NIL valuations contend Sanders' NIL exceeds $1 million, his bankruptcy petition painted a more modest account, with annual NIL earnings closer to $200,000. |
| Trump lauds DeChambeau's skill and grit in winning US Open | |
 | Former President Trump congratulated golf star Bryson DeChambeau on winning his second U.S. Open title. "Congratulations to Bryson DeChambeau on his incredible WIN of the United States Open! He showed a toughness and inner strength, matched perfectly with his GREAT Golfing Talent, that can never be denied! Under massive pressure, he pulled off some of the greatest shots ever made, especially his spectacular sand save on the 18th Hole that gave him the Victory," Trump wrote on Truth Social. DeChambeau won his second U.S. Open title on Sunday after stealing away the lead from Rory McIlroy, who had a one-point lead until missing a par putt on the 16th hole, according to The Associated Press. Trump, a longtime fan of the sport, also congratulated LIV Golf for signing DeChambeau. The Saudi-backed LIV Golf announced last year it would move its season championship series from Saudi Arabia to Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami. "The U.S.A. could not be better represented. Congratulations also to LIV Golf for their genius in signing Bryson and other of the best Golfers in the World. Hopefully Golf will soon come together as one, fully united, which is the way it should be!" Trump wrote. |
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