| Tuesday, July 30, 2024 |
| New mini-grants will equip community stewards | |
 | As communities realize the treasure they have in their water resources, many citizens and groups look for ways to preserve and improve the lakes, rivers and streams. Beth Baker, a specialist in natural resource conservation in agroecosystems with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the university recently received a $100,000 environmental education grant to help these grassroots efforts go farther. "Through thee Mississippi Water Stewards Program, we will expand community-based watershed monitoring, with curricula designed to educate citizens about water science, pollution transport, monitoring, stewardship and utilizing data to take part in local decision-making around water resources," Baker said. Educating and equipping local individuals who are invested in their communities and interested in these efforts are key to this monitoring. ... Adam Rohnke, Extension urban wildlife specialist, will take this information provided by stakeholders and use it to support curricula development of an MSU Extension Urban Stewards program, a potential urban workforce development program focused on the identified environmental needs from the communities. "Drawing upon the success of the Mississippi Water Stewards and Mississippi Master Naturalist programs and networks, this proposed program's intent is to not only build technical capacity in these critical environmental needs but to also prepare future workers to fill these roles within the proposed communities," Rohnke said. |
| As youth sports kick off, watch for signs of heat illness | |
 | August is usually one of the hottest stretches of the year in Mississippi -- not the best timing for the many high school and college athletes who begin practices and camps during that time. Because the temperatures associated with fall sports are still weeks from arriving, managing heat exposure and staying hydrated are key for anyone working or playing outside to prevent heat-related illness. "Your body is around 60% water, and you lose water each day through breathing, perspiration and digestion," said Dottie Kenda, registered dietitian with the Mississippi State University Extension Service Office of Nutrition Education. "Your need for water is met through the beverages you drink and the foods you eat, especially foods with high water content, such as fruits and vegetables." Kenzie Hargrove, a doctoral student in kinesiology at MSU, is focusing part of her research on measuring the amount of sweat and sodium lost by young cross-country athletes and providing personalized hydration recommendations to optimize safety and performance. "In Mississippi, we like to say that we are used to the heat. While people who have always lived here may believe they are acclimatized, it does not mean that they are not at risk," she said. "Many adults and kids spend a great deal of time in climate-controlled settings like air-conditioned homes and offices, so their bodies are not fully prepared to handle the stress of physical activity in hot weather." |
| MEC CEO encourages Mississippi graduates to stay in state | |
 | Students who graduate from High School and college in Mississippi, continue to leave the state to look for work. The CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council Scott Waller said his organization is trying to show graduates that there are opportunities to be successful close to home. "Anytime that you are at a place where you have a university town and the work that happens with our community colleges across the state, all focusing on getting a stronger and more skilled workforce is the goal here. We also want to make sure that we are not just getting people through a program, we want to get people a meaningful job when they finish," said Scott Waller, Mississippi Economic Council CEO. Waller also said no matter what level of education you are aiming for, it is important to make sure you know what jobs are available for you. "We have to be very diligent at an early age to make sure everyone understands the importance of career pathways. That is every single pathway whether it is a four-year college degree, or beyond and it is very important to have as many of those as possible. Whether it is an associate degree or even industry certifications, getting people in the right pathway that leads to a job, when they finish is how we deal with the workforce issue," said Waller. |
| Community Profile: 'It's hiking with a frisbee' | |
 | Starkville is a town that has embraced disc golf for some time, with courses at J.L. King Park, the Wise Center, and Lakeside, and a Mississippi State club team that has won multiple National Collegiate Disc Golf National Championships in both the men's and women's competitions. But there wasn't a store or organization devoted solely to the sport until Andy Hunt opened Disc and That in December 2021, only a few months after co-founding the Starkville Disc Golfers' Association. Three years later, Hunt sat in the front of his store July 9, reflecting on a weekend that saw the largest number of disc golfers at a Golden Triangle tournament in history compete in the Double Dawg Dare tournament. "Disc golf is growing for sure," he said. "You can spend as little or as much on it as you want with it." Hunt's store offers a personal experience, with customers offered expert advice from clerks. His staff will even point you to outside sources that help to better understand the different types of discs, which ones will bend or fly straight, and how best one can add to or build on a collection. It's an experience Hunt caters to the individual, whether they're a pro or starting that day. On an average week, Hunt sees anywhere from 60 to 100, but when it comes closer to tournament time he sees about that much in a single day. This year alone Starkville hosted the Catalpa Creek Classic and Double Dawg Dare with Dawg Daze coming up in August, with close to 100 players registered to compete. The SDGA was also selected to host the third annual Mississippi Disc Golf Hall of Fame tournament in October. |
| Education: SOCSD welcomes Shields as director of student support services | |
| The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is excited to welcome Stacy Shields as the district's new director of student support services. Shields was named director this spring and began her duties July 1, leading a department which includes special and gifted education programs. In addition to experience in the classroom as a teacher in both traditional and special education classrooms, she has also worked as a special education case manager and most recently as director of special education for Philadelphia Public Schools, where she was named Administrator of the Year in 2023. "I'm thrilled to join the Starkville Oktibbeha School District and become a part of such a vibrant and supportive school community," Shields said. "The opportunity to work in a district renowned for its commitment to excellence is truly exciting. I'm particularly enthusiastic about the wealth of resources available, including the partnership with Mississippi State University, which undoubtedly supports the students we serve. I look forward to meeting everyone and building strong, collaborative relationships with teachers, principals, and families, as we work together to support our students' success." |
| In its largest merger, Renasant acquiring The First in $1.2B deal | |
 | Renasant Corp. will acquire a Hattiesburg-based bank in an all-stock transaction valued at $1.2 billion, the bank's largest-ever merger. Renasant and The First Bancshares Inc. in a joint statement said the two financial institutions had entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger with the boards of directors of both companies unanimously approving the deal. Completion of the transaction -- which is expected to close in the first half of 2025 -- is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the approval of Renasant and The First shareholders. "As two of the largest banks headquartered in Mississippi, each with a footprint across the Southeast, both Renasant and The First have grown to know and respect each other's operating philosophy, dedication to providing best-in-class customer service and commitment to the communities in which we operate," said Renasant CEO Mitch Waycaster. "As with Renasant, The First has expanded into some of the most dynamic, fastest growing markets in the Southeast. Together, we create a more valuable company with the meaningful scale needed to compete in today's operating environment." M. Ray "Hoppy" Cole, president and CEO of The First, will become a Senior Executive Vice President and join both the Renasant and Renasant Bank boards of directors. |
| Mississippi sees $18.4M more in revenue for 2024 than previous year | |
 | Mississippi state revenues for fiscal year 2024 that ended June 30 totaled $7,705,260,113, running about $18.4 million more than in FY 2023. However, that is mostly due to high interest rates creating additional revenue for the state, according to the latest Legislative Budget Office state revenue report. For the immediate past fiscal year, the state earned $150,012,857 in interest investments made by the state, which is about $68.7 million more than the state earned in FY 2023, which ended June 30, 2023. Mississippi's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, meaning FY 2024 ended June 30 of this year. LBO revenue reports reflect earnings from the previous month and fiscal year-to-date figures. According to LBO's July report, the state's fiscal year ended on a high note by exceeding both last year's revenue collections from taxes and state investments, as well as the legislative estimate for the state budget. Without that interest money, state revenues would have only reached $7,555,247,256, falling nearly $100 million from actual collections in 2023. The corporate income and personal income taxes are both experiencing a phasedown, which is reflected in their ever-decreasing revenue totals. |
| Judge rejects GOP challenge of Mississippi timeline for counting absentee ballots | |
 | A judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Republican National Committee that sought to block Mississippi from counting absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but received up to five days after after it. U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. handed down his ruling Sunday, becoming the second federal judge in recent weeks to dismiss such a lawsuit. "Mississippi's statutory procedure for counting lawfully cast absentee ballots, postmarked on or before election day, and received no more than five business days after election day is consistent with federal law and does not conflict with the Elections Clause, the Electors' Clause, or the election-day statutes," Guirola wrote. Another federal judge recently dismissed a similar lawsuit in Nevada, rejecting Republicans' assertions that counting absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but received days later was unconstitutional and violated federal law. The Republican National Committee, the Mississippi Republican Party, a member of the state Republican Executive Committee and an election commissioner filed the Mississippi lawsuit in January against Republican Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson and six local election officials. The Libertarian Party of Mississippi later filed a similar lawsuit, and the judge consolidated it with the one filed by the Republican groups. In dismissing the suits, Guirola wrote that "no 'final selection' is made after the federal election day under Mississippi's law. All that occurs after election day is the delivery and counting of ballots cast on or before election day." |
| Federal judge rejects Republican challenge of Mississippi absentee vote counting | |
 | U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola over the weekend rejected a challenge by the Republican National Committee and others to Mississippi's practice of counting mail-in absentee ballots received up to five days after Election Day. Guirola, a senior-status judge first appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, ruled in a 24-page opinion that the political parties had legal standing to bring the suit, but disagreed with their claim that Mississippi's statute clashed with federal law. MaryAsa Lee, a spokesperson for Fitch's office, told Mississippi Today in a statement that the Attorney General's office is "pleased that, with less than 100 days until Election Day, the court upheld our absentee ballot law." The litigation comes at a time when voter confidence in elections is at an all-time low and when candidates have started to dispute election results more frequently. If the plaintiffs appeal the litigation, a prompt resolution before November's presidential and congressional election would be vital. The appellate process is lengthy and time-consuming, and different rulings from the district and appellate courts could lead to voter confusion. |
| Officials say CCID, Capitol Police expansion helping reduce crime in Mississippi's capital city | |
| The expansion of the Capitol Complex Improvement District (CCID) has given the Capitol Police nearly triple the amount of territory to patrol but through partnerships with other agencies the transition is going well, state and local officials say. The Capitol Police, a division of the Department of Public Safety, is overseen by Chief Bo Luckey. "As you may know, we went from 8 square miles to approximately 24 square miles," Capitol Police Chief Luckey described. The CCID expansion is part of the legislation passed in 2023 -- HB 1020. Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said the new footprint takes in several areas outside the Capitol area. Expansion of the CCID included funding for 37 more officers to be added to the current 150 sworn personnel on the Capitol Police roster. That extra funding also accounted for additional patrol vehicles and equipment needed to outfit those officers, Luckey said. Now, the Capitol Police will be the primary responding law enforcement agency for a large portion of the state's capital city, a municipality that has experienced rising crime and murder rates in recent years. Jackson City Councilman Ashby Foote said the number one issue for the city of Jackson has been to address the rising crime rate, especially violent crime. As such, he supports expanding the CCID. "I think the number one prescription for trying to get that under control is greater police presence," Foote said. |
| Tech groups, others plan full fight over kids' online safety bills | |
 | As the Senate prepares to vote Tuesday on a broadly supported package intended to protect kids online, opponents are gearing up to lobby hard in the House to forestall further action and to pursue challenges on constitutional grounds. The enthusiasm for passing stricter measures to protect kids isn't yet seen in the House, but popularity in the Senate was clear from an 86-1 vote to end debate on the legislative vehicle for the two-bill package and move it toward a vote on passage. Backers say the package is narrowly tailored and intended to curb social media companies' conduct rather than curtail content, insulating them from First Amendment challenges. The package includes a measure, sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and co-sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., that would require tech companies to design online platforms in such a way as to prevent or mitigate harms to users, including sexual exploitation and online bullying. It has 70 other co-sponsors. Before the Senate voted to invoke cloture, Blumenthal said the legislation was "constitutionally bulletproof." The other included bill, sponsored by Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and co-sponsored by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., would prohibit online platforms from disseminating children's personal information without obtaining a verifiable parental consent, effectively ending ads targeted at kids and teens. The two bills are meant to mitigate social media practices aimed at keeping kids online and promoting addictive behavior. |
| Acting Secret Service boss says he 'cannot defend' why roof in Trump rally shooting was not secured | |
| The acting director of the Secret Service says he "cannot defend" why the roof used by the gunman in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump was not secured. Ronald Rowe is testifying Tuesday before two Senate committees. Rowe says he recently traveled to the Pennsylvania shooting site and says what he saw made him ashamed. The FBI's No. 2 official is also testifying. Senate lawmakers are grilling the officials about law enforcement lapses in the hours before the attempted assassination of Trump in the latest in a series of congressional hearings dedicated to the shooting. Rowe became acting director of the agency last week after Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the aftermath of a House hearing in which she was berated by lawmakers and failed to answer specific questions about the communication failures preceding the July 13 shooting. Rowe is being joined by FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate at a joint hearing of the Senate committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security. "If this happened in the military, a lot of people would be fired," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "And if a lot of people are not fired, the system failed yet again. In a Monday night interview on Fox News Channel, Trump defended the Secret Service agents who protected him from the shooting but said that someone should have been on the roof with Crooks and that there should have been better communication with local police. |
| Biden, at LBJ Library, blasts Supreme Court and proposes major changes | |
 | President Biden on Monday came to the LBJ Presidential Library to deliver a sweeping indictment of the U.S. Supreme Court, calling its rulings "dangerous," its ethics code "weak" and its practices in desperate need of reform. Biden, a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee who oversaw numerous confirmation battles, said the court has become unmoored from its traditional role. "We live in a different era," he said during a 25-minute address in an auditorium filled with hundreds of people. "In recent years, extreme opinions the Supreme Court has handed down have undermined long-established civil rights principles and protections." He proposed several sweeping changes to the Supreme Court, including 18-year term limits for the justices and a binding, enforceable ethics code. It was an extraordinary critique of the nation's top judicial body, especially given Biden's long-standing faith in American institutions. Conservatives argue that proposals like Biden's stem from a dislike of the court's recent rulings, not a genuine desire for reform. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump posted Monday on Truth Social: "We have to fight for our Fair and Independent Courts, and protect our Country." Biden spoke like a man thinking about his legacy, not his reelection, with asides to recount highlights of a career that started as a public defender and nods to Johnson and President Abraham Lincoln. "Their work -- our work -- is not done. It's not done," he said. "We do not celebrate these laws as part of our past, but as critical components of our future." |
| Harris Puts Abortion, a Weakness for Trump, at Center of Campaign | |
 | Kamala Harris is making abortion rights central to her candidacy for president as Republicans struggle to articulate a winning message on the issue. In contrast with President Biden, who was reluctant to say the word abortion, the vice president has campaigned aggressively on it since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the constitutional right to the procedure. At the White House, she has met with abortion providers and women who have had abortions. Earlier this year, Harris was believed to be the first president or vice president to visit an abortion clinic. After locking up the support to be the Democratic nominee, Harris's campaign launched a blitz of abortion-related campaign activities Monday, including events hosted by second gentleman Doug Emhoff and advocates. The campaign also released a video with the vice president condemning a new abortion law in Iowa, hoping to energize women and independent voters with her promise to protect abortion rights. As the landscape of the 2024 race rapidly shifts, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump must now contend with an opponent who embraces abortion rights in a way that Biden didn't -- and who is viewed positively on the issue. A recent Wall Street Journal poll showed that 51% of voters thought Harris was best able to handle abortion, compared with 33% who preferred Trump. Harris lagged behind Trump on issues such as immigration and the economy. Antiabortion groups, which have been frustrated with Republicans' efforts to play down the abortion debate, argue that Harris's efforts now make the issue impossible for Republicans to avoid. |
| Republican senators divided over Trump sticking with Vance | |
 | Republican lawmakers are divided over whether Donald Trump should ditch his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), who has become a magnet for controversy and negative press coverage since Trump tapped him for the role earlier this month. Some Republican senators think Trump should have picked a woman or a person of color to help broaden his appeal beyond his hardcore base of supporters. Several wondered if Trump ignored his professional political advisers and listened instead to his son, Donald Trump Jr., and conservative media celebrity Tucker Carlson in picking Vance. "I would assume he's not real happy," one Republican senator said of how Trump is handling the barrage of negative publicity that's hit his running mate over the past ten days. "I don't think Trump likes any discomfort -- he can create discomfort himself -- but he doesn't like external discomfort coming in and JD's struggling. I would assume he's not real happy," they added. A number of House Republicans told The Hill last week that they had concerns about Vance's foreign policy positions, lack of experience and inability to expand the Republican coalition beyond Trump's base. |
| Vance had a bad week. But Trump is still counting on him to court donors and attack Kamala. | |
 | If anyone knows how to survive bad headlines, it's former President Donald Trump. Now, after a week of bad press, his vice presidential pick, JD Vance, is trying to do the same. Despite bipartisan criticism over recently unearthed comments, the Trump campaign is planning to deploy Vance as a major fundraiser and chief policy attack dog against Kamala Harris, the vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Vance, a former venture capitalist with connections to the tech industry, has already held a number of fundraisers, including one in Silicon Valley on Monday night. After a rally in Nevada on Tuesday, he will return to California for another donor event Wednesday. Trump has signaled -- privately and publicly -- that he is standing by the 39-year-old Vance, whom he views as the future of the MAGA movement. In an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News on Monday night, Trump said that Vance's resurfaced controversial comments about abortion and childless women were because he "loves family" and were misconstrued by Democrats and the media. The flurry of campaign activity comes after the Ohio senator faced heavy criticism during his debut week on the trail from both parties. A TV clip from 2021 of Vance ripping "childless cat ladies" drew rebukes from Democrats, as did past remarks he made about supporting a "federal response" to end abortion. The Wall Street Journal editorial board also admonished Vance over the comments, writing that the Ohio senator's remarks wouldn't play well with the millions of female voters, many of them Republican, who will decide the presidential race. |
| Liberal 'White Dudes' Rally for Harris: 'It's Like a Rainbow of Beige' | |
 | First came the Black women, who had been meeting every week for four years and were ready to spring into action for Kamala Harris. Then came the Black men and South Asian Americans. There were also the white women, in a Zoom-busting paroxysm of solidarity and angst. On Monday night, the string of identity groups backing Ms. Harris reached its bizarre, and perhaps inevitable, apotheosis with the inaugural meeting of the aptly named "White Dudes for Harris." "What a variety of whiteness we have here," marveled Bradley Whitford, the "West Wing" actor, his tongue firmly in cheek as he opened his remarks to the 60,000 or so attendees who had gathered on a live video call to show their support and raise money for Ms. Harris's nascent presidential campaign. "It's like a rainbow of beige." (Their ranks, across screening platforms, ultimately grew to nearly 200,000, the organizers said on Tuesday morning.) The call, put together by a few Democratic organizers (and not affiliated with the Harris campaign), was billed as a moment of solidarity, a chance to prove that former President Donald J. Trump doesn't own the votes of white men or speak for them. Kicking off the White Dudes call was, of course, the Dude, the actor Jeff Bridges, abiding in a comfortable-looking chair. He had seen a link for the "White Dudes for Harris" trucker hat and wanted one. "I qualify!" he said. "I am white. I am a dude. And I love Harris!" He added, "A woman president, how exciting!" |
| Income gap between Black and white US residents shrank between Gen Xers and millennials, study says | |
| The income gap between white and Black young adults was narrower for millenials than for Generation X, according to a new study that also found the chasm between white people born to wealthy and poor parents widened between the generations. By age 27, Black Americans born in 1978 to poor parents ended up earning almost $13,000 a year less than white Americans born to poor parents. That gap had narrowed to about $9,500 for those born in 1992, according to the study released last week by researchers at Harvard University and the U.S. Census Bureau. The shrinking gap between races was due to greater income mobility for poor Black children and drops in mobility for low-income white children, said the study, which showed little change in earnings outcomes for other race and ethnicity groups during this time period. A key factor was the employment rates of the communities that people lived in as children. Mobility improved for Black individuals where employment rates for Black parents increased. In communities where parental employment rates declined, mobility dropped for white individuals, the study said. This shrinking gap between the races, and growing class gap among white people, also was documented in educational attainment, standardized test scores, marriage rates and mortality, the researchers said. |
| Construction of Center for Medically Fragile Children underway | |
 | Construction is underway for a center in Mississippi for children with complex medical conditions. The Alyce G. Clarke Center for Medically Fragile Children will be located in a wooded lot off Eastwood Drive in Jackson. The first and only such facility in Mississippi, the home will serve patients younger than 19 who need skilled care because of the complexity of their medical conditions. The need for a facility for medically fragile children in the state was recognized in the late 2010s, when Children's of Mississippi had several patients with long-term complex care needs. "For long-term residents, this will feel like a home," said Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). "They won't feel like they are in a hospital, even though they will be provided with the same level of care." Children's of Mississippi is the pediatric arm of UMMC that includes the state's only children's hospital. Clarke, a former state representative and the first African American woman to serve in the Mississippi Legislature, was a key advocate for the project. The 20-bed facility will have two wings with a common area that will serve as a living room space. |
| EMCC celebrates new graduates of practical nursing program | |
| While many students are heading back to class, others are finishing up their studies. East Mississippi Community College's Practical Nursing Program graduated its latest class at the Communiversity. While some graduates may face challenges in the job market, that shouldn't be the case for the class that crossed the stage at the Communiversity. According to reports from the Health Resources and Services Administration, there is a shortage of full-time nurses in the U.S. EMCC is working to help ease that shortage. The LPN program just graduated its latest class of 22 students. amonicia Johnson, the Director of the Nursing Program, said easing that shortage is part of their mission. "Our goal is to get students in. Students that have a heart to serve and then graduate students to help fill that shortage of nursing," Johnson said. But for many of these new nurses, it's about fulfilling a longtime goal. "Since I was like in middle school, I knew that's what I wanted to do because I grew up around just seeing how other people and how other nurses take care of other people. and I just knew that was my calling," Taylor Jones said. |
| Auburn dissolves DEI office, moves staff to 'new roles' | |
 | Auburn University will dissolve its Office of Inclusion and Diversity by Aug. 15, officials announced Monday. Auburn is the fifth state college to close its diversity office after Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law banning DEI programs and the teaching of certain "divisive concepts" this spring. Colleges have until Oct. 1 to ensure they're in compliance with the law. Staff members will be reassigned to other departments and vacant roles, officials said. "Throughout this process, it was critical that we respected our AU colleagues affected by this change," Auburn University Provost Vini Nathan and Senior Vice Presidents Kelli Shomakeer and Bobby Woodard said in a letter to students and staff Monday morning. "Some colleagues will fill existing vacancies, while others will assume new roles in existing offices to assist with student recruitment, admissions or to support student success and student organizations. Depending on their responsibilities, they will report to the Office of Enrollment Management, Division of Student Affairs or the Office of the Provost." Auburn recently reported the highest spending in the state, about $5.6 million, on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, according to a response to a 2022 legislative inquiry. Most of those efforts were focused on federally mandated compliance activities, like Title IX and disability services. |
| LSU's Glassell Gallery goes wild in its annual summer contemporary exhibition | |
 | Things are pretty wild in the LSU College of Art + Design's Glassell Gallery this summer. Really wild. The LSU School of Art's Juried Summer Contemporary Exhibition, "Wild." runs through Aug. 24 in the gallery on the first floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. in downtown Baton Rouge. The gallery invited local and regional artists and culture bearers to submit work that takes an expansive approach to wild, wildness and wilderness. Their work embraces radical imagination and radical noticing of both the wild within us and the wild that surrounds us. The exhibition was juried by artist and Xavier Professor of Art Ron Bechet, who was born in New Orleans and lives in the Gentilly neighborhood. He began his college career with an athletic scholarship at Mississippi State University but returned to study art at the University of New Orleans where he earned a bachelor of arts degree. He earned his master of fine arts degree in painting from Yale University School of Art. He has been teaching more than 20 years at Xavier and is known for intimate, large-scale drawings and paintings. Of the 239 entries by 80 artists, Bechet chose 44 works by 37 artists included in the exhibition. |
| FUEL Names Executive Director: Michael Mazzola to Lead Energy Transition, Decarbonization Efforts | |
| Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL), a statewide effort led by LSU with more than 50 public and private partners, has tapped energy innovation expert Michael Mazzola to lead the clean energy transition and decarbonize the state's industrial corridor. FUEL is the recipient of a historic NSF Engines grant that will provide up to $160 million to support Louisiana's energy industry, create jobs and develop the energy workforce. FUEL's goals include ensuring that the economic benefits, jobs and investments from these innovations remain in Louisiana. Mazzola previously served as project director of Clean Carolinas, a regional effort to advance clean energy, including offshore wind, solar, clean hydrogen, marine energy and the electric-energy delivery and storage systems that support clean energy sources' integration into the power grid. Clean Carolinas is an NSF Regional Developmental Engine funded by a $1 million cooperative agreement to lay the groundwork for the initiative. Mazzola was also executive director of the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the Duke Energy Distinguished Chair of Power Engineering Systems. Before that, Mazzola served as associate director for advanced vehicle systems at the Mississippi State University Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS). |
| Texas A&M student claims dorm mold caused adverse health effects | |
 | When Leah Courington sat down for one of her first exams as a freshman at Texas A&M University, she had a problem. She could no longer remember how to spell her name. "I remember sitting down to take that test; the professor handed me the paper and I went to write my name on it," she said. "I was like, 'I can't remember how to spell my name.' I kind of lost it because I [didn't] even know who I was. This [had] taken away literally everything from me ... that was just heartbreaking for me." According to Courington, for the previous several weeks she had been dealing with debilitating health side effects from mold that she had allegedly found in her Keathley Hall dorm room on the A&M campus. At every turn, Courington said the university dismissed her claims and concerns about the possible mold until she and her family eventually paid for their own third-party inspector. Courington's family and legal representation provided The Eagle with photos of the alleged mold as well as full copies of multiple different reports taken by both the university and a third-party inspector. In a statement to The Eagle from a Texas A&M representative, the university said it takes the health of its students seriously but declined to comment further citing possible litigation. Courington could almost immediately tell that something was off after moving into her single-person room at the beginning of the 2023 fall semester, she said. |
| Inside the U. of Austin, America's new 'anti-woke' college | |
| At first glance, the University of Austin (UATX) looks more like a buzzy Silicon Valley outfit than an academic institution. Its entire campus is the renovated 30,000-square-foot third floor of downtown Austin's historic, art deco–inspired Scarbrough Building. The space is full of exposed concrete, interior glass walls, minimalist tables, and tufted leather armchairs. On a balmy day in late January, about eight months before the nonprofit university's first class of 100 students is set to arrive, the hallways are quiet, save for the occasional clattering of a keyboard coming from a faculty member's office. The library's shelves are still sparse. "For the first three or four months, it was like your typical startup," says founding president Pano Kanelos, recounting those days in the summer of 2021 when he left his post as head of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, to begin scouting real estate opportunities for the recently announced UATX. Three years later, Kanelos is in his office, reviewing curricula vitae for the few remaining open faculty positions. UATX, Kanelos says, will be "dedicated to the pursuit of truth and open inquiry" -- two tenets he claims are largely missing from higher education these days. The school hasn't had any trouble attracting students and teachers, either. About 2,000 academics applied for 20 available professorship roles, says UATX's chief operations officer, Curtis Guilbot, and the school received a few thousand applicants for its maiden freshman class, all 100 of whom will receive a four-year full scholarship to pay for the $32,000 annual tuition -- a luxury the next class in line won't have. |
| Indiana U. Joins the Ranks of Colleges Imposing New Limits on Protest | |
 | Indiana University at Bloomington's Board of Trustees on Monday voted 6-3 to pass an expressive-activity policy that limits protests to certain hours of day, bans light projections on buildings without approval, and requires that protesters stay 25 feet away from the entrance to university buildings. "Indiana University has a longstanding commitment to advancing free speech," the trustees' chair, W. Quinn Buckner, said in a statement. "In order for free speech for all to flourish, we needed to clarify our policies so people clearly understand the allowable time, manner and place for free expression. We can't let one person or group's expression infringe on the rights of others, disrupt learning experiences for our students, or interrupt regular university business." The rules, which follow the release of an independent report that recommended a new policy, have been harshly criticized by some students and faculty who argue their constitutional right to protest is being unfairly curtailed. The university's president, Pamela Whitten, has previously said that while the vast majority of recent protesters have been peaceful, she "came to the conclusion that the encampments were not something that could be tolerated." The University of Pennsylvania, the University of South Florida, the University of Michigan, and Columbia University, among others, have rewritten or are rewriting their protest rules after the upheaval of the past year. |
| UNC System President: In rebuilding trust, universities must focus on four-year graduation rates | |
| UNC System President Peter Hans told members of the UNC Board of Governors last Wednesday that nationally there has been a sharp decline in trust towards higher education. "There's a belief that many universities have drifted far from their core mission, delivering a sound education at a reasonable cost," said Hans. It's not the first time Hans has mentioned the issue of trust. At the board's May meeting, Hans said that higher education has forfeited the public's confidence in recent years, in large part because of the perception that universities are overtly partisan. At that meeting, the Board of Governors voted to repeal the UNC System's policy on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in favor of principled neutrality. At last week's meeting, Hans said another aspect of rebuilding confidence is to tie chancellor compensation and the public funding structure to measurable performance. Hans said North Carolina's public universities are more affordable than they were eight years ago, and the system's "efficiency" in delivering degrees is better than it was eight years ago. "We may register these things as percentage points of year-over-year improvement as upward slopes on a line graph. But every one of those improving metrics represents thousands more students who earned a degree on time, or left school with manageable debt," said the system president. |
| Opinions of Higher Ed Vary, but Most Agree It's Too Expensive | |
 | f you ask an American what their opinion of higher education is, an appropriate response would be "It's complicated." In the latest "Varying Degrees" report from New America, a left-leaning think tank, data shows that skepticism about how higher education benefits the country persists, but most Americans agree that college is too costly. However, the majority of Americans still acknowledge the value of earning a postsecondary credential, and more than half think the majority of higher education should be taxpayer funded. University administrators and consultants say that in many ways the survey's data---based on a nationally representative sample of 1,705 Americans -- is nothing new. Rather, it reinforces a snowballing trend of distrust, propelled by increasing costs and the mainstream media's negative, broad-brush coverage of state flagships and elite private institutions. Published in the wake of a similar, shocking survey from Gallup last summer, New America's data adds to a growing literature that suggests it will take fundamental changes in institutions' business models, marketing and affordability to change the tide and regain public trust. And experts say it's going to take support not only from the institutions themselves but also from state and federal lawmakers to make the shift. |
| More colleges are offering AI degrees -- could they give job seekers an edge? | |
 | As artificial intelligence continues to attract attention and investors, colleges and universities are beginning to market undergraduate AI degrees to students, from Arizona State University to the University of Texas at Dallas. New graduates are coming into a rough tech job market. While computer science degrees were once seen as a golden ticket to high-paying tech jobs, now, it's become harder to land tech internships or entry-level positions with increased competition and major cuts across the industry. But AI majors and professors are hopeful that a more specialized course of study may help graduates stand out. With some of the first AI majors just graduating in the last several years, it remains an open question how the majors will fare, but early signs suggest the new degree could give young job seekers an edge. Carnegie Mellon University was the first in the U.S. to launch a B.S. in Artificial Intelligence in 2018, saying at the time that the major would address the "growing demand for AI specialists." The University of Pennsylvania will be offering a major in AI starting this fall, while colleges known for their STEM research like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Purdue University also currently grant undergraduate degrees in AI. According to Reid Simmons, director of the AI major at Carnegie Mellon, there were initially some doubts at his school about how interested employers would be in an undergraduate major in AI. However, he described the reaction as "very positive." |
| China Is Closing the A.I. Gap With the United States | |
| At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai this month, start-up founder Qu Dongqi showed off a video he had recently posted online. It displayed an old photograph of a woman with two toddlers. Then the photo sprang to life as the woman lifted the toddlers up in her arms and they laughed with surprise. The video was created by A.I. technology from the Chinese internet company Kuaishou. The technology was reminiscent of a video generator, called Sora, that the American start-up OpenAI unveiled this year. But unlike Sora, it was available to the general public. "My American friends still can't use Sora," Mr. Qu said. "But we already have better solutions here." While the United States has had a head start on A.I. development, China is catching up. In recent weeks, several Chinese companies have unveiled A.I. technologies that rival the leading American systems. And these technologies are already in the hands of consumers, businesses and independent software developers across the globe. While many American companies are worried that A.I. technologies could accelerate the spread of disinformation or cause other serious harm, Chinese companies are more willing to release their technologies to consumers or even share the underlying software code with other businesses and software developers. China's efforts could have enormous implications as A.I. technology continues to develop in the years to come. The technology could increase the productivity of workers, fuel future innovations and power a new wave of military technologies, including autonomous weapons. |
| Black Sororities, Fraternities 'Organizing Like Never Before' | |
| Imani Smith, a rising senior at Howard University, was out grabbing food with friends when her group chats with her sorority sisters "started blowing up." Smith, on a social media break at the time, rushed to re-download Instagram to see article after article about Vice President Kamala Harris running for president. She called her parents, excited. "Representation is so important," she said. "Just as a fellow Bison, just as young Black women, being able to see someone who looks like us rise to this level ... seeing her take this on, it's really inspiring. When we look at her, we see ourselves, we see our mothers, our grandmothers." Smith sees herself in Harris not just as a student at Howard, the historically Black university Harris attended. Smith is also the president of the Alpha chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a Black sorority more than a century old with chapters across the country. Harris joined AKA as a student in 1986 and has been an active presence in the group ever since. Smith isn't the only AKA member celebrating -- and organizing. The sudden ascent of Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket has been met with enthusiasm from many Black women, not least of all her "sorors," as AKA members call one another. Black Greek life organizations are nonpartisan and nonprofit, so they can't and don't endorse candidates. But individual students and alumni involved are throwing their support behind the Harris campaign. |
SPORTS
| Jeff Lebby identifies multiple Mississippi State players that aren't being talked about enough | |
| Mississippi State is flying under the radar in Jeff Lebby's first season as the program's head coach. In an interview with On3's Andy Staples, Lebby revealed which of his players are being overlooked ahead of the 2024 campaign. "There's a couple of guys. You look at it on the defensive side of the ball. John Lewis is here. Stone Blanton, I like, has played at South Carolina. Trevion Williams is another one -- an interior D-lineman. So we've got we've got some real pieces in the middle of our defense that are gonna give us a chance." John Lewis is entering his redshirt junior season with the Bulldogs. In the 2023 season, Lewis appeared in all 12 games and made three starts. He tallied a career-best 20 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, and recorded one blocked punt. Unlike Lewis, Stone Blanton will be a fresh face for Mississippi State. Blanton spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at South Carolina before transferring this offseason. Last year, Blanton started all 12 games at linebacker, collecting 52 tackles, a sack, three pass breakups and an interception. Trevion Williams has less experience than Blanton but is expected to play a significant role for the Bulldogs in the upcoming season. |
| Position Preview: Looking at Mississippi State's quarterback room for the 2024 season | |
| The countdown to this year's college football season has begun in earnest with less than five weeks until Mississippi State opens the season on Aug. 31 against Eastern Kentucky at Davis Wade Stadium. The Bulldogs, under first-year head coach Jeff Lebby, will open fall camp on Aug. 1. Until then, The Dispatch will be taking a look at each position group on MSU's roster, noting who could be the potential starters, backups and impact players to look out for on the gridiron, beginning with the most important position in football: quarterback. Lebby and the Bulldogs' first transfer portal addition in December was former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen, who figures to be a solid fit in MSU's new-look offense. The depth behind Shapen is fairly thin, though --- Chris Parson saw action in two games as a freshman last year, while Jake Weir, Asher Morgan and freshman Michael Van Buren have no experience at the collegiate level. Here is all you need to know about the Bulldogs' 2024 quarterbacks. |
| D.A.W.G. Program Continuing To Help Shape Athletes' Futures | |
| Things were winding down inside the Palmeiro Center on Thursday following a career fair provided exclusively for Mississippi State football players. Nearly 40 different stations were scattered around the facility, each with individuals representing different companies or job types for Bulldog athletes to talk to and familiarize themselves with. As one guest who'd chatted with several players left the building, he couldn't help but be impressed by many of the conversations he'd had. He even went so far as to say about one of them, 'I'd hire that guy today if he was available.' Safe to say this career fair -- the latest successful event put on by MSU's D.A.W.G. (Developing A Winning Gameplan For Life) Program -- continued to help shape the future for State football players. Connections were made. Questions were asked. Interests were piqued. Almost certainly deposits were made that will reap dividends in the not-too-distant future, and it all continues to show how State head football coach Jeff Lebby is not only focused on winning on Saturdays but helping his guys be triumphant in the grand scheme of life. State's D.A.W.G. Program has been an undisputed huge early victory in the Lebby era at MSU. Greg Knox, Jason Washington and Gerri Green -- a pair of former State assistant coaches and a former Bulldog player respectively -- have quickly taken Lebby's vision and given legs to the dream. |
| First-year coaches: Who is ready to roll and who must rebuild? | |
| Taking over a college football team in the NIL and transfer portal era is either much easier or much more difficult than it used to be. On one end, an aggressive coach with a well-funded collective can keep a great team great or make a bad team good. On the other, a coach who can't retain talent or can't flip the roster quickly and effectively faces a much tougher rebuild. The 12 new power conference coaches in college football fall into four different tiers. How well they navigate the changes in the sport will determine how long they remain in each tier. Don't assume a win if they're on your schedule: These coaches took over programs that fired their predecessors, but don't be shocked if they exceed early expectations. Mississippi State pulled the ripcord on Zach Arnett after less than a season, and Jeff Lebby had to turn over the roster ahead of a season that was always going to be a year of transition as the Bulldogs lost multiple veterans who had exhausted their eligibility. How the Bulldogs fare could depend on how three offensive line imports fare. Tackle Makylan Pounders (Memphis), guard Marlon Martinez (LSU) and center Ethan Miner (North Texas) will have to face some excellent offensive lines (Texas, Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee). But if that group can hold up, it will be fascinating to see how Baylor transfer Blake Shapen performs at quarterback. |
| Two New York legends highlight Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024 | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning heads the list of eight former athletes and sports figures who will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame this weekend. The MSHOF Class of 2024 will be enshrined Saturday night at the Clyde Muse Center on the Pearl campus of Hinds Community College. Other 2024 inductees, in alphabetical order, include: ... Jimmy Webb, a Mississippi State All American defensive lineman and first-round NFL Draft choice who played seven years of pro football in San Francisco and San Diego. ... Webb of Florence became one of the greatest defensive players in Mississippi State football history, a consensus All American in the early-to mid-1970s. A first round draft choice, he also starred in the NFL with both the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers. At State, he studied veterinary medicine, preparing for his post-football career as a veterinarian and a cattle rancher. "I have been so blessed," Webb said. "I appreciate this state so much and am so thankful for his honor. At my age, the honors don't seem to come around that much any more." |
| Mississippi State basketball stadium upgrades highlighted by revamped player areas | |
| Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville is getting another facelift. A year after major renovations to the arena entrances, seating areas, and concourses boosted the Bulldog fan experience, new investments are aimed at enhancing amenities for the student-athletes. Construction is nearing completion of multiple redesigned team areas, part of MSU athletics' comprehensive long-term master plan for its athletics facilities. Revamped locker rooms for the men's and women's programs are included in the upgrades, along with new training rooms emphasizing injury prevention and recovery. "There is a long-standing tradition of excellence at Humphrey Coliseum," MSU Athletics Director Zac Selmon said, noting that last year's fan upgrades helped facilitate solid environments in the 2023-24 season. "But we always knew we needed to go beyond that and provide upgrades to the way our student-athletes fuel, train, and recover." Head men's coach Chris Jans and head women's coach Sam Purcell echoed Selmon's sentiments, noting that the improvements would help them attract high-quality recruits to the programs. Beyond the player experience additions, the renovations will also offer Bulldog fans a new premium club section at "The Hump," providing an exclusive courtside state-of-the-art lounge area. |
| Mississippi State Olympic recap: Borges falls in singles, advances in doubles | |
| Former Mississippi State tennis star Nuno Borges was quickly eliminated from the singles competition at the Olympic Games in Paris, but his Olympic journey will continue in doubles. Representing his native Portugal, Borges fell to Mariano Navone of Argentina 6-2, 6-2 in the first round Sunday. Later that day, though, he teamed with Francisco Cabral to defeat Greek brothers Petros and Stefanos Tsitipas in a super-tiebreak after splitting the first two sets. A former five-time All-American and the 2019 ITA National Player of the Year with the Bulldogs, Borges is MSU's first-ever Olympian in tennis. He is currently ranked No. 42 in the world. In soccer, current Bulldogs midfielder Ilana Izquierdo and former MSU goalkeeper Catalina Pérez, playing for Colombia, fell to host France 3-2 in their Olympic opener but defeated New Zealand 2-0 on Sunday. Izquierdo played nearly the entire match against New Zealand before being subbed out in the 90th minute. Colombia faces Canada on Wednesday in its final group state match. Thanks in part to Canada being docked six points in the wake of a spying scandal, Colombia is guaranteed to advance to the knockout stage with a win or draw. |
| The Window to Charge Brett Favre Is Closing | |
| In January 2019, Brett Favre hosted a sales presentation at his Mississippi home to discuss Prevacus, the drug company founded by Jake VanLandingham that, by year's end would illegally receive more than $2 million in federal welfare funds. On Wednesday, VanLandingham was indicted, making him the latest person hit with federal charges for alleged involvement in a scheme that saw more than $90 million in diverted Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds -- federal money earmarked for the poorest residents of Mississippi, the most impoverished state in the U.S. Favre is now the only person among the six at that meeting who hasn't been charged criminally -- though he has denied any wrongdoing -- and the window to charge him, due to the statute of limitations, is closing. "The feds are really taking this one down to the wire," says Matt Tympanick, a veteran criminal defense attorney who has followed the case closely but is not involved in the proceedings. The federal investigation remains ongoing, and nailing down how much time is left for prosecutors to indict anyone else is a bit fuzzy. Experts say statute of limitations exist for good reason. "It's about protecting the integrity of the judicial system itself by making sure that trials are brought in a quick and expeditious way," says William J. Bang, a Virginia-based attorney at PJI Law, LLC. "After time passes, you can have evidence that starts to spoil or gets lost. Witnesses' recollections start to get hazy. It gets harder to find people. I think there is a general sentiment that you don't want something hanging over a defendant's head forever, but that's not really why statute of limitations exists. It's about ensuring that both sides have a fair chance to gather the evidence that they need." |
| U. of Florida, Jacksonville Jaguars announce four-year branding partnership | |
 | The University of Florida and the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars have entered a comprehensive four-year partnership designed to positively impact the communities they serve while raising UF's profile and brand recognition. Under the agreement, the University of Florida and UF Health brands will be displayed prominently at Jaguars games at both domestic and international venues. UF and the Jaguars also will join forces on marketing campaigns that amplify their shared values. "The University of Florida has big plans with Jacksonville, and our partnership with the Jaguars is just the start," said UF Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini. "We're excited about the future." "This partnership will highlight the rocket-ship trajectory that UF, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the city of Jacksonville are all on," UF President Ben Sasse said. "With this agreement, UF and the Jacksonville Jaguars are demonstrating our shared commitment to the vitality of both the Jacksonville community and the state of Florida." UF will cover the cost of the partnership using private dollars. The announcement comes as UF continues to move forward with plans to establish a graduate campus in Jacksonville that will focus on fintech and medical technology. |
| Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and wife Loreal jointly file for divorce | |
| Texas coach Steve Sarkisian announced on Friday that he and his wife Loreal have filed for divorce. The two posted similar but separate posts on their Instagram stories, stating that their professional careers "made it difficult to prioritize time for each other." Despite the decision, they say that they "aim to remain the best of friends." "While we appreciate all the love and encouragement we have received, we kindly ask for your understanding and respect for our privacy during this transition as we embark on this new chapter in our lives," the post finished. This is the second divorce that Sarkisian has gone through, as he separated from his first wife Stephanie in 2015. He married Loreal in 2020 while he was still on staff at Alabama with Nick Saban. Loreal is a former track star that has made waves in the fashion industry as an impressive stylist. She also ran hurdles at North Carolina A&T State University and is involved in charity work. |
| House settlement could spark new wave of antitrust lawsuits | |
| Friday's long-form House v. NCAA settlement filing is expected to bring a new wave of lawsuits. While the agreement will bring revenue sharing into college sports and pay $2.8 billion in back damages to athletes over the next 10 years, much of the weekend for stakeholders was spent digesting what it means for future athletes. The settlement does not ban collectives but handcuffs them unlike ever before. Since a preliminary injunction was handed down against the NCAA in February, collectives have operated with ease. The NCAA even announced it was halting all investigations into the third-party organizations. The words "true NIL" and "fair market value" have been tossed around since the NCAA and Power Five conferences signed off on the settlement's term sheet in May. A new voluntary reporting system for deals that surpass $600 is scheduled to start next month. Plus, the NCAA is creating a public database it hopes will allow athletes to assess fair market value. The settlement spells out that compensation must be "at rates and terms commensurate with compensation paid to similarly situated individuals." Beyond "commensurate" payment, the settlement says all third-party NIL deals of $600 or more must be approved by a clearinghouse that will vet contracts. If not approved, the settlement says a new third-party arbiter could deem athletes ineligible or result in a school being fined. |
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