| Wednesday, July 10, 2024 |
| Here are the events for Mississippi State's 2024 Homecoming | |
 | Officials with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Alumni Association announced the 2024 edition of Homecoming will take place October 31 through November 3. "The MSU Alumni Association is proud to collaborate with the Greater Starkville Development Partnership to deliver a Homecoming weekend full of events and activities for the entire community," said Jeff Davis, MSU Alumni Association executive director. "We are excited for alumni and friends to reminisce about their time at State, re-experience campus and Starkville, and create new memories as they reconnect with MSU and other Bulldogs." Festivities kick off on Thursday, October 31, with the Young Alumni Welcome to the City event at Fire Station Park. |
| MSU's summer orientation brings thousands to Starkville | |
 | Video: Mississippi State is hosting several summer programs that bring thousands of people to Starkville. |
| Several agencies carry out emergency response drill at MSU | |
 | When it comes to emergencies that require different agencies to work together, it's always helpful if they can also train together. That was the idea driving an exercise on the Mississippi State University campus. The 47th Civil Support Team of the Mississippi National Guard, working with MSU Police, University leaders, and the MSU Crisis Action Team carried out a drill based on a potential emergency scenario around Davis Wade Stadium. MSU personnel say drills like this get everyone on the same page *before* they're needed, and that helps things run smoothly if the worst happens. "So, it's a really great time, in the Summer, to think in advance of scenarios we hope will never happen. The most common scenarios are severe weather, but there are any number of situations that could benefit from advanced training, and so that's what we're doing today," said Allison Matthews, MSU Crisis Action Team. The drills are conducted in Summer because there are fewer students on campus, and responders can also train in extreme weather conditions. |
| How the MSU Riley Center gave Meridian's 1890s Grand Opera House an encore | |
 | Morgan Dudley has seen her share of stunners perform on the Grand Opera House stage during her five years at Meridian's MSU Riley Center, but one 2022 show in particular rises above them all. Bob Dylan, touring in support of his Rough and Rowdy Ways album, named after a song by Meridian's native son and "father of country music" Jimmie Rodgers, earned the distinction of having the fastest-selling show in the theater's history to date. But that wasn't the most remarkable memory for Dudley. Instead, it was how Dylan intentionally sought to perform here -- at 950 seats, it was easily the smallest venue of the tour -- in tribute to Rodgers and the region that influenced his famous sound. He even broke his own long-standing custom of not addressing the audience, instead preferring to let the music speak for him, to pay his respects. "He walked out to the middle of the stage and said, 'It's great to be in Mississippi, home of Jimmie Rodgers' -- and the people who followed him all the across country were like, 'Oh my gosh, he just spoke,'" recalls Dudley, who is now the center's director of conferences, events and operations. During the same season, singer-songwriter and guitarist Boz Scaggs capped his set with a total of five encores, returning to the stage over and over to continue playing. While his production manager was shocked at this unorthodox sight, Dudley wasn't too surprised. Artists typically have an awed reaction to the intimate 1890s theater and the welcoming local audiences. |
| EPA Selects Mississippi State University Extension to receive $100,000 in funding to support Environmental Education in Jackson and across Mississippi | |
| The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the selection of Mississippi State University Extension to receive $100,000 in funding to support Environmental Education in Jackson and across Mississippi. This selectee's off-campus educational arm of Mississippi State University, the Extension provides current research and educational information to individuals in all 82 counties. This grant funding aims to increase public awareness of environmental issues and provide skills so participants can make informed decisions and take responsible actions toward the environment. "Congratulations to our environmental education grant winners in the Southeast area," said Acting Region 4 Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle. "Investing in environmental education increases public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues, in addition to providing participants in its programs the skills necessary to make informed decisions and take responsible actions." The project will expand the Mississippi Water Stewards program to provide water resource education and outreach activities that will build stewardship in communities that need it most. This work aims to utilize a mini-grant program for community-based organizations to lead 1-year water monitoring and outreach programs to strategically expand MSWS in communities in Mississippi, with special emphasis on the Jackson metro area. This project focuses on educational and environmental priorities: community projects, environmental education capacity building, environmental justice, and ensuring clean and safe water. |
| Mississippi school leaders feeling the impacts of evolving Artificial Intelligence and how it impacts the country | |
 | Mississippi educators say they see the impacts of evolving Artificial Intelligence and how it's impacting the country. Kyle McDill is a project manager at Mississippi State University, who said he uses AI in his everyday life. McDill said he's amazed at the impact AI has had on the U.S. "It helps me write, it helps me organize, it helps me format," McDill said. McDill also owns one of the newest Artificial Intelligence devices called the Rabbit R1. He also has a pair of Meta Ray-Ban glasses that can take pictures and videos. "It'll take a picture, then it will describe in detail landscapes and rooms," he said. Alcorn State University senior Sylvester Washington is majoring in engineering, and he said AI has changed his classroom experience. "I use AI to help me with homework, write papers any little other things like projects and PowerPoints," Washington said. |
| Market trust at stake: What the Supreme Court's ruling in SEC v. Jarkesy means for investors | |
| Mississippi State University's Brian Blank and a colleague write for The Conversation: A recent Supreme Court ruling has gotten a lot of attention for how it could reshape government. What's gotten much less attention is how it could affect markets. As finance professors, we find this at least as important. The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in SEC v. Jarkesy could make it more challenging for the Securities and Exchange Commission -- the U.S. agency that regulates securities markets -- to fight fraud. And any time the SEC loses power, as it just did, market trust and transparency may be at risk. What matters for investors, including anyone with a 401(k) plan, is how the SEC chooses to handle cases moving forward. ... Some people have argued the ruling won't change much for the SEC, since the agency had already started routing many cases through federal courts. Additionally, the SEC has plenty of other opportunities to fight fraud through federal litigation, industry bars and suspensions. However, a ruling that the SEC now must turn to judiciary trials or proceedings instead of internal administrative proceedings will move all securities-fraud cases involving fines to the federal courts, potentially raising the cost of prosecution. That, in turn, could result in fewer enforcement efforts, given limited agency resources. |
| Smaller family companies are the unexpected innovation powerhouses in many countries in the world | |
| Mississippi State University's Jim Chrisman and colleagues write for The Conversation: Close your eyes and imagine a world where the most innovative companies aren't big tech giants but family-run businesses. Now open your eyes, because you don't have to imagine it: It's reality. That's what our team of business experts found in a recent global analysis of research into family-owned and family-run firms. When we reviewed 193 studies published from 1996 through 2022 about the strategies, including innovation, that these businesses pursue, we saw that smaller family companies lead the charge in innovation -- with a caveat. Specifically, we found that small and medium-sized family companies in legal environments with strong property rights are the most innovative in the world. They surpassed large family businesses and non-family-run business of all sizes. To determine which countries have stronger property rights protections, we used the most comprehensive ranking available, the International Property Rights Index. The index takes several issues into account, including political stability, judicial independence, corruption, ease of access to loans, and copyright and patent protection. |
| Mississippi Power storm team heads to Texas to help with Hurricane Beryl recovery | |
 | A Mississippi Power storm team consisting of more than 160 line crew, support personnel and contract resources headed west Tuesday morning to assist Texas utilities after Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Monday. Crews departed from stations throughout the company's service territory and will be joining the restoration efforts in the impacted communities near Houston. "Our team is eager to help our neighbors in Texas because we know what it's like to be in their position," said Mississippi Power Storm Director Stephen Schruff. "Assisting these restoration efforts also keeps us storm-tested and ready in the event our customers are impacted by future storms." Mississippi Power is a part of a mutual assistance program and regularly travels across the United States to join storm restoration efforts when needed. The company encourages customers to stay weather-aware in what is already proving to be an active hurricane season. "Our focus will be to restore power as safely and as quickly as we can in Texas while our team at home continues to meet our customers' needs," Schruff said. "We know how quickly weather conditions can change this time of year, and we will continue to be prepared to respond to whatever Mother Nature throws our way." |
| Tourists still flock to Death Valley amid searing US heat wave blamed for several deaths | |
 | Hundreds of Europeans touring the American West and adventurers from around the U.S. are still being drawn to Death Valley National Park, even though the desolate region known as one of the Earth's hottest places is being punished by a dangerous heat wave blamed for a motorcyclist's death over the weekend. French, Spanish, English and Swiss tourists left their air-conditioned rental cars and motorhomes Monday to take photographs of the barren landscape so different than the snow-capped mountains and rolling green hills they know back home. American adventurers liked the novelty of it, even as officials at the park in California warned visitors to stay safe. "I was excited it was going to be this hot," said Drew Belt, a resident of Tupelo, Mississippi, who wanted to stop in Death Valley as the place boasting the lowest elevation in the U.S. on his way to climb California's Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Kind of like walking on Mars." Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds cautioned visitors in a statement that "high heat like this can pose real threats to your health." Heat illness and injury are cumulative and can build over the course of a day or days, officials warn. |
| Corinth to host 37th annual Slugburger Festival this weekend | |
 | For the 37th time in as many years, this weekend will see the city of Corinth filled with carnival rides, live music, pageantry, a car show and -- of course -- slugs. In burger form, at least. This weekend marks the 37th anniversary of Corinth's annual Slugburger Festival, a celebration of a local delicacy that has attracted people from across the nation. The event will kick off Thursday, July 11, and continue through Saturday, July 14, in Corinth's Trailhead Yard. Although it's attracted national attention over the years -- particularly the years in which the city hosted the Major League Eating-sponsored World Slugburger Eating Championship -- the event is wholly a community affair. The whole Corinth community turns out to make the Slugburger Festival happen, said Main Street Corinth director Angela Avent. Magnolia Car Club will put on a car show, Crossroads Museum puts on a green market, Main Street puts on a carnival and brings in live music, and Corinth's Rotary Club cooks the slugburgers. That's appropriate. As Avent tells the story, it was local Corinth jeweler Jimmy Hathcock who got some fellow downtown business owners together to organize a festival around the slugburger. Made from a beef patty cut with potato flakes and flour -- or other ingredients, depending on the chef -- the slugburger is believed to have originated in Corinth. |
| Current Choctaw Princess is ready to pass the torch at 74th annual Choctaw Indian Fair | |
 | Nalani LuzMaria Thompson has spent the past year helping people learn about the culture of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians based in Neshoba County. Thompson was selected as the 2023-2024 Choctaw Indian Princess at age 18 during her senior year of high school, and she is set to pass the crown to a new princess on Wednesday's opening night of the 74th annual Choctaw Indian Fair that began in 1949. The Choctaw Indian Princess has been crowned on the opening night of the annual Choctaw Indian Fair since 1955 and the princess serves a year as an ambassador for the tribe. "I've made presentations to the elderly as well as little children, so it's always important that I know my audience well and whom I'm speaking to about the events and culture," Thompson said. "That's why I'm so excited and we encourage everyone to come out and just learn more about our culture, because there will be something for everyone at this fair even for the kids." The competition for the next princess will be Wednesday, the first night of the fair, and includes four-parts that the contestants compete in, including an interview, a banquet, personal presentation and wearing traditional Choctaw clothing. After passing the torch, Thompson plans to attend Southern Miss to study nursing. |
| Crystal Grill closes: Diners sad to lose 88-year-old restaurant | |
| The Crystal Grill, the 88-year-old Greenwood restaurant, has closed its doors. After hours of reports circulating on social media and around town, its owner, Johnny Ballas, confirmed the news that has left generations of diners in Greenwood and beyond saddened. "With careful thought and a heavy heart, we are announcing that our family restaurant, The Crystal Grill, is closing," Ballas and his wife, Beverly, posted to the restaurant's Facebook page late Tuesday afternoon. "After many years, we have made this hard decision to close our doors effective immediately. We are very grateful to our loyal employees throughout the years. Our success couldn't have happened without your hard work. Ballas did not provide reasons for the closure, although he had shared in recent months with some patrons his frustrations with the local labor market and rising food costs. Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams echoed the widespread sentiment in town as word of the closure spread. "I was devastated when I heard that news this morning, and I am so sad because it is such a huge part of our history," she said Tuesday. The Crystal Grill becomes the second landmark restaurant in Greenwood to close recently, joining Lusco's, located just a few blocks away. |
| Report: Inflation still top concern among Mississippi small business owners | |
| A new report shows that inflation is still the top problem for small business owners across the U.S. According to the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), while price increases have slowed in recent months, the inflation surge dating back to mid-2021 continues to impact those who run small businesses, both in Mississippi and in other states. "Prices might not be climbing as fast as they did a few months ago, but they're still climbing and that affects everybody," NFIB State Director Leah Long said. "Inflation continues to drive up the cost of running a small business and reduce their customers' purchasing power." The NFIB's Small Business Optimism Index released this week showed the highest reading of the year with a 91.5 mark in June – one point higher than May. The last time the index was higher was in December 2023 when it reached 91.9. Even so, this marks the 30th month below the 50-year average of 98 as only 8% of small business owners expect conditions to improve by year-end. The report added that 21 percent of owners reported inflation as their single-most important problem in operating business, one point down from May. |
| Powell Inches the Fed Closer to Cutting Rates | |
 | Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell made a subtle but important shift that moved the central bank closer to lowering interest rates when he suggested Tuesday that a further cooling in the labor market could be undesirable. "Elevated inflation is not the only risk we face," Powell told the Senate Banking Committee during the first of two days of testimony Tuesday. "We've seen that the labor market has cooled really significantly across so many measures....It's not a source of broad inflationary pressures for the economy now." That assessment is notable because Fed officials have long cited an overheated labor market as a primary risk to bringing inflation back down. Powell conceded that he wouldn't have arrived at such a judgment as recently as two months ago---and indeed, the Fed leader was more measured in comments made at a conference in Portugal last week, before the release of the June employment report by the Labor Department. Behind the shifting outlook is labor-market data showing a slowdown in hiring and a mild but steady increase in the share of Americans looking for work amid an increase in the workforce, due partly to more immigration. While almost all of Powell's commentary suggested it was a matter of when -- not if -- the Fed would cut rates, he repeatedly spurned efforts by lawmakers to pin him down on the exact timing. "I'm not going to be sending any signals about the timing of future actions," he said. |
| New Episcopal bishop in Mississippi to take on declining Christian numbers | |
| She actually took office on May 1 and has been visiting churches across the state to listen to their needs, wants and their vision of where they would like to see denomination grow in the future. The Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells was selected an historic election in February, becoming the first woman and first Black person to become the Episcopal Bishop of Mississippi. This continues a trend in Mississippi as Sharma Lewis was elected as the first Black woman to become bishop of the Mississippi United Methodist Church in November of 2022. While she won't officially be ordained until July 20, Wells has been on the job for a couple of months now as they new Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi. "It's been exciting just to get out and meet people already," Wells said in an interview with the Clarion Ledger. There are 82 Episcopalian churches in Mississippi, with approximately 17,000 members, according to Wells. That is down from 89 churches and 20,000 members in 2017. That is consistent with national trends in the Episcopal church that suggest the church has declined in membership over the last few years, including a 5.6% drop between 2021 and 2022. Wells is well aware of the drop in numbers and wants to address that problem with education, understanding and forward thinking. "We really need to focus on how we talk to people about Christianity, period," Wells said. "What do people perceive about us that claim Christianity and profess that faith? What are the perceptions that folks are taking away when they encounter us? Are we showing God's love, radical love, in everything that we do?" |
| See running total of how much money Mississippi is turning down by not expanding Medicaid | |
| Mississippi would receive an additional $2.04 billion the first year Medicaid was expanded to provide health care coverage for the working poor, according to projections compiled in June by the state's University Research Center. Based on that projection, Mississippi Today is unveiling a digital tracker that will run continuously displaying how much money the state is losing in federal funds by not expanding Medicaid. The tracker reflects the amount of money loss per millisecond for the year based on Medicaid expansion beginning on the start of the fiscal year, July 1st. The tracker is not exact: The amount of Medicaid money the state receives is based on a number of factors, primarily the health care needs of those covered by Medicaid. Medicaid provides funds to health care providers for rendering medical services to those who qualify for Medicaid. The state might receive more federal Medicaid funds, for example, during a flu or COVID-19 outbreak because Medicaid recipients would be receiving more health care. But for the sake of the tracker, it will be assumed the money received over a year -- a projected $2.04 billion -- would be distributed evenly. |
| House Democrats still split on Biden after high-stakes meeting | |
 | House Democrats on Tuesday failed to reach a consensus about whether President Joe Biden should continue his bid for a second term, as he showed no signs of stepping aside. The caucus met for a much-anticipated and high-stakes meeting behind closed doors amid Democratic lawmakers' and donors' concerns about Biden's sluggish debate performance on June 27. Some have called for him to step aside and let younger Democratic figures pursue the party's presidential nomination. Team Biden has gone on the offensive, with the 81-year-old president himself calling into a popular cable morning show on Monday, followed by a call with Democratic donors. Biden also sent a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday stating his strong intention to remain in the race and calling for party unity to defeat former President Donald Trump, the expected GOP nominee. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, who had previously called for Biden to step aside, said as he left the Democratic huddle that "the debate cannot be unseen." As congressional Democrats bickered behind closed doors, with some later expressing concerns anew about Biden's abilities, the president delivered a speech at the start of a NATO summit in Washington without error. He criticized Russia's war in Ukraine, pledged new air defenses for Kyiv, and presented outgoing alliance leader Jens Stoltenberg the Presidential Medal of Freedom. |
| Rep. Bennie Thompson Backs Biden Remaining As Nominee: 'We All Have to Rally Behind Him' | |
| U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson, the only Democrat in Mississippi's congressional delegation, is standing by President Joe Biden as the party's presidential candidate amid a wave of calls for him to step aside. "I will take Joe Biden any day over convicted felon Trump," the congressman, who represents Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District, said in a comment his office shared with the Mississippi Free Press on Monday. His district encompasses much of the Mississippi Delta and the City of Jackson. Thompson's press secretary, Yasmine Brown, told the Mississippi Free Press that the congressman "will be featured in several interviews to expound on his position in the coming days." Thompson made appearances on CNN later on Monday to reiterate his support for the president. "The Congressman is in full support of President Biden and does not plan on changing his stance anytime soon," Brown said. Since Biden struggled in a debate against Republican nominee Donald Trump on June 27, some Democratic officials have called on the 81-year-old president to withdraw and allow someone younger, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, to take over at the top of the ticket. During an interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper on Monday evening, Rep. Thompson warned that Trump would seek dictatorial powers if he wins the presidency. |
| 'We have to be mature voters': Mississippi Democratic Party chairman touts unequivocal support for Biden | |
| Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Cheikh Taylor has made it clear that he supports President Joe Biden's reelection efforts amid recent talks of replacing the commander-in-chief following a shaky debate performance. At times during the late June debate between Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, the president appeared to be hazy and struggled to finish his thoughts. Reports then immediately began to surface that registered Democratic voters, and even party leaders, became concerned about Biden's ability to oust Trump in this November's election. Though some on the Democratic side of the aisle are not quite convinced of Biden's electability versus the former president and once again candidate Trump, Taylor stood firm in his support for Biden and said that he and Mississippi Democrats alike are excited to cast a ballot for the Biden-Harris ticket on election day. "Every delegate from the state of Mississippi will be traveling to Chicago for the [Democratic National Convention] emboldened by the last four years of this presidency and are very excited about voting for him again," Taylor said on MidDays with Gerard Gibert. Looking back at the debate between the two top polling candidates seeking the Oval Office, Taylor acknowledged that Biden had a few moments that may not have reflected well on camera but pointed to Biden's performance in the White House as the ultimate selling point for voters. |
| Nikki Haley not invited to Republican convention but is tossing her delegates toward Trump | |
 | Former Gov. Nikki Haley will not be attending or speaking at the upcoming Republican National Convention that starts next week in Milwaukee but she has released her 97 nominating delegates and is encouraging them to support presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. In a media statement July 9, Haley said the convention is a time for Republican unity and the GOP message across the board should be aimed at taking back the White House. "Joe Biden is not competent to serve a second term and Kamala Harris would be a disaster for America," Haley said. "We need a president who will hold our enemies to account, secure our border, cut our debt, and get our economy back on track. I encourage my delegates to support Donald Trump next week in Milwaukee." Haley spokesperson Chaney Denton confirmed Haley was not invited to the gathering that begin Monday in Milwaukee where Trump will formally accept the 2024 nomination. "And she's fine with that," Denton said. "Trump deserves the convention he wants. She's made it clear she's voting for him and wishes him the best." Haley also released the delegates she won during the GOP nominating process that continued after she formally ended her presidential bid in March. |
| High-Tech American Weapons Work Against Russia -- Until They Don't | |
| The Excalibur artillery round performed wonders when it was introduced into the Ukrainian battlefield in the summer of 2022. Guided by GPS, the shells hit Russian tanks and artillery with surgical precision, as drones overhead filmed the resulting fireballs. That didn't last. Within weeks, the Russian army started to adapt, using its formidable electronic warfare capabilities. It managed to interfere with the GPS guidance and fuzes, so that the shells would either go astray, fail to detonate, or both. By the middle of last year, the M982 Excalibur munitions, developed by RTX and BAE Systems, became essentially useless and are no longer employed, Ukrainian commanders say. Several other weapons that showcased the West's technological superiority have encountered a similar fate. Russia's success in electronic countermeasures -- closely watched by China, with whom Moscow is believed to share some of its battlefield lessons in dealing with Western weaponry -- poses a strategic problem for the U.S. and allies. Western military doctrine has long relied on a belief that precision can defeat mass---meaning that well-targeted strikes can cripple a more numerous enemy, reducing the need for massive expenditure on troops, tanks and artillery. That proposition, however, had not been tested in a major war until Ukraine. The introduction of Western weapons there showed that what may have worked against Saddam Hussein's army, the Taliban or Islamic State guerrillas won't necessarily perform against a modern military like Russia's or China's. |
| The W welcomes Woodford as dean of the College of Business and Professional Studies | |
 | Kelly Collins Woodford will be the next dean of the College of Business and Professional Studies at Mississippi University for Women beginning Aug. 1. "I am pleased to welcome Kelly Collins Woodford as the newest dean of the College of Business and Professional Studies at The W," said Scott Tollison, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs. "She brings to the position an outstanding track record and an innovative vision for providing opportunities to students. I look forward to the continued elevation of our programs under her leadership and in collaboration with an outstanding faculty." For nearly three decades, Woodford has worked in higher education. Most recently, she served as the assistant dean for student affairs at Emory University School of Law. During that time, Woodford oversaw academic advising, the registrar, student organizations, student life, wellness and bar preparation while overseeing the operating budget. Former dean of the College of Business and Professional Studies, Marty Brock, has been appointed associate vice president for academic affairs and will have responsibility for the Kossen Center for Teaching and Learning and the direction of the Office of Graduate Studies. In addition, she will assume the role of SACSCOC accreditation liaison at the conclusion of The W's current reaffirmation. |
| Southern Miss to host Drum Corps International Tour | |
| The Drum Corps International (DCI) Tour will return to Hattiesburg, on Wednesday, July 24 for the 2024 edition of DCI Southern Mississippi. Top corps from around the country will compete at The University of Southern Mississippi's (USM) M. M. Roberts Stadium during this always-exciting event starting at 7:30 p.m. Featured corps include the Madison Scouts from Madison, Wis.; the Spirit of Atlanta, from Atlanta, Ga.; Pacific Crest, from City of Industry, Calif.; the Boston Crusaders from Boston, Mass.; the Crossmen, from San Antonio, Tx.; the Phantom Regiment from Rockford, Ill.; The Academy, from Tempe, Ariz.; and the Blue Devils from Concord, Calif. The show, hosted by The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band at Southern Miss, features more than 1,000 student musicians and performers from across the country in this entertaining and competitive event. |
| Mississippi Aquarium veterinarian discusses Shark Week events, debunks misconceptions about sharks | |
| Shark Week is officially underway with the Mississippi Aquarium celebrating the ocean predators in fitting fashion. Throughout the week, the aquarium in Gulfport is sharing educational material on social media plus hosting an array of on-campus events to teach more people about sharks. With "FINFacts" posted throughout the aquarium, other daily offerings include photo ops in the shark room and a shark-themed scavenger hunt. On Saturday and Sunday, the Mississippi Aquarium will be joined by the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Lab for their annual Shark Weekend, which will feature shark-centric activities for visitors of all ages. Dr. Alexa Delaune, vice president of veterinary services at the Mississippi Aquarium, believes this is a great time to both educate people about different species of sharks and to debunk the misconceptions that surround the oceanic creatures in need of protection. "Sharks are very, very important to the ecosystem and if we take all the sharks away, then everything gets out of balance. So, it's important for us to teach our guests about sharks, share some really cool fun facts about them, and just get people to appreciate them and recognize that they're very important and we need to do everything we can to keep them in our world." |
| Carbon capture summer camp offers a glimpse of Mississippi's future | |
| In early June, we had the distinct pleasure of joining a group of inspiring young minds at a STEM summer camp, hosted by Jackson State University and Rice University's Tapia Center, and sponsored by ExxonMobil. What the students experienced went beyond theoretical discussions by incorporating guided experiments, hands-on activities, and instruction from industry experts in carbon capture and storage (CCS), an industry that promises to benefit our state's workforce and economy for decades to come. The camp convened 60 remarkable students from across Mississippi on the Jackson State campus, at no cost to their families, for a week-long immersion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The attendees learned how to simulate an underground reservoir model that stores carbon dioxide using household items like beans, Play-Doh, pasta, and vegetable oil. Through this exercise they learned first-hand how we can use modern technology and our state's geology to reduce airborne pollutants. They also gave presentations summarizing everything they learned during the camp. Opportunities like these are more than just educational experiences – they are windows into the future. For the students, they provided a glimpse into what a future career in the STEM fields might look like. These unique insights are crucial, particularly for students from underserved communities, to illuminate a career pathway in a growing field that could transform their lives. Meanwhile, as attendants representing the communities we serve in the Mississippi House of Representatives the event offered a promising outlook into what a future fueled by CCS might look like in our state. |
| Mississippi teens participate in youth policy institute | |
| Summer isn't all about vacations for every teen. Some students are attending an immersive youth policy camp that nearly 30 rising 9th and 10th graders are attending on the Millsaps College campus. It's the brain-child of Mississippi Votes. However, the kids aren't quite old enough to vote. "Kids are never too young to just be a part of the process and to learn about the world around them and eventually how voting and politics will affect them at some point in life," noted Maisie Brown, Advocacy and Engagement Coordinator at Mississippi Votes. Their to-do list for the activity we observed was to identify an issue and create mock-legislation to address it. The group is mixing in field trips to museums in between sessions like these. It's all in an attempt to educate and empower them. "Advocacy is very important for the younger generation and people my age because I feel like we are the future," added Slaughter. "I think that people would be really surprised what would happen if they gave the kids a seat at the table," explained Brown. "If you allow kids to make some bills or have ideas around education, around technology, things that they know more about than we do." |
| LSU offers some freshmen $3,000 to live with their parents as it faces campus housing crunch | |
 | Incoming LSU freshman are normally required to live on campus, but this fall they can get a $3,000 bonus if they live at home with their parents at an address that's 30 minutes or less from campus instead. The bonus is available for freshmen who have already received a housing assignment for the semester that begins Aug. 26, said Peter Trentacoste, executive director of LSU's Department of Residential Life. The first-time bonus offer comes as the incoming freshman class is more interested than ever in living on campus, while room cancellations -- something that happens before ever semester -- are dropping, he said. LSU has a total of 8,800 beds -- 6,000 of those dedicated to freshmen -- in its student housing dorms, residential colleges, honors house and apartments. But for the fall semester that begins Aug. 26, requests for housing are topping that number, Trentacoste said. He said he believes it's a result of LSU's academic reputation. As of Tuesday, 50 incoming freshmen had accepted LSU's offer to live at home this fall, he said. |
| U. of Florida suspends arrested pro-Palestinian protesters for up to 4 years | |
 | In secretive hearings, the University of Florida set aside recommendations to lightly punish some of the college students arrested after pro-Palestinian protests on campus and instead kicked them all out of school for three to four years. The decisions by the new dean of students, Chris Summerlin, overruled what were effectively sentencing recommendations by the juries, known as hearing bodies, who heard testimony and watched police video of the protests and arrests during the disciplinary cases. The students were among nine people who university police and Florida state troopers arrested April 29 during a demonstration on the Plaza of the Americas on the east side of the University of Florida campus. They were among the first college arrests in Florida, and all remain banned from university property. UF President Ben Sasse, during a May press conference, praised police: "What you have done in the face of being spit on, being shouted at with profanities has been amazing," Sasse said. |
| Want free bus rides around Knoxville? U. of Tennessee students, staff get new perk | |
 | The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is taking a substantial step - or shall we say "ride" - toward changing parking on campus through a new partnership with Knoxville Area Transit that will provide free bus rides to students and faculty. UT also will offer a park-and-ride pass for faculty, staff members and commuter students. This will allow permit holders to park at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum and ride a UT bus to Neyland Stadium from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. The pass costs $99 and becomes available July 15. For students and staff on campus after 5:30 p.m., KAT buses run from Cumberland Avenue to the Knoxville Transit Center across the street from the coliseum. Students and staff with one of these permits also can park in unreserved staff and commuter areas on campus after 5 p.m. Starting Aug. 12, UT students can ride KAT buses for free, traveling anywhere their Volunteer spirit takes them. Faculty and staff, however, will be limited to free KAT rides to and from campus. "Providing practical commuter solutions is vital as we strive to transform the parking and transportation culture on campus," Tanara Teal-Tate, UT's executive director of parking and transportation, said in a news release. "This partnership with the City of Knoxville and Knoxville Area Transit will play a pivotal role in enabling us to create capacity on campus to accommodate growth and deliver the Volunteer experience for all students." |
| Possible RELLIS high-tech facility could double Bryan's taxable income | |
 | The mysterious proposed $10 billion high-tech manufacturing facility at Texas A&M University's RELLIS campus has the potential to double the city of Bryan's taxable income, according to A&M Chancellor John Sharp. The project is one step closer to reality after the Brazos County Commissioners Court and the Bryan City Council each approved tax abatement agreement for the project during separate meetings Tuesday. Both the commissioners court and city unanimously approved the 10-year abatement. All county commissioners, County Judge Duane Peters, city councilors and Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez are under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) regarding the possible project's details. The abatement percentage will be 80% for the first five years, dropping to 50% for the remaining five. The guaranteed value of the tax abatement begins at $100 million and increases to $10 billion by year 7. According to the agreement, the facility also will create an estimated 1,800 jobs by year 10. The project would be located on a 288-acre parcel on the RELLIS campus that was created as a reinvestment zone last month by the city council to allow for property tax breaks. Bryan city staff said the purpose of the designation was to attract a significant economic development project with the A&M System. "The Brazos Valley is posed to be a major player in the next economy," he said. "The RELLIS campus, as you know, has world-class research facilities that are going to complement this: hypersonics, autonomous vehicles, communications, defense, space. We've really just begun to tap the potential that RELLIS really has." |
| AI Taking Root in Growing Number of Agriculture Programs | |
 | Kent Shannon and a handful of students trudge out to a 55-acre cropland four miles south of the University of Missouri's main campus. The students bring tools -- not tills, tractors or plows, but sensors that use artificial intelligence to measure soil moisture, cameras that distinguish weeds from crops and drones to oversee plant growth from above. The literal field trip, part of a new program in Mizzou's Department of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is one of the latest instances of university agriculture programs planting a flag at the intersection of farming and technology. Such efforts are on the rise, leveraging everything from AI to robotics to ensure students are prepared for a changing industry. "A lot of universities are realizing the possibilities that agriculture can provide to train the next generation of workforce in terms of statistics, mathematics, AI, chemical engineering -- they all have a very tangible use case," said Baskar Ganapathysubramanian, the director of Iowa State University's AI Institute for Resilient Agriculture. "It's saying, 'Here is a problem that impacts all of society.'" Technology has always co-existed with agriculture, but, over the last few years, there has been a concerted cross-pollination. In 2020, the National Science Foundation launched its National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes, intended to boost AI research and workforce development. The effort now spans 25 institutions, with five higher education institutions tapped to focus on boosting the use of AI in agriculture. Each of the five universities received $20 million to spend over five years. |
| FAFSA completions largely stalled in June, fueling enrollment concerns | |
| The number of high school seniors who completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid largely stagnated in June, fueling concerns about enrollment declines this fall, according to the latest analysis from the National College Attainment Network. As of June 28, some 46% of the high school class of 2024 -- about 1.9 million students -- had submitted the new FAFSA form. That's down from 53.2% at the same time last year, representing about 250,000 fewer completions. NCAN typically compares the most recent FAFSA season to previous cycles at the end of June. But tracking this season's progress well into the summer will be important given how challenging the form proved to be, according to Bill DeBaun, senior director of data and strategic initiatives at NCAN. DeBaun said increased support services designed to help students finish the FAFSA over the summer could offer significant benefits to each additional applicant. They gain access to federal financial aid and, in some cases, higher education more broadly, he said. "It can be easy, when staring down very depressing line charts, to lose that perspective," DeBaun said. |
| Indian Student Visas Beset by Long Delays | |
| International student visas for residents of India and other South Asian countries looking to study in the U.S. have been subject to especially long processing delays this year, endangering international enrollments for the fall. In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on behalf of a consortium of 20 higher ed organizations, American Council on Education president Ted Mitchell urged the government to address the delays for F-1 and J-1 visas. He wrote that some students are being offered interview appointment dates 100 to 200 days after they apply. Those delays not only imperil students' ability to secure papers before the start of the academic year in the fall; they also risk depriving colleges of international student tuition, which some enrollment-dependent institutions rely on for financial survival. The delays are disproportionately affecting students from India, which has become the fastest-growing origin country for international students in the U.S. In 2022–23, international enrollment from India increased by 35 percent over 2021–22, making up more than 25 percent of all international students in the country. "This year, we expect to see that growth continue, and we are asking the State Department to ensure this surge of applications does not cause a delay in students receiving a student visa," Mitchell wrote. "We ask that the State Department and U.S. embassies take further action in India as well as in other countries that may see a surge of applicants to prioritize student visa processing during the summer months." |
| The Supreme Court curbed federal oversight of schools. It's a big deal. | |
 | Andrew Davis wanted protection after other students carved homophobic slurs into the door of his college dorm room. Sydney Greenway hoped to avoid spending a week's grocery money on another textbook. Tashiana Bryant-Myrick sought relief from the student debt hobbling her family's future. For years, the U.S. Department of Education has been able to intervene to some degree in these scenarios. But a Supreme Court decision handed down just over a week ago reined in the agency's power to help everyday people. The news came as important deadlines loom for schools to implement key regulations, many of which now stand on shakier legal ground. Three current and five former Education Department staffers, some of whom were not authorized to speak publicly, told USA TODAY they were dismayed by the ruling, which they fear will blunt the agency's ability to oversee the American education system. "I'm really, really nervous about what this means," said Amy Laitinen, who previously served as a senior policy advisor on higher education in the Education Department and the White House. "I don't think there's any doubt that it will be bad for students and taxpayers." Education policy in the United States is primarily hammered out by state and local governments. When it comes to taking federal action – including to keep LGBTQ+ students safe, textbook costs down and student loan debt under control -- Congress is generally slow to pass new regulations. (The main federal law overseeing colleges hasn't been comprehensively reauthorized since 2008.) |
| Federal court redistricting order legislative redistricting changes after NAACP state chapter files suit | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: The most recent federal court ruling ordering Mississippi to make changes in state legislative districts based on federal Voting Rights Act violations isn't your grandfather's federal court order on legislative redistricting or even your father's. The new voting rights ruling in the case Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP, et al, v. State Board of Election Commissioners, et al, differs. Historically, Voting Rights Act cases in Mississippi and much of the rest of the South were dependent on the concept of "federal preclearance" of proposed election changes -- changes like the creating new boundaries in state legislative districts – that required prior approval from the U.S. Justice Department before they could be enacted in states "with a history of racial discrimination in voting." ... Unlike legislative redistricting disputes in the past, this ruling didn't toss the entire redistricting plan for the Mississippi Legislature out the judicial window. The ruling is limited in scope to a handful of legislative districts and expressly offers the Legislature the opportunity to provide legal remedies to what the judges identified as an unconstitutional dilution of Black voting strength in three geographic areas of the state. The ruling requires the creation of new Black-majority state Senate districts in the areas around DeSoto County in Northern Mississippi and in and around the city of Hattiesburg and a new Black-majority state House district in Chickasaw and Monroe counties. Sounds clear enough, but the fact is that when the lines in one legislative district are adjusted it impacts all the contiguous districts. As the voluminous judicial ruling indicates, legislative redistricting is a complex exercise. |
SPORTS
| School-Record Number Of Bulldogs Bound For Paris Games | |
| "Team MSU" will send its largest delegation in school history to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as Mississippi State will be represented by eight athletes and one coach in the City of Light this summer. The nine Olympians is a school record, topping the Tokyo 2020 Games' seven (six athletes, one coach). State athletes will represent seven countries in three different sports beginning on July 25, a day before the Opening Ceremony. Five Bulldogs are making their second Olympic appearance. Marco Arop (CAN), Anderson Peters (GRN) and Curtis Thompson (USA) all competed in track and field at the Tokyo Games. MSU head track and field coach Chris Woods was an assistant coach that year for Canada, guiding Arop, and will reprise that role in 2024. Catalina Perez (COL) will make her second Games after being selected to Colombia's soccer roster for the Rio 2016 Games before she enrolled at MSU. Making their first Olympic teams are Navasky Anderson (JAM) and Lee Eppie (BOT) in track and field, Ilana Izquierdo (COL) in soccer and Nuno Borges (POR) in tennis. Borges in the first Bulldog Olympian in tennis, and Izquierdo will be the 11th athlete to compete in an Olympics while still an active student-athlete at MSU. State has never before been represented in Olympic soccer. |
| A look inside Mississippi State's history at the Olympic Games | |
| A record eight Olympic athletes with Mississippi State ties will compete in Paris later this summer, and that's not even counting head track and field coach Chris Woods, who will be an assistant coach with Team Canada. But the Bulldogs' Olympic history stretches back more than a century, with 26 athletes and three coaches representing 10 different countries. MSU is looking to bring home its first medal since Jude Monye won gold in track and field as part of Nigeria's 4×400 meter relay team at the 2000 Games in Sydney. Don Scott was MSU's first Olympian, competing for Team USA in the 800 meters at the 1920 games in Antwerp, Belgium. He just missed out on the podium, finishing in fourth place with a time of 1:56.9. Scott returned to the Olympic stage in Paris four years later, finishing 16th in the modern pentathlon -- which combines a 4,000-meter run and a 300-meter freestyle swim with shooting, fencing and equestrian. Also a football and basketball player at MSU, the student body named the school's football field in his honor in 1920, and Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field still bears his name to this day. Baseball made its return to the Olympics for the first time in 20 years at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, with MSU star Will Clark playing for Team USA and winning a silver medal. Four years later in Seoul, MSU head coach Ron Polk was a coach on the gold medal-winning American squad that defeated Japan in the final, four years after losing to the Japanese on home soil in the gold medal game. |
| State Places 117 Student-Athletes On 2024 Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll | |
| SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced on Tuesday that Mississippi State placed an impressive 117 student-athletes on the 2024 Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll. The list of honorees featured a total of 1,492 student-athletes across the 14 member institutions. The Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll includes student-athletes from baseball, golf, softball, tennis and track & field. It is based on grades from the 2023 Summer, 2023 Fall and 2024 Spring terms. For Mississippi State, track & field paced all sports with combined 55 student-athletes, 30 for the women and 25 for the men, on the list, while baseball contributed 20, softball earned 14, men's golf had 10, men's tennis totaled eight, women's golf and women's tennis each added five selections. This spring, State student-athletes combined to post a collective GPA of 3.23 to extend the department's streak of a 3.0 or higher average to 14 semesters. In total across all sports, 457 student-athletes achieved a 3.0 average or better and 53 earned Top Dawg honors with a 4.0 over the course of the semester. A total 51 student-athletes, 47 current and four former, also applied for graduation. |
| Former Mississippi State infielder Westburg announced as MLB All-Star replacement | |
| After what many Baltimore Oriole fans felt was a snub, former Mississippi State infielder Jordan Westburg is now heading to the 2024 MLB All-Star Game as a replacement. On Tuesday, the MLB announced Westburg to fill in for Boston Red Sox injured third baseman Rafael Devers as part of the American League team. Days away from the midway mark, Westburg is batting .281 with 14 home runs and 49 RBI for the AL East-leading Orioles. Westburg's alma mater went to social media to celebrate the achievement of their former star. After playing for Mississippi State from 2018-20, Westburg was selected by Baltimore with the 30th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. He was called up to the big leagues halfway through the 2023 season and is now heading to his first All-Star game, set for July 16 in Arlington, Texas. |
| Gator fans want to make it easier for Bulldog fans to park on UGA gamedays in Athens | |
 | Sunshine state resident JJ Paulsen says that growing up in a Florida Gator family meant many trips to Gainesville and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. And there's one aspect of going to see the Gators through the years that he's never forgotten. "A lot of my best memories as a kid were at those games, and the only negative experience was finding parking once we arrived," said the 20-year-old Orlando native, now an economics major at Florida. "In fact, we had a running joke in the family: How long will it take us to find parking this time?" Paulsen, who has also spent time selling parking spots at Florida football games, said he and his business partner Dustin Karp (a Florida alum) decided there had to be a better way to buy and sell parking spots and thus established Perch, a service targeted to make the process easier for everyone involved. In its first year of existence, Perch helped more than 2,000 college football fans find a landing spot for Florida home games. Now Paulsen and Karp are bringing Perch to Athens. Perch has already reached an agreement with one lot near Sanford Stadium and Paulsen said he and Karp are in the process of contacting other lot owners to establish a digital marketplace to make the gameday experience a little less aggravating for buyers and sellers who don't already have spaces reserved. |
| Commissioner Brett Yormark says Big 12 has solidified itself as one of nation's top 3 conferences | |
| Brett Yormark believes the Big 12 has clearly solidified itself as one of the nation's top three conferences in a period of drastic change in college athletics, and the commissioner said the expanding league is more relevant than it has ever been in its nearly three-decades history. "We are truly a national conference in 10 states, four time zones, and all eyes are now on the Big 12 for all the right reasons," Yormark said at the start of league's football media days Tuesday in Las Vegas. While the league's past national champions, Oklahoma and Texas, left for the Southeastern Conference, a move that became official last week, Yormark touted the additions of the Four Corners schools from the Pac 12: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. Those schools are participating in media days before their Big 12 membership formally begins at the start of August to make it a 16-team league for the first time. "On the football front, we will be the deepest conference in America. Every week will matter," Yormark said, then repeating that for emphasis before moving on. "We have star power and parity. We boast some of the top players and coaches in the game. November will be incredibly exciting and we will brand it as a race to the championship." |
| The $700 Million Clash Over Penn State Football | |
| College sports are still trying to figure out a sustainable business model now that their student athletes are getting paid. Pennsylvania State University says this is the time for a $700 million renovation for its football stadium. Penn State's board approved the massive debt-funded project this spring. Supporters say it is necessary for the Nittany Lions to stay competitive in a period of growth for college football revenue. Penn State's Big Ten football team has had winning seasons 18 of the last 20 years and is a point of pride for the university. Yet some trustees and alumni, including the son of legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, are questioning the Beaver Stadium makeover plan. They challenge the school's rosy financial forecasts for the project and point to the still-uncertain impact of new rules allowing player endorsement deals and revenue-share payments. Some trustees also say the project is ill-timed as the university attempts to climb out of a deficit with moves including slashing its law schools' budgets and offering staff buyouts. "There has to be some responsible adult in the room who says we just can't afford to do this," said Anthony Lubrano, one of two Penn State trustees who voted against the renovation proposal in May. Lubrano and others say the school's math is unrealistic. "It's hard to project 30 months, even 30 weeks, let alone 30 years," said Jay Paterno, son of Joe Paterno and an alumni trustee. "You don't want to be the most leveraged university in this new world." |
| Title IX athletics rule delayed yet again | |
| The U.S. Department of Education seems to be putting its long-awaited Title IX athletics rule on the back burner, according to a regulatory update from the Office of Management and Budget on Friday. In its Spring 2024 Unified Agenda -- which also included updates for high-profile forthcoming regulations on student debt relief -- OMB moved the athletics proposal to a "long-term action" without a rough deadline, meaning the agency doesn't expect a regulatory action within at least the next year. The controversial rule is expected to provide a framework for colleges and schools to include or exclude transgender students from athletic teams aligning with their gender identities. Previously, the department had listed the regulation as being in the "final rule stage," or one step away from release. Now, however, its final deadline is "to be determined," per the agenda. The department did not respond to K-12 Dive's request for comment on the indefinite delay. The development comes as part of a regular administration update showing which agencies plan to issue rules in the long and short term. The Title IX rule was originally proposed in April 2023. It was expected to be finalized later that same year alongside the broader Title IX rule, which was made final in April 2024 and provided protections for LGBTQI+ students. However, the department has delayed the athletic rule's release multiple times, citing the high volume of public feedback the proposal garnered. |
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.
