| Monday, July 8, 2024 |
| '70s rock, Shakespeare and dance troupe acts headline MSU Lyceum Series' 77th season | |
 | Six acts spanning a variety of genres will entertain fans with live performances during the upcoming Mississippi State Lyceum Series' 77th season. The 2024-25 event year begins with a performance by The Troubadour Project, a '70s rock revival group, at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 in Lee Hall's historic Bettersworth Auditorium. The Atlanta, Georgia-based band blends sounds of Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Led Zepplin, The Eagles and more as it depicts the '70s rock genre. The renewal period for season ticket holders and purchase window for new season tickets are open through Aug. 13. Mini-series tickets will be available July 26, with individual event tickets on sale Aug. 13. General public season tickets are $150 per person and $135 for MSU employees and senior citizens; mini-series tickets are $75 per person and $65 for employees and senior citizens; and individual tickets are $30 per person, $25 for MSU employees and senior citizens, and $10 for children. Individual tickets are free for students and available for pickup at the Center for Student Activities, located on the third floor of Colvard Student Union, at any point in the year or reserved online at least one week prior to each show. Tickets can be purchased online at msstate.universitytickets.com/. The Lyceum Series is MSU’s longest running performing arts series and is a key part of the university’s continued commitment to the arts. |
| MSU-Meridian's Carr named American Academy of Nursing Fellow | |
 | Mississippi State University-Meridian's Kayla Carr was recently named a 2024 Fellow by the American Academy of Nursing, a competitive honor society that recognizes accomplished nurse leaders for their contributions to improve healthcare and advance health policy. A nursing professor and director of the Accelerated Master of Science in Nursing program in MSU-Meridian's new School of Nursing, Carr joins two colleagues already inducted as AAN Fellows, Alaina Herrington, associate professor of nursing and director of simulation and clinical affairs, and Mary Stewart, dean of the School of Nursing. Carr will be inducted as a Fellow at the academy's annual Health Policy Conference to be held Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 in Washington, D.C. "This recognition holds profound significance for me, not only as a culmination of years of dedication to nursing, but also as an affirmation of the collective impact nurses can make in healthcare," she said. "It's been a true joy to serve patients and families in Mississippi, and I look forward to engaging in service and leadership in the academy." A board-certified family nurse practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Carr has secured $1.7 million in funding to support school-based clinics and nursing education initiatives, consistently maintaining a focus in nurse-led strategies to promote health equity in school-based health and in the care of adolescents and young adults. |
| Mississippi State launches public survey on black bears | |
 | Many Mississippi landowners and hunters will receive black bear surveys this week from Mississippi State University (MSU) researchers. Sharp Professor of Human Dimensions Kevin Hunt in the MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center, in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP), is conducting the surveys to better understand human/black bear interactions. MDWFP Biologist Anthony Ballard said his agency hopes to use this study to help optimize public outreach to achieve the management goals of these bears in the state. "The purpose of this study is to learn about Mississippi resident perceptions and attitudes toward black bears, experiences with them and opinions on their management; for landowners, whether they have had any property damage caused by black bears; and for hunters, whether they would participate in black bear hunting if their future population size increased to huntable levels," stated hunt. The study includes two separate surveys randomly mailed to 4,000 hunters and 4,000 landowners to gather an unbiased public perspective. |
| Dairy demand, prices help offset high input costs | |
| The latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasted this year's average all-milk price at $21.60 per hundredweight nationally. Josh Maples, an agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said this is an improvement from last year, but still below 2022 levels, when prices hovered around $25 per hundredweight. "Demand for dairy products in the U.S. and globally is strong in 2024," Maples said. "Dairy prices have been stronger in 2024 and are expected to get higher. Cheddar cheese, dry whey and butter prices are all expected to be stronger in 2024 than a year ago. Both imports and exports are expected to be higher than in 2023." Inputs, Maples noted, remain a key challenge for dairy producers, even in a positive market. "The milk price is an important indicator of the overall dairy industry, but whether any particular farm will be profitable depends heavily on cost of production, which has been a significant challenge in recent years," he said. "Feed costs have come down slightly overall as corn prices have moderated, but many of the other costs such as equipment, insurance, labor and interest expenses on operating loans have continued to show increases." High costs are just one factor in driving the decline of milk production across the Southeast. According to the Dairy Alliance, an advocacy organization for the dairy industry in eight Southeast states, there are 48 dairy farms in Mississippi with an average herd size of 150 milking cows, totaling 6,000 dairy cows in the state. In 2022, the state had 55 dairy farms with an average herd size of 145, for a total of about 8,000. |
| Bugs, fungus affecting Mississippi's oak trees | |
| Officials with the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) said oak trees in Central Mississippi are being threatened. According to the MFC, there has been a significant outbreak of variable oak leaf caterpillar, as well as the presence of hypoxylon canker, which is a fungus that negatively affects growth and can eventually lead to the death of weak or diseased host trees. "We are aware of the caterpillar damage in and around the Raymond area. We are conducting aerial and ground checks to determine the extent of the damage. Landowners should continue to monitor their forest areas for insect damage and activity," said Russell Bozeman, MFC State Forester. MFC officials said variable oak leaf caterpillar and the fungus that causes hypoxylon canker are native species that don't cause significant damage to healthy trees in normal years. However, these pests are believed to be exploiting the drought stress that many trees experienced last year. "The combination of these two factors is a major concern for the health of our oak trees," said Dr. John J. Riggins, Professor of Forest Health at Mississippi State University (MSU) and Forest Entomologist for the MFC. "We urge residents to monitor their trees closely and take steps to mitigate the damage by promoting tree vigor by whatever means possible." |
| Mosquitoes are summertime nuisance and can transmit diseases | |
 | Mosquitoes are extremely common this time of year and can not only be a nuisance but can transmit diseases. Jerome Goddard, an extension professor at Mississippi State University, said there are dozens of species in Mississippi. Only three or four species of mosquitoes in Mississippi transmit disease to humans, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. Mosquito-borne illnesses include West Nile Virus. Most people do not develop any symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, some people do develop symptoms like fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea and rash. "The more you get bit, the more chances of one of them having that virus," Goddard explained. So far, the Mississippi State Department of Health has reported one West Nile Virus case in 2024. That case happened in Rankin County. So prevention is the best way to prevent such illnesses. Preventive measures include wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, using insect repellents and avoiding standing bodies of water, which attract mosquitoes. |
| NorthStar expansion to attract new tenants to 'marquee location' | |
| With $2.5 million in state funds secured, NorthStar Industrial Park is set for expansion. The money will be used to develop a new 200,000-square-foot pad at NorthStar, which will be marketed for new tenants to build on. Mississippi Development Authority awarded a Mississippi Site Development grant Friday to Oktibbeha County, and it was announced Monday at the board of supervisors meeting. District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer called it a "win-win" deal. "It's not going to cost us extra money," Trainer told The Dispatch Monday. "We're able to use money already allocated for that project as matching money. ... We're looking forward to some big things coming out of that park. Looking forward to occupying and filling that park up with other tenants and things of that nature." Golden Triangle Development LINK Chief Operating Officer Meryl Fisackerly said the grant will require a match of $279,820 or 10% of the total project cost, whichever is less. The match will be split equally between the county and the city of Starkville using funds remaining from $14 million in bonds issued in July 2017 for the park's construction. The Tennessee Valley Authority, 4-County Electric Power Association, Atmos Energy Corporation and the Mississippi Department of Transportation also contributed funds to the park. |
| 26 roads to get preservation treatment starting Tuesday | |
| A new paving preservation process is about to give city streets a new lease on life, or at least, a few more years of glory. City Engineer Cody Burnett told The Dispatch in an email that work will begin Tuesday on the city's pavement preservation project. The work is expected to be completed by Sept. 6. Some road treatments will mean traffic lanes close for up to an hour after work is complete, he said, but they could also extend the life of the roads up to 10 years. "The preservation work is primarily geared toward preserving roads that are already in pretty decent condition," Burnett said. "Historically, we've let roads go way too far, and then the only option is to overlay those with asphalt, which is very expensive for the life that it returns. And so the preservation is a vision that essentially catches those streets earlier in time, and it makes them last longer." The entire improvement plan comes to a total of about $3.5 million, with about two-thirds of that dedicated to traditional asphalt overlay. But the last $1.1 million is committed to a new preservation process of the city's roads, including single microsurfacing, double microsurfacing, ultra-thin overlay, crack seal and fog seal. According to Burnett's email, TL Wallace, the project's contractor, will generally only treat one lane of each road at a time. Vehicles will need to park and drive on the opposite lane while construction is ongoing. The contractor will also be working with affected residents to provide access to driveways and other property as needed. |
| Local farmer says lack of rain puts strain on crop growth | |
 | If you live in North Mississippi or West Alabama and are trying to grow anything, you know, this has been a dry summer. Many people need rain for their yards or gardens, but when it hasn't rained in a while, that can put farmers in a pickle. The key is to stay prepared and persistent when the rain isn't always cooperating. Owner of Mayhew Tomato Farm Melvin Ellis says this year has not been the worst he's seen, but it hasn't been as much rain as he'd hoped. For this year's crop, on a scale of 1-10, he ranks the severity of the environment a 7 or an 8. "The season in general has been tough," Ellis said. Ellis says in the last 26 days, his farm has only seen an inch and a half of rainfall, and most of that came in one evening. He says a dryer-than-average April, a cool and dry May, and a hot and dry June, makes it more difficult for the growth of plants. When it's hot and dry, the plants are using all their energy to stay alive, and making less produce for the summer harvest. |
| Beryl makes landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane, knocking out power to more than 1 million | |
 | Power outages are mounting along the Texas coast after Beryl came ashore Monday and lashed Houston with heavy rains and powerful winds as the storm moved inland. More than 1 million homes and businesses were without power hours after Beryl made landfall, according to CenterPoint Energy in Houston. High waters quickly began to close streets across Houston and flood warnings were in effect across a wide stretch of the Texas coast. The National Weather Service expected Beryl to weaken to a tropical storm Monday and a tropical depression Tuesday, forecasting a turn to the northeast and increase in speed Monday night and Tuesday. The storm reached the U.S. after leaving a trail of destruction over the last week in Mexico and the Caribbean. High waters quickly began closing roads around Houston, which was again under flood warnings after heavy storms in recent months washed out neighborhoods and knocked out power across the nation's fourth-largest city. More than 1,000 flights have been canceled at Houston's two airports, according to tracking data from FlightAware. The storm’s center is expected to move over eastern Texas on Monday and then through the lower Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday, the weather service said. |
| Hosemann: Study confirms PERS '13th check' for Mississippi retirees protected | |
 | An analysis paid for by the Legislature reaffirms the position that the yearly cost of living adjustment -- often referred to as the 13th check -- that retirees in the state pension system receive cannot be reduced or taken away, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said. Hosemann's office refused to release the report provided by the Jones Walker Law Firm, saying it was the work product of an attorney-client relationship. Instead, Hosemann released a statement saying, "I have never veered publicly or privately from our commitment to employee and retiree benefits. I do not and will not support removing or changing the cost of living adjustment for these individuals. "Jones Walker law firm was hired to provide us with information about how the COLA operates in law when others were discussing freezing it. What we confirmed is exactly what we believe: the law protects the COLA in Mississippi for employees and retirees." Through the years there have been discussions about at least freezing the annual 3% cost of living adjustment that state retirees receive. Freezing the COLA has been viewed as a way to alleviate the financial stress that some maintain the system faces. Many retirees opt to take the cost of living increase as a so-called 13th check in December instead of it being divided and added to their monthly retirement check. PERS has about 360,000 members including current public employees and former employees and retirees. |
| Mississippi earns Silver Shovel Award for recent economic development projects | |
| Mississippi has once again been recognized as a Silver Shovel Award winner by Area Development magazine due to recent business enterprises. The magazine's shovel awards are given to state economic development agencies that utilize innovative policies to create jobs, entice employers to open businesses, and improve infrastructure. The Magnolia State was awarded in the "fewer than 3 million population" category. "Mississippi's historic economic development run has earned our state a Silver Shovel Award," Governor Tate Reeves said in a social media post. "Congratulations to everyone across our state who helped secure this through their many hours of work!" The following economic development initiatives taking place in Mississippi caught the publication's eye: Hush Aerospace (Tupelo), Skydweller Aero (Hancock County), Raytheon (Forest), PACCAR (Columbus) and APEX Ammunition (Columbus). Other projects noted by Area Development include fishing boat manufacturing, tire and steel wheel assemblies, and wood panel production taking place in the Magnolia State. |
| Confidentiality remains one of economic development's greatest challenges | |
| Phil Hardwick wears a coat of many colors. He started out as an FBI clerk, served in the Army on the White House security team, joined the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia, and then moved to the Mississippi Attorney General's Office as chief investigator. After that, Hardwick, a Jackson native, joined the Mississippi Real Estate Commission, eventually serving as head of the agency. While there, he was instrumental in establishing the national certification program for real estate investigators. That experience led to an appointment as the City of Jackson's chief economic developer and a stint in economic development at Mississippi Valley Gas (now Atmos Energy) before landing at the John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University. A master multi-tasker, Hardwick also found time to teach at the Millsaps College Else School of Management for more than a quarter-century and pen more than 1,000 business columns, most recently for Magnolia Tribune. He has also authored several detective novels. Magnolia Tribune sat down with Hardwick to ask about his career highlights, economic development challenges, and "re-retirement" plans. |
| Thomasson elected new Mississippi Economic Council chair | |
| Philadelphia native and businesswoman Pat Thomasson has been elected chairman of the Mississippi Economic Council (MEC). Thomasson, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Philadelphia-based Thomasson Company, was elected by the board of directors to serve the 2024 to 2025 term. "It means a great deal to me to be able to serve as chair of MEC," Thomasson said. "I have admired the work of MEC for a very long time. Neshoba County and Mississippi are extremely special to me, and I want to do everything I can to help increase the quality of life here." Her term began in May. Thomasson is a certified woman-owned business specializing in industrial wood products for the energy sector. "Thomasson Company has been a member for many years, and I have watched MEC make a positive difference in our state," she said. "I feel very honored to join other chairs from Philadelphia like Don Kilgore, Bill Yates, and William Yates in being elected to this position." Looking ahead, Thomasson said MEC will continue to focus on improving workforce development and getting students into career pathways and the proper post-secondary programs for their success. |
| U.S. Attorneys use civil court to battle Covid fraud | |
 | Thousands of people across north Mississippi were seduced by the promise of "free government money" at $20,000 a pop. Now the government is going after them to recover the stolen pandemic relief funds. Instead of trying to prosecute thousands of people throughout the criminal court system, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oxford has taken a civil approach -- civil court that is. They are suing people to force them to return or pay back the money they stole. "Everything we do is public. We file the civil suit so there is a public record," said Affirmative Civil Enforcement attorney Harland Webster. "They admit what they did and sign a consent judgement. It is all there for the public to see." So far, the office has opened around 1,000 civil cases against people across the north half of the state. They have gotten around 400 judgements and have recovered, sometimes through asset forfeiture, $3.2 million in funds. Most have agreed to pay the money back over time. The investigation into the Covid relief money fraud has not only identified thousands of small fish to be handled through civil lawsuits, it has also identified several cases that will end up as criminal charges. "If the person was in a position of trust or authority, we will handle it criminally," said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. "If there was a large amount of money stolen, it will go criminal. If they are an aggregator, it will go criminal." |
| Some Mississippi legislative districts dilute Black voting power and must be redrawn, judges say | |
| Three federal judges are telling Mississippi to redraw some of its legislative districts, saying the current ones dilute the power of Black voters in three parts of the state. The judges issued their order Tuesday night in a lawsuit filed in 2022 by the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP and several Black residents. "This is an important victory for Black Mississippians to have an equal and fair opportunity to participate in the political process without their votes being diluted," one of the plaintiffs' attorneys, Jennifer Nwachukwu, of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a statement Wednesday. "This ruling affirms that the voices of Black Mississippians matter and should be reflected in the state Legislature." Mississippi's population is about 59% white and 38% Black. In the legislative redistricting plan adopted in 2022, 15 of the 52 Senate districts and 42 of the 122 House districts are majority Black. Those are 29% of Senate districts and 34% of House districts. The judges ordered legislators to draw majority-Black Senate districts in and around DeSoto County in the northwestern corner of the state and in and around Hattiesburg in the south, and a new majority-Black House district in Chickasaw and Monroe counties in the northeastern part of the state. |
| Ford hosts annual Girls' Day at the Mississippi Capitol | |
| Madison's state Rep. Jill Ford held her annual Girls' Day at the Capitol recently where she invited young ladies from Madison County to learn more about government and the legislative process. "Girls' Day is something I look forward to every year," Ford said. "It's great to be able to show the young women of Madison County how our government works and to see the looks of awe on their little faces when the walk through the halls of the Capitol." Newly-crowned Miss Mississippi Becky Williams, Miss Mississippi Teen Brooke Bumgarner of Madison, and State Sen. Jenifer Branning of Philadelphia were the special guest speakers for the event. "Girls' Day was such a perfect way to remind young Mississippi girls that we can do it all," Bumgarner said. "We can be leaders, educators, politicians, doctors, lawyers, and anything we set our minds to. From spending time touring the State Capitol to chatting about ways to build our confidence, Girls' Day is shaping Mississippi's future, and we're in great hands." Branning, running for a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court this November, praised Ford for the yearly event. "It is vitally important that we engage and equip the next generation of leaders and Rep. Jill Ford's Girls' Day is designed to do just that," she said. |
| Federal court hearing on Mississippi absentee ballots pits Republicans against Republicans | |
| A federal judge will hear arguments Tuesday on a lawsuit brought by the state and national Republican parties and the state Libertarian Party that seeks to bar Mississippi election workers from counting mail-in absentee ballots after the date of an election. U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, a senior-status judge, set a hearing for Tuesday in Gulfport for arguments from both sides. The plaintiffs argue that a 2020 state law allowing local election workers to process mail-in absentee ballots for up to five days after an election violates federal law because only Congress sets the timeframe for when votes can be processed. The Mississippi law currently permits election workers to count mail-in votes if the ballots were postmarked by the election date. The Republican parties, represented locally by former state GOP director Spencer Ritchie, argue that the five-day window should be suspended for federal elections because the statute dilutes the weight of ballots cast on Election Day and harms conservative candidates running for office. The litigation marks a peculiar scenario where the national and state Republican parties have filed suit over a law passed by a GOP-dominated Legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves. Secretary of State Michael Watson, a Republican, is the state's chief elections administrator and is now tasked with fighting his own party in court using attorneys from Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office. |
| Earmarks in House spending bills increase over last year's versions | |
 | Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, step aside: there's a new champion House earmarker, and it's Kentucky Republican James R. Comer, the powerful Oversight and Accountability panel chair. Comer's $241.3 million haul puts him way out front in the rankings of fiscal 2025 appropriations bills either passed by the House or moving through the Appropriations Committee markup process. The reason is one massive Army Corps of Engineers project included in the Energy-Water bill: $218 million for an addition to the Kentucky Lock about 22 miles from where the Tennessee and Ohio rivers meet. Expanding the lock would allow more and larger barges through, benefiting local communities and the inland waterways industry centered in Paducah, Ky., Comer says. Comer's largess dethrones Fleischmann, R-Tenn., the Energy-Water Appropriations Subcommittee chairman who in fiscal 2024 delivered the most earmark dollars to his constituents among House members, largely by virtue of one similarly sized mega Army Corps project. This year's total in the House bills -- which will roughly double when projects in the yet-to-be unveiled Senate spending bills are added in the final bargaining -- is just over $8 billion, spread across 4,830 individual earmarks. Republican support for earmarking continues to win over converts, though there are still 67 GOP lawmakers who don't request any community project funding, or about 30 percent of the conference. |
| 'It's about to get wild': Congress returns for pivotal week as Democrats sweat over Biden | |
 | Capitol Hill is headed for a historic and pivotal week with the trajectory of the 2024 presidential campaign very much on the line. Lawmakers return from their Fourth of July holiday recess with Democrats facing mounting questions about whether they will band together and urge President Joe Biden to nix his reelection campaign amid serious concerns the 81-year-old incumbent is not up to the job of serving four more years. Time is short. Biden continues to blame a minor illness for his poor performance in the recent debate with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and says that he has no intention of giving up his spot atop the Democratic ticket with a little more than a month to go before accepting his party's nomination in Chicago. The politics are expected to change come Monday when congressional Democrats who so far have been hedging in public over what they think Biden should do will be seeing their own colleagues face to face in the nation's capital. Over the last two weeks, everyone has been hearing directly from voters in their districts and states about the president's mental fitness and capacity to keep doing his job. "We're in unprecedented territory, the likes of which we've rarely seen in this country," Jim Manley, a former spokesman for Democratic Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., told USA TODAY. "Everybody should hang on because it's about to get wild." |
| Biden's uncertain political future divides Democrats as they return to Capitol Hill | |
| Deeply torn over President Joe Biden's candidacy, Democratic lawmakers return to Washington at a pivotal moment as they decide whether to work to revive his campaign or edge out the party leader, a make-or-break time for his reelection and their own political futures. Anxiety is running high as top-ranking Democratic lawmakers are joining calls for Biden to step aside after his dismal public debate performance and defiant response to the uproar. At the same time, some of the president's most staunch supporters are redoubling the fight for Biden's presidency, insisting there is no one better to beat Republican Donald Trump in what many see as among the most important elections of a lifetime. As lawmakers weigh whether Biden should stay or go, there appear to be no easy answers in sight. It's a tenuous and highly volatile juncture for the president's party. Democrats who have worked alongside Biden for years -- if not decades -- and cherished his life's work on policy priorities are now entertaining uncomfortable questions about his political future. And it's unfolding as Biden hosts world leaders for the NATO summit this week in Washington. In an effort to "get on the same page," House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is convening lawmakers for private meetings before he shows his own preference, according to a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it. He plans to gather Democrats on Monday whose bids for reelection are most vulnerable. But a private call Sunday of some 15 top House committee members exposed the deepening divide as at least four more Democrats -- Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state and Rep. Mark Takano of California -- privately said Biden should step aside. |
| Some Democrats Urge Biden to Weigh Options as Age Worries Linger | |
 | President Biden pressed ahead with his re-election campaign on Sunday, brushing aside calls from some Democrats that he rethink whether to stay in the race, as the fallout from his disastrous debate performance continued to reverberate throughout the 2024 election. Biden sought to rally supporters at events in Pennsylvania on Sunday, joined by top Democratic officials including Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey, amid pressure to prove he has what it takes to win this fall. The day was designed to show off the 81-year-old president's retail campaigning touch, continuing a string of appearances that included campaign remarks and a TV interview on Friday, in which Biden gave forceful remarks but did little to allay allies' fears about his fitness. Biden is bleeding support among Democrats and donors, despite the president's pledge to remain in the race, following the June 27 debate against Trump. While Vice President Kamala Harris has the clearest path to step up if Biden withdraws from the election, dissenting Democrats haven't coalesced around a plan to pick a replacement nominee, and several said Sunday that talk of a fill-in nominee was premature. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said Biden was in denial about his condition. "Most Democrats are worried about Biden winning the election," Graham said. "I'm worried about Biden being the commander in chief for the next four months." |
| 'Evolving' but no credible threats before RNC and DNC, Secret Service says | |
 | The security situation is constantly "evolving" but there is "nothing credible" in terms of direct threats heading into the Republican and Democratic national conventions this summer, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said Sunday. According to Cheatle, the Secret Service is coordinating with the Milwaukee Police Department and Chicago Police Department, as well as the FBI and other intelligence agencies, to prepare for and mitigate potential threats -- including both domestic and foreign terrorism. The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee is to be held July 15-18, and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago will take place Aug. 19-22. Cheatle told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" that her agency has been planning for both conventions for the past year and a half. "The environment that we're dealing with today is certainly different than it was four years ago," Cheatle said, responding to a question about whether current political polarization factors into threats. "I'm sure we'll see an evolution in the next four years as well. But it is definitely something that we take into consideration." While Cheatle does not anticipate different potential threats facing the RNC and DNC, she said each city and venue requires specialized assets and resources. She added she is "absolutely confident" in the Secret Service's plans to secure the conventions in Milwaukee and Chicago. |
| Beshear says he plans to stay Kentucky governor, but doesn't quash talk of higher office | |
 | Andy Beshear reiterated Friday he intends to serve out his second term as Kentucky's governor -- but he didn't slam the door on higher office, including potentially being vice president. "The only other way I would ever consider anything other than this job -- which I love -- is if I felt that I could help this commonwealth in special and important ways," he told reporters in Louisville Friday afternoon. During his reelection campaign last fall --- and multiple times since then --- Beshear has insisted he plans to serve his whole term that ends in 2027. However, that was before a flurry of rumors that the 46-year-old Democrat is a potential vice presidential contender, should President Joe Biden decide to drop out of the race following his stumbling June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump. Whispers about the potential landing spot for Beshear have spilled into the national spotlight. The 46-year-old Democrat is being ballyhooed by national media sources, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN, as a potential replacement for Biden, or a running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris, should she replace Biden atop the Democratic ticket. On Friday, Beshear wouldn't address those rumors. |
| Justice Amy Coney Barrett is charting her own path on the bench | |
 | The dissent was biting, accusing the Supreme Court's conservative majority of "feeble" and "cherry-picked" arguments that inaccurately downplayed the Environmental Protection Agency's role in protecting air quality. Of course, all three liberal justices signed on. But the writer was a conservative nominated by President Donald Trump: Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who charted a distinctive path during her breakout fourth term on the high court. With piercing questions from the bench, and a willingness to break ranks with other Republican nominees in an era of conservative dominance on the court, Barrett played a new role this term -- calling for a pragmatic, incremental approach to some cases in which her colleagues wanted to move more aggressively. "She is an independent mind at work on a court that often falls into camps -- and that's refreshing to see," said Deepak Gupta, a Washington lawyer who tracks the court's work. "Justice Barrett is a conservative judge in multiple senses of the word. She certainly joins the court's steps to the right in big cases," Allison Larsen, who teaches at William & Mary Law School, said in an email. "But she also appears to prefer a conservative (lowercase c) methodology that is risk-averse, careful and deliberate." |
| MUW Health Center offers tips to stay cool as temps rise | |
| As the Mississippi sun blazes overhead and humidity soars, residents brace for yet another scorching summer. Surviving the intense southern heat requires more than just staying indoors or avoiding the sun. Many Mississippians are familiar with the strategies it takes to beat the heat, but whether it's your first summer down south or your 50th, putting these practices into play will help keep everyone cool through the dog days of summer. Many individuals often overlook the seriousness of rising temperatures which can be associated with heat related illnesses. Dehydration, according to Dr. Alena Groves at Mississippi University for Women's Health Center, is the most common health issue brought about by this change in seasons. "At the top is dehydration, and it's just simple dehydration, but it can cause a lot of issues. The more those issues from dehydration [go] on, the worse the heat illness can get. It can escalate to heat stroke, heat stress it can be heat rashes, but those are the most common," said Groves, professor of graduate nursing. "And during the summer time, we can have more strokes, more heart attacks and more issues with kidney failure and renal failure because they're all fluid related." The CDC states, "Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body that need to be replaced. A sports drink can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat." Groves echoed with an important clarification for refueling the body. |
| 'The Baddest Band in the Land': How the Sonic Boom's Super Bowl Performance With Usher Happened | |
| Marice Graham stood backstage of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, 2024, along with 92 other musicians from Jackson State University's Sonic Boom of the South marching band who were about to perform. The 65,000 screaming fans in the stands roared with an energy that surpassed that of the past 10 days' rehearsals, when producers used the dark of night to perfect lighting, backdrop and laser cues. Fingers clenched around the trumpet at her side, Graham lined up, preparing to take to the field. Amid the bustling activity around her, her mind thought of the celebrities among the audience who may be watching. As she told herself she had all the time in the world to center herself and concentrate, her inner earpiece buzzed. "Hey guys, we have three minutes," a producer said over the comm. "Oh my goodness," she thought, taking a deep breath. "Three minutes, three minutes, three minutes." In a blink, those three minutes dwindled to 30 seconds. In a blink, those three minutes dwindled to 30 seconds, and the Sonic Boom moved in to find their designated positions on the turf behind the Cirque du Soleil performers. ... "Honestly, I wouldn't have had that experience if it wasn't for the Sonic Boom, and I know that," the trumpeter told the Mississippi Free Press a week after the halftime show. "The Sonic Boom just helps make their kids' dreams come true. Thank God for that and the opportunity." |
| The other Margaret Walker novel: Unfinished book surfaces at long last for publication | |
 | Margaret Walker is perhaps most known for the only novel she ever published, Jubilee. But buried in the archives of Jackson State University's Margaret Walker Center is a little-known novel Walker left unfinished and unknown to the world. For the past seven years, Seretha Williams, a Margaret Walker scholar and professor at Georgia's Augusta University, has been quietly scouring the archives to bring Goose Island into the public eye nearly 90 years after Walker wrote it. The novel, the first book written in its genre when Walker first penned it in the 1930s, is getting a second chance at life with a tentative publication date in January 2025 through University Press of Mississippi. Walker, born in Birmingham and raised in New Orleans, was a poet and author. She would have turned 109 on July 7 this year. Mentored by W.E.B. Dubois and Langston Hughes and a mentor herself to writers such as James Baldwin and Alice Walker, Margaret Walker made a name for herself as part of the Chicago Black Renaissance literary movement. Walker moved to Jackson in 1949, where she taught at JSU for 30 years and founded their Institute for the Study of the History, Life, and Culture of Black People, now called The Margaret Walker Center. In 1966, during her tenure at JSU, she authored Jubilee. Scholars credit the book with inventing the neo-slave narrative genre, which includes works like Toni Morrison's Beloved. |
| LSU offers local freshmen $3,000 to live at home this semester | |
| Local LSU incoming freshmen with home addresses within 30 minutes of campus now have the option to stay at home this semester instead of live on campus and get paid to do it. Freshmen entering college have a lot of decisions to make, and now there's another for local LSU students. "We've offered some of our local students here the opportunity to commute for the fall semester. And, we've incentivized that with the $3,000 incentive. Part of that is, we are doing occupancy management," LSU Residential Life Executive Director Peter Trentacoste said. Trentacoste says more students are interested in living on campus this year than anticipated. "We kind of looked at cancellations, we realized, 'Wow they're not coming in as fast as we'd like, that's a little bit higher than normal in terms of the interest,'" Trentacoste said. LSU Sophomore Kayla Vine says while this incentive is beneficial to local students, she thinks LSU should add more housing options rather than backtrack to open up more spots. "I feel that LSU gets a lot of money to build more dorms for freshmen, but I don't know what they do with the money. $80 million went to the LSU pool, so they spend it on all the amenities," Vine said. The incentive is opening up spots for out-of-state students like Cole Costello who only recently got his dorm assignment. |
| A Florida Law Has Nearly Killed Campus Voter Registration Drives | |
 | A Florida law that went into effect last July has mostly ended paper-and-pen voter registration on the state's college campuses, according to students and voter registration organizations. The number of groups registering voters on campuses across the state has plummeted, and while some have refocused their efforts on helping students register online, voting rights advocates worry that that method may be less effective. "Most college clubs have just completely stopped doing" voter registration, said Alexis Hobbs, a student at the University of South Florida at St. Petersburg and the president of the campus's Planned Parenthood Generation Action chapter. "It's extremely sad, because there are smaller communities on campus that could have been a very productive part of registration efforts on campus. But now," she said, "they're just too afraid to even talk about how to get registered." The sweeping, Republican-backed legislation, Senate Bill 7050, increased restrictions and potential penalties for third-party voter registration organizations -- a term, often abbreviated as 3PRVO, that refers to any entity other than a state or local elections board that "engages in any voter registration activities." The Florida law was one of many attempts in recent years to make it more difficult for students -- especially out-of-state students -- to vote. Multiple states no longer allow students to use their college IDs to vote. |
| U. of Tennessee to give highest honor to former senator and a Civil Rights leader | |
 | The University of Tennessee at Knoxville will give honorary degrees this year to two important state figures, one who served as a U.S. senator and another who fought for equal rights in education. At UT, an honorary degree is one of the highest forms of recognition it bestows. Earlier this year, UT honored Bob Booker with a degree before his death. The next people to receive the honor will be former Sen. Lamar Alexander and Rita Sanders Geier. The university has not set a date for when this will happen, but here's what we do know: UT will give Alexander an honorary Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences and Geier an honorary Doctorate of Laws. The UT System Board of Trustees approved the honorary degrees at its annual meeting in June, along with a reappointment for Randy Boyd, a historic renaming of a college and tuition increases for every UT campus. Alexander, who turned 84 on July 3, has served in numerous public roles throughout his life. The Maryville native earned degrees from Vanderbilt University and New York University Law School. He was elected and served as Tennessee governor from 1979 to 1987. He also was the U.S. secretary of education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush, and he was elected to serve in the U.S. Senate from 2003 until 2021 when he retired. Alexander also served as the 18th UT president for a short stint from 1988 to 1991. |
| Lawsuit that alleged Georgia underfunded its public HBCUs quietly dropped | |
| A highly publicized lawsuit filed last fall made serious allegations that Georgia had chronically underfunded its historically Black universities compared to the state's predominantly white schools. But a little more than six months later, the plaintiffs quietly agreed to dismiss the civil case after a federal judge in Atlanta noted "that no action has taken place in this case since plaintiffs filed their complaint on October 24, 2023." The Georgia Board of Regents, which oversees the state's three public HBCUs and was named as a defendant, typically doesn't comment on litigation. But a spokeswoman said the board and University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue were never even served the legal paperwork in the civil case. Despite dropping the case, the lawsuit's supporters have vowed to continue the fight. Atlanta attorney John A. Moore represented three alumni who attended Fort Valley State, Savannah State and Albany State universities and brought the case against the state and individual officials. Moore said the plaintiffs "voluntarily dismissed the case to do additional research of similar cases and to add plaintiffs to avoid dismissal attempts." The suit's dismissal slows efforts to call attention to what some students, state lawmakers and federal officials contend has been historic inequities in how Georgia and other states fund historically Black colleges. |
| New bachelor's degree in theatre coming to Texas A&M this fall | |
 | Texas A&M University's School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts is expanding with the addition of a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre, beginning in the fall 2024 semester. After being approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the theater major will be based on three pillars in performance, design and production. The areas of instruction will delve into acting, voice and directing, as well as arts administration and community engagement. Rayna Dexter, instructional associate professor and acting program director for Theatre, said the program will be unique in its emphasis on creating new and original works. The school also features majors in Dance Science, Visualization and Performance and Visual Studies. "If you're going to create a new degree in Texas, it needs to be different from the other degrees available," Dexter said. "And no one else in the state is doing this. In fact, this is the only program of its kind at a public university in the United States at the undergraduate level." "We're starting from scratch. We have free rein to say, 'What would your dream program be if we're really looking at the future of theater?' I think we're on the cutting edge. We have a real unique opportunity to say, 'This is what the future of theater training looks like.'" |
| U. of Missouri faculty opinion of Mun Choi vastly improves 2 years after scathing report | |
 | The last time faculty of the University of Missouri weighed in on their campus leader, they said he "fostered a general culture of helplessness and submission" and that morale had been "irreparably damaged." Only 26% of those surveyed in 2022 supported retaining Mun Choi as chancellor of the university, a position he took over in addition to his role as president of the entire University of Missouri System. This year's survey shows Choi is getting much higher marks, with 64% of faculty now saying they want to keep him in his position. Choi chalks up his improved scores to his visits across departments and conversations with university leaders. "I took to heart the faculty concerns that were shared in the 2022 survey about listening to faculty voices and ensuring that faculty input helps form my decisions," Choi said in an interview with The Independent. "I took the message about the perception of a lack of shared governance to heart and also to be more effective in communicating my priorities and also seeking input from the faculty during the many visits that I've made to colleges since that survey." Choi has been the president of the University of Missouri system since 2017 and became chancellor of the flagship campus in 2020. The faculty survey is focused on his work with MU. |
| College credit for working your job? Walmart and McDonald's are trying it | |
 | When Walmart stopped requiring college degrees for most of its corporate jobs last year, the company confronted three deep truths about work and schooling: A college diploma is only a proxy for what someone knows, and not always a perfect one. A degree's high cost sidelines many people. For industries dominated by workers without degrees, cultivating future talent demands a different playbook. Some of the nation's largest employers, including Walmart and McDonald's, are now broaching a new frontier in higher education: convincing colleges to give retail and fast-food workers credit for what they learn on the job, counting toward a degree. Behind the scenes, executives often paint a grander transformation of hiring, a world where your resume will rely less on titles or diplomas and act more like a passport of skills you've proven you have. For now, companies and educators are only starting to chip away at one of the first steps: figuring out how much college credit a work skill is worth. Many American universities have long offered credit for corporate training by companies like Google, IBM or Microsoft. For work in retail and fast food, the process is nascent. McDonald's is working with several community colleges to build a path for converting on-the-job skills, like safe food handling or customer service, into credit toward degrees in culinary arts, hospitality or insurance. |
| Renowned Tech Analyst Urges Higher Ed Leadership in AI | |
| Universities require a "mindset change" to succeed in a coming era forged by artificial intelligence and should take on an AI leadership role in partnership with government and tech firms, according to a report from an influential tech analyst and venture capitalist. Mary Meeker, founder and general partner at Bond Capital, became known as the "queen of the internet" for her analysis of internet stocks. Her in-depth annual internet trends report was a must-read for Silicon Valley until the last one in 2019. Meeker's "AI & Universities," her first report in more than four years, centers on the intersection of higher education and artificial intelligence. "In the wake of ChatGPT and the AI explosion, we have likely reached a generational, fast and furious change across education," Meeker writes in the 17-page report released last week. "The ramp in artificial intelligence -- which leverages the history of learning for learning -- affects all forms of learning, teaching, understanding, and decision making. This should be the best of times." "Universities need to find, create, and sustain their differentiators -- their best-in-class programs and advantages that attract students -- or risk losing market share in an increasingly transparent and AI-enabled world that has already received a COVID-related remote work booster," she said. "The reality is that younger students (and lifelong learners) are getting smarter about their learning options, costs, and returns. They will be aggressive voters with their time and money." |
| College Marijuana Researchers Hopeful as Federal Government Moves to Reschedule Drug | |
 | The Biden administration's proposal to reclassify marijuana as a lower-risk drug could create more research opportunities for colleges by removing barriers that exist because of its current status under the Controlled Substances Act. The U.S. Department of Justice formally moved in May to recategorize marijuana from Schedule I, which covers drugs with a high risk for abuse and no recognized medical value, to Schedule III, which signifies a low to moderate risk for dependency and an accepted medical use. Cannabis researchers at colleges are optimistic that rescheduling will reduce some of the constraints on research, enabling them to pursue better understanding of this ubiquitous substance. Until recently, the University of Mississippi was the only place in the United States where scientists could obtain research-grade cannabis. For about 50 years, it maintained an exclusive contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse to grow the plant. But as states moved to legalize pot and the substance got stronger, scientists felt that the Mississippi product wasn't a good proxy for the drug people were actually using. In 2021, the DEA expanded the list of approved sources of research cannabis. Researchers say the inventory from those companies is still limited, but should increase over time -- and, they hope, offer a better mirror to the stuff on sale. (Mississippi is still supplying the federal government with marijuana.) |
| Federal LGBTQ Rule for Schools Under Siege | |
| The Biden administration has racked up a string of initial losses in its effort to extend federal protections against discrimination to gay and transgender students. A federal court this week blocked new rules from going into effect in four states -- Kansas, Alaska, Utah and Wyoming -- and numerous other schools across the country. That follows two similar rulings issued by other lower courts. Now, the Education Department can't enforce its rewrite of Title IX regulations in about 14 states across the country -- including many Republican-led states where the rule was poised to have the biggest impact. The legal patchwork is creating uncertainty for school administrators, students and parents about how the rule, which was set to go into effect in August, will be applied. The department's final rule was released in April and would require schools to allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity, regardless of the sex on their original birth certificate. The new rule is at odds with laws in a number of Republican-controlled states that mandate students use facilities based on their birth sex. The federal regulations could also require school staff to use transgender students' preferred pronouns. Although the injunctions aren't final rulings, they indicate that the Biden administration may face an uphill battle defending the new rule with more conservative judges. Some legal observers expect this issue to eventually make its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. |
| Is college worth it? Poll finds only 36% of Americans have confidence in higher education | |
| Americans are increasingly skeptical about the value and cost of college, with most saying they feel the U.S. higher education system is headed in the "wrong direction," according to a new poll. Overall, only 36% of adults say they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in higher education, according to the report released Monday by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation. That confidence level has declined steadily from 57% in 2015. Some of the same opinions have been reflected in declining enrollment as colleges contend with the effects of the student debt crisis, concerns about the high cost of tuition and political debates over how they teach about race and other topics. The dimming view of whether college is worth the time and money cuts across all demographics -- including gender, age, political affiliation. Among Republicans, the number of respondents with high confidence in higher education has dropped 36 percentage points over the last decade -- far more than it dropped for Democrats or independents. The June 2024 survey's overall finding -- that 36% of adults feel strong confidence in higher education -- is unchanged from the year before. But what concerns researchers is shifting opinion on the bottom end, with fewer Americans saying they have "some" confidence and more reporting "very little" and "none." This year's findings show almost as many people have little or no confidence, 32%, as those with high confidence. |
| Grace Place 'an oasis for the spirit' in downtown Jackson | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: The late Democratic Cong. G. V. "Sonny" Montgomery was a mainstay of the Congressional Prayer Breakfast. At Sonny's memorial service in 2006, former Republican Congressman and Secretary of the Army Pete Geren called the breakfast "an island of fellowship." Another former Republican congressman, Ed Pease, called it "an oasis for the spirit." Would that we had such affirming bipartisan gatherings in our political world today. Instead, we are beset by islands of conflict and oases for the bitter that yield too many perverse political leaders in both parties. So, it has been heartwarming to learn about an island of fellowship and oasis for the spirit in downtown Jackson. Grace Place is located on the grounds of Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church (UMC) right in front of the State Capitol. What is Grace Place? A physical and spiritual haven for those who are homeless and others in need. |
| Mississippi Republicans love at least one project Trump now calls a 'green new scam' | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Some of Mississippi's top Republicans, namely Gov. Tate Reeves and U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, traveled last week to Marshall County in north Mississippi, a stone's throw from the state line with Tennessee, to celebrate the groundbreaking for a new electric vehicle battery plant. "Today we broke ground on a project of record proportions -- the single largest payroll commitment in Mississippi's entire history, and the third largest economic development project in Mississippi's entire history," Reeves said of the $1.9 billion plant that is slated to create 2,000 jobs paying an average salary of $66,000 annually to build electric batteries to power commercial trucks. The night before Reeves, Hyde-Smith and the other prominent officials celebrated the new development, their party's leader, former President Donald Trump, sharply criticized the increase in jobs like the ones the new Marshall County plant will create. During last week's often discussed presidential debate, Trump blistered Democratic President Joe Biden's "green new scam" jobs and called them "a plan to make China rich." |
SPORTS
| CFB25: We're In The Game Launch Party | |
| It's been over a decade since the last installment of EA Sports College Football was released. With just days remaining until the release of College Football 25, Mississippi State Athletics is hosting a launch party to celebrate. On July 18, MSU invites fans to join the department inside Humphrey Coliseum to watch and play EA Sports College Football 25 with current football student-athletes and NFL Bulldogs Emmanuel Forbes, Johnathan Abram, JT Gray and Bookie Watson before the game's official release on July 19. Playing spots are limited with 32 available. Concessions and merchandise will be available for purchase, football players will sign autographs, and a fun zone with corn hole and a photo booth will be provided for those in attendance. Proceeds from the MSU open play event will go to the Bulldog Initiative. All seating will be general admission. Tickets are available for purchase at HailState.com/EACFB25. Open play will feature four gaming stations for a total of 32 games with 2-minute quarters and a running clock. The four winners from open play will advance to the main event where they will take on four current student-athletes and four former student-athletes. Main event games will be played with 3-minute quarters and a running clock and streamed on the Mississippi State ESports Twitch live stream. |
| Mississippi State to hold launch party for new college football video game | |
| For the first time in 11 years, EA Sports is releasing a new college football video game, and Mississippi State is ready to celebrate the occasion in style. The night before EA Sports College Football 25 officially launches, MSU is inviting fans to Humphrey Coliseum to play the game, with top performers getting the chance to play against current Bulldogs players and four alumni -- Emmanuel Forbes, Jonathan Abram, JT Gray and Nathaniel "Bookie" Watson -- who now play in the NFL. The event will take place July 18, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and proceeds going to the Bulldog Initiative, MSU's NIL collective. Fans will play a total of 32 fast-paced games at four different stations, and the winner at each station will advance to play against the current and former Bulldogs players. Games from the final rounds will be streamed live on the Mississippi State ESports Twitch live stream. More than 14,000 college football players have opted into the game. According to reporting from On3 Sports, MSU's signature cowbells will be included in the game, as will the maroon/white chant, the fight song and the new "script State" uniforms and helmets. |
| Inside the new SEC: Evaluating all 16 football teams in reimagined conference | |
 | Welcome to the new SEC. A process three years in the making, Oklahoma and Texas joined the SEC on July 1. It will become "official" this fall when the Longhorns and Sooners join arguably college football's toughest conference and unquestionably the most successful, with 13 of the past 20 national champions by five programs: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and LSU. Eliminate divisions, expand the College Football Playoff and there's no shortage of intrigue for each team. As we close in on the first SEC media days as a 16-team league, here are 16 thoughts for every team in the conference. ... It's not getting as much publicity as some of its peers in the league, but Mississippi State is red hot on the recruiting trail with 14 commitments since June 1. Its No. 37 national ranking is consistent with where the program was under Mike Leach. It has been a tragic and tumultuous time at Mississippi State: three coaches in three years beginning after Leach's death in December 2022. The key for Mississippi State is to re-establish identity and consistency, and early indications are that recruits are buying into new coach Jeff Lebby's message. Now comes putting out a proof of concept on the field. |
| Analyzing what made Jeff Lebby's offenses so effective at UCF, Ole Miss and Oklahoma | |
| When an offense in college football is both bad and boring, it's hard to generate a lot of positive headlines --- on the field or in recruiting. After moving away from Mike Leach's "Air Raid" offense following the former head coach's death in December 2022, Mississippi State's offense in 2023, coordinated by Kevin Barbay, was at times both lifeless and uninspiring. The Bulldogs' offense managed just 11.25 points per game in Southeastern Conference play, eclipsing 17 points just once. Athletic director Zac Selmon knew he needed an offensive innovator in MSU's next head coach, and he found one in Jeff Lebby, who coordinated stellar offenses at UCF, Ole Miss and, most recently, Oklahoma. Selmon's hope is that Lebby's offense will be not just effective, but also fun to watch. The Bulldogs already have a whole slew of marketing slogans for the upcoming season, from "Showtime" to "Swag is State" to "Score From Far." Unlike at Oklahoma, Lebby had a lot of work to do to install his offense with the Bulldogs, who were outside the top 100 in both points and yards per game last year. Without the transfer portal, it would have been a much taller task, but MSU is looking at seven transfers starting on offense this fall, including quarterback Blake Shapen from Baylor. |
| Mississippi State volleyball releases full 2024 schedule | |
| Already one of the strongest conferences in college volleyball, the Southeastern Conference will be even tougher this year with the addition of Oklahoma and two-time defending national champion Texas. Coming off a sub-.500 season in 2023, Mississippi State faces an uphill battle to climb back into contention for the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs released their full schedule Wednesday, starting with a visit to Memphis on Aug. 24. MSU will make the short trip to Birmingham, Alabama, to take on Samford and UAB on Aug. 30 and 31 before the home opener on Sept. 6 against Michigan. Notre Dame will visit Starkville two days later. The following weekend, the Bulldogs head to New Orleans for a tournament where they will face host Tulane, Louisiana-Monroe and Grambling State. MSU then returns to Newell-Grissom Building to host Southern Miss on Sept. 19 and 20 before opening SEC play on Sept. 27 at South Carolina. MSU's conference home opponents are LSU (Oct. 4), Tennessee (Oct. 6), Auburn (Oct. 13), Ole Miss (Oct. 23), Arkansas (Oct. 27), Texas (Nov. 6), Oklahoma (Nov. 10) and Missouri (Nov. 24). The Bulldogs' other road opponents are Florida (Oct. 9), Missouri (Oct. 20), Texas A&M (Nov. 3), Alabama (Nov. 15), Ole Miss (Nov. 17), Kentucky (Nov. 20) and Georgia (Nov. 27). |
| Nuno Borges becomes Mississippi State's first tennis Olympian | |
| Nuno Borges has already been enjoying a historic year, and later this month he will become the first Mississippi State tennis player to compete on the Olympic stage. Borges, the current top-ranked player from Portugal, advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open in January, his best singles performance to date at any Grand Slam event. He fell in the first round at the next two majors, the French Open and Wimbledon, but will return to the courts at Roland Garros to compete for an Olympic medal in Paris. A three-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year for the Bulldogs, Borges was also the 2019 ITA National Player of the Year and finished second in the NCAA singles championship that year. He turned pro following graduation, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented him from playing in any big events until 2021. Borges made his Grand Slam singles main draw debut at the 2022 French Open, at age 25. Prior to his run in Melbourne this year, Borges had never advanced past the second round at a major. But he upset Grigor Dimitrov in the third round at the 2024 Australian Open before falling in four sets to Daniil Medvedev. At the Italian Open in May, Borges again reached the fourth round before his run came to an end against Alexander Zverev, another of the world's top-ranked players. |
| Izquierdo, Perez Selected to Represent Colombia in 2024 Paris Games | |
| Mississippi State soccer proudly announces that two of its outstanding athletes, Ilana Izquierdo and Catalina Perez, have been selected to represent Colombia at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. This marks a significant achievement for the Bulldogs, highlighting the program's excellence on an international stage. Izquierdo will make her Olympic debut in Paris, joining the ranks of only 11 Bulldogs in school history to earn a spot on an Olympic team while still an active student-athlete. In 2024, she debuted with the Colombian senior Women's National Team at the inaugural CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, starting every match, winning two group stage matches, and reaching the quarterfinals. She also participated in friendlies on the 2024 Mexico Tour. Perez, making her second Olympic appearance, previously represented Colombia in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games before enrolling at MSU. Currently playing professionally with Werder Bremen in the FrauenBundesliga, Perez showcased her skills at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, where Colombia reached the quarterfinals. She allowed only four goals while making 15 saves. Perez played a pivotal role in Colombia's runner-up performance at the 2022 Copa America, which qualified them for Paris. |
| Ole Miss researchers study NIL's impact on Americans, lawmakers | |
| University of Mississippi researchers published an influential study on changing attitudes about athletes making money on their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights. The NCAA and several college athletics administrators continuously lobby Congress to step in and help regulate the changing landscape. Brennan Berg, associate professor and program director of sport and recreation administration; and Andre Simmond, instructor in sports and recreation, assert that most relevant legislation exists on the state level. They collaborated with researchers at the University of Houston, Memphis and South Florida. Their findings, published in the Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, drew widespread praise. The College Sport Research Institute recently named the report as co-winner of its 2023 Outstanding Article Award. Researchers found that the NCAA focused most of its legislative and legal efforts at the federal level. The organization was noticeably absent in the three states within the study: Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Researchers like Simmond deem it essential for the NCAA and other collegiate athletics organizations to help craft state policy. "The world of collegiate athletics is ever-changing, and I believe it is important for scholars to continue to examine those changes and how they relate to key stakeholders," Simmond said. |
| Auburn AD has ideas for Jordan-Hare upgrades, but a 'new economic reality' could cause a stall | |
 | While Auburn athletic director John Cohen says there isn't a part of Jordan-Hare Stadium that he and his team aren't evaluating for future renovations, there is one part of the stadium that he believes needs more attention than others. "When you stand right at midfield around the beautiful Auburn logo -- the AU -- you do a 360 and you say, 'Wow, that north endzone is kind of vacant,'" Cohen said ahead of an Auburn AMBUSH stop in Lake Martin on Tuesday night. In an effort to help fill the vacant space, the Auburn Board of Trustees recently approved a $25.7 million project that will put a new videoboard in the north endzone, replacing the existing scoreboard that's been in place since 1987. It's a project that's expected to be completed in time for the 2025 football season and one that will intentionally leave the door open for future renovations to the north endzone. Proposed ideas for premium seating options in the north endzone are still just that -- ideas that haven't formally been presented to the Board of Trustees. And with the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics, it could be some time before any north endzone upgrades beyond the videoboard get off the ground. "A project like that takes on a different dimension when you consider the economic realities we face moving forward," Cohen said. |
| Midway through historic year, here are the biggest unknowns facing college sports | |
| Take a breath, college sports. Midway through a year so dizzying, so consequential -- from landmark National Labor Relations Board developments and sizable cracks in the ACC's foundation to a slew of lawsuits and, of course, the historic House settlement -- the December unveiling of the NCAA's reform proposal looks like ancient history. As we eye the second half of one of the most impactful years in college sports history -- soon to kick off with media days for newly expanded power leagues -- the industry finds itself in an entirely new frontier yet still grappling with far more questions than answers as a more professionalized ecosystem comes into focus. Over the next six months, the NCAA will continue its lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. Schools and leagues will gird themselves for a coming revenue-sharing model that will prompt difficult financial decisions. And all-important proceedings will continue in the courts and other venues, incrementally shaping this new world order. While the college sports world absorbs a defining first six months of 2024, here are the biggest unknowns as we consider the next six months: Will U.S. District Judge Wilken certify the House settlement? How many schools across the country are willing and able to share $22 million with athletes? What's the future of donor-driven collectives? Will there be formal Title IX guidance issued to schools related to a revenue-sharing model? What will be the outcome of the USC-NLRB case? Will the NCAA Tournament expand? Will leagues make splashes with private equity? How will the 2024 presidential election impact NCAA sports? What to expect from the inaugural 12-team CFP? |
| How Title IX publicity requirements impact sports media's NIL coverage | |
| It's currently the dead season in college sports–since the Men's College World Series wrapped up last week, on-the-field action at the college level is on pause until the fall. But the last week of June and the first week of July still mark important developments in the history of the American college sports industry. Title IX, the educational amendment that bans all U.S. institutions that receive federal funding from discriminating on the basis of sex, passed on June 23, 1972, opening the floodgates to women's sports participation. Then, almost 50 years on July 1, 2021, the state of Florida's NIL bill went into effect along with several other state-level NIL laws, which forced the NCAA to adopt its interim NIL policy and loosened longstanding restrictions on college athletes' rights to monetize their names, images, and likenesses. Although the two movements might seem unrelated, there are important intersections between the two. First, it can be argued they're close in significance to female athletes. Financial empowerment is of the utmost importance to women in general, and because most female athletes peak in earning potential in college, millions of women pre-NIL have missed out on financial opportunities that can fund their graduate education, future businesses, or homeowner aspirations once they earn their degree. However, arguably the most important relation between Title IX and NIL is how much they overlap when it comes to institutional compliance–especially when it comes to publicity, a critically overlooked area of Title IX regulations. |
| NIL Influencers Must Disclose Paid Connection to Avoid Lawsuits | |
| Social media influencers can violate the law by failing to disclose a paid relationship with a brand, a federal judge ruled last week when partially denying a motion to dismiss. The ruling serves as a warning to athletes who use NIL to boost products and services without acknowledging the presence of a contractual relationship. U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow advanced most of a lawsuit brought by two dissatisfied consumers of Blue Ice Vodka. Mario Sava and Alin Pop accuse the vodka's maker, 21st Century Spirits, and 10 influencers of violating the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act), Florida and Illinois and California consumer protection statutes. The defendants are also accused of unjust enrichment, negligent misrepresentation and breaching express warranties. Sava and Pop, who seek for their lawsuit to become a nationwide class action and demand damages of "at least $11 per bottle," argue that marketing for Blue Ice is rife with falsehoods, exaggerations and distortions intended to mislead consumers. |
| Colleges Risk Equal Pay Lawsuits in Sharing Revenue With Players | |
| Colleges and universities face the threat of gender discrimination lawsuits if they share revenue differently between male and female student athletes and fail to justify the disparities. Under a pending NCAA antitrust settlement with former Division I players, colleges have agreed to pay their athletes at least 22% of media revenue each year. While colleges may be inclined to share more funds with the programs that generate the most revenue, attorneys and academics caution that doing so can open those schools up to litigation under workplace civil rights laws and Title IX of of the 1972 Education Amendments. "They're going to feel an enormous pull to spend their money on football because that's where they make their money," said Michael LeRoy, a University of Illinois College of Law professor who researches college athletes. "If schools give in to that temptation, they will be defendants in Title IX lawsuits. It's a virtual certainty." Major employment anti-discrimination laws such as Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Equal Pay Act could come into play if student athletes are deemed employees of their schools -- a contentious labor law issue currently being debated in courts, administrative tribunals, and on the Hill. Schools should start thinking about obligations for equitable pay now, in anticipation of athletes winning employment status, said Shannon Liss-Riordan, a worker-side class action attorney with Lichten & Liss-Riordan PC. |
| Players' Lawyers Slam Houston School's NCAA Settlement Protest | |
| The multibillion, but still unfinished and unfiled, proposed settlement to convert big-time college sports into a pro model was recently challenged by Houston Christian University, but attorneys for players in the House, Carter and Hubbard antitrust litigations told Judge Claudia Wilken Friday to reject HCU's bid. In a seven-page opposition motion submitted by Steve Berman and Jeffrey Kessler, the plaintiffs argue HCU's motion to intervene is "premature and meritless." As detailed by Sportico, HCU last month became the first, and thus far only, Division I school to legally object to the proposed settlement. HCU, which like other NCAA schools is not a named defendant, insists it had no voice or opportunity to impact the proposed settlement. Berman and Kessler raise several counter-arguments. They argue HCU -- an "unnamed coconspirator" of the NCAA -- allegedly lacks standing. To that point, Berman and Kessler belittle HCU for raising "hypothetical fears" since the parties haven't yet filed a preliminary approval motion for Wilken to consider (they are expected to do so by July 15). HCU's claims about settlement terms and impact are dismissed as "mere" and unactionable "conjecture." The attorneys also contend that "contrary to HCU's speculation," the settlement envisions "all potential future payments from universities to college athletes" as "voluntary" -- just like, Berman and Kessler point out, it is voluntary for universities to play in D-I and remain NCAA members. |
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.
