| Monday, August 26, 2024 |
| From Sky to Field: MSU Pioneers Next-Gen Agricultural Drones | |
 | Mississippi State University is pioneering a partnership with a leading U.S.-based drone manufacturer to innovate groundbreaking UAS technology. MSU's Agricultural Autonomy Institute, or AAI, and Hylio, a Texas-based drone manufacturer, are leading the way in researching the emerging technology of agricultural spray drones. These advanced systems are poised to revolutionize how farmers manage agricultural product applications, providing a new autonomous tool to complement traditional application methods by tractors and crop-dusting planes. "In June of 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration streamlined regulations for agricultural product applications by drone," said Madison Dixon, AAI's associate director. "MSU is a longstanding leader in both agriculture and aerospace research, but strict regulations made agricultural product applications by drone very challenging for both research and commercial operations alike. The new regulations have completely changed that." Following these regulatory advancements, the state of Mississippi adapted its own regulations in December 2023. By February of this year, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station had secured a special permit, allowing MSU -- the FAA's UAS Center of Excellence and UAS Safety Research Facility -- to commence spray drone research. As interest grew, AAI seized the opportunity to form research partnerships with U.S.-based drone manufacturers. |
| MSU PD hosts event to connect students with first responders | |
 | Establishing a relationship with local law enforcement and first responders is good for any town, especially a college town. The Mississippi State University Police Department hosted a meet and greet for students to meet first responders in the area. The meet and greet took place outside of the MSU Police Department from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Aug. 23. Assistant Chief of Police at MSU Brian Locke says he hopes by doing this, they can all connect with the students. "We want our students to come meet all of our first responders, from not only Mississippi State University, but also Oktibbeha County, and the surrounding areas who support us every single day at athletic events, and special events, and then we want to say thank you to the first responders that support us," Locke said. "So, we like to get together, not in a meeting, hang out, talk to each other, and just have a good time. Next week we start football season, and we start Cowbell Yell. it's just a good time for us to get together not in an office setting and have some fun." |
| Award-winning author visits MSU for Price Caldwell Visiting Writers Series | |
 | The winner of the 2024 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction -- one of the most prestigious U.S. literary honors -- makes an appearance at Mississippi State University next month for the university's Price Caldwell Visiting Writers Series. Celebrated fiction writer Claire Jiménez will speak at MSU Sept. 9, reading from the novel that garnered her the prize – "What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez" -- a 2023 Grand Central Publishing book. Free and open to all, the event is at 5:30 p.m. in Mitchell Memorial Library's John Grisham Room, with a question-and-answer session and book signing following. "Dr. Jiménez's latest work examines the intersection of identity and trauma, highlighting the intricacy and resilience involved in the journey of healing and self-discovery," said MSU assistant professor of English Olufunke Ogundimu of the book that revolves around the disappearance of a Puerto Rican teenager who vanished without a trace as a child. "It really explores how families come through tough times and find themselves again." The Price Caldwell Visiting Writers Series, sponsored by the MSU Department of English, was established through an endowment from Alice Carol Caldwell and family as a memorial to her late husband, an MSU English professor who died in 2015. |
| Mississippi State and Mississippi College partners up for students' success | |
| Mississippi students who aspire to become attorneys now have an accelerated path into the legal profession, thanks to a partnership between Mississippi State and Mississippi College. Mississippi State and MC's School of Law formally signed an agreement Wednesday, Aug. 21st allowing qualified MSU students to enter MC's Juris Doctor program before fully completing an MSU bachelor's degree, accelerating the total length of undergraduate studies plus law school by one full year. MSU President Mark E. Keenum and MC President Blake Thompson signed the Memorandum of Understanding alongside MSU Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw, MSU Executive Vice Provost Peter Ryan, MC Provost and Executive Vice President Mike Highfield, and MC School of Law Dean John Anderson. Keenum and Thompson agreed the new accelerated pathway for students who desire to enter the legal profession and become attorneys will benefit not only the students and institutions, but the entire state. |
| MSU, MC partner for Accelerated Law Degree Program | |
| Mississippi State students who aspire to become attorneys now have a new accelerated pathway into the legal profession thanks to a new University partnership with Mississippi College. Mississippi State University and Mississippi College Law formally signed an agreement on August 21, 2024 allowing qualified MSU students to enter MC's Juris Doctorate program before fully completing an MSU Bachelor's Degree, shortening the total length of undergraduate studies plus law school by one full year. MSU President Mark E. Keenum and MC President Blake Thompson signed the Memorandum of Understanding alongside MSU Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw, MSU Executive Vice Provost Peter Ryan, MC Provost and Executive Vice President Mike Highfield, and MC Law Dean John Anderson. "Mississippi State and Mississippi College share similar values and a commitment to serve, and I'm so pleased we have been able to work with President Thompson and his leadership team to develop this accelerated academic pathway," Keenum said. "It's an exceptional opportunity for students, our institutions, and the state of Mississippi." |
| Mississippi State Celebrates Five Years of Global Food Security Innovation | |
| In a celebratory gathering on August 22, Mississippi State University (MSU) marked a milestone in the fight against global hunger and poverty: five years of success through the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish. This effort, managed by MSU's Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security, has been at the forefront of improving global health and sustainability through aquaculture. The event was marked by an announcement of a five-year grant extension that added $15 million in funding. At the event, Robert Bertram, Chief Scientist of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), commended the lab's achievements and the strategic partnerships it has fostered. "MSU is a long-standing and proud partner in the struggle to achieve global food security by putting sustainable, quality, nutritious, and affordable foods within the reach of all," Bertram remarked. "The Fish Innovation Lab and its leaders wisely engaged the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and WorldFish early on, which has multiplied the lab's influence and impact." MSU President Mark E. Keenum highlighted the university's role in advancing global food security through this initiative. |
| Interview: Mississippi State University takes on leadership role in protecting research | |
| Video: Mississippi State University is taking on a leadership role in an effort to protect research work. |
| MSU family breaks ground on 16th Maroon Edition Habitat home | |
| Chiquita Brown held her five-year-old son Khalil's hand while she stood on the foundation of her future home. By this time next year, Brown and her son will have the keys to her home built by volunteers from Mississippi State University and the Starkville Habitat for Humanity. "I feel really blessed and really grateful," she said. "I'm just excited for me and my family. I told my son when we get a house we'll get a dog. Well -- he's going to get that dog." MSU President Mark E. Keenum, along with Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt, Director of Student Leadership and Community Engagement Kathy Jones and Starkville's Habitat for Humanity President Alyssa McKinley, celebrated the groundbreaking along with Brown Wednesday morning. Once complete, Brown's home will be the fourth Habitat house built in Kelly Estates, a former 11-acre dairy farm on 16th Section Road. In the coming years, area volunteers -- including MSU staff and students -- will transform the site into a 30-home Habitat community. The groundbreaking celebrated the 16th Maroon Edition Habitat home. Those are 16 families' lives that have been impacted in a very significant way," Keenum said. "These families have a house -- but more importantly than that, a home -- here in this community." |
| Boardtown Grand Prix to debut Nov. 22 benefitting Access Program | |
 | The first-ever Boardtown Grand Prix is set to take place on Nov. 22, running from Adkerson Way down to College View Drive. The race will start about 50 feet after the turn for the university. Teams will gather at a staging area where they are required to perform a routine before pushing off. The routine includes costumes, a theme, and a brief dance before sending their driver down the course. Soapbox, or box car racing, is a unique and exhilarating competition where amateur drivers race homemade, gravity-powered vehicles down a challenging course. Participants from various backgrounds showcase their creativity, engineering skills, and sense of humor by designing wacky and imaginative soapbox cars. "Anybody that loves to build stuff, come on. It's for a great cause and it's going to be on a November night so it'll be good weather, too," said Alden Thornhill, event coordinator. The event will benefit the Access Program, with all proceeds directed to the cause. Access is a four-year, residential program that helps students with intellectual and developmental disabilities transition into higher education and have a full college experience. |
| SPD takes safety procedures in Cotton District for large crowds | |
| The return of students to Mississippi State University means the return of nightlife to The Cotton District. And when the sun goes down, the streets will fill with students, locals, and visitors. That's why The Starkville Police Department is implementing its Safety Station and Rideshare Pickup and Dropoff system. Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard says areas along University Drive will be in operation from 10 p.m. until the area is cleared. "We have long since learned, and in keeping up with other university communities, you have safety points, you have to have a strong presence in your entertainment areas, especially the later the night goes," Ballard said. "Safety points for pickup and dropoff are especially important for those traveling at night, students, women, and those unfamiliar with the area, it gives them a safe and secure platform to pick up and go to their location, and entertainment and safety go hand in hand." The decision to close roads will be highly dependent on the amount of crowd traffic for safety purposes. Cameras are set up to help patrol the area as well, and Ballard says they are essential for entertainment districts. With many young adults in the area, the safety station is set up with their best interests in mind. and there is a designated area for students to get an Uber or Lyft. "If they come to the safety checkpoint, they don't have to worry about being arrested," Ballard said. "We'll make sure they get home, get home safely." |
| Inaugural book festival draws nearly 1,000 readers downtown | |
| While reading may typically be a quiet activity, on Saturday, downtown was filled with the buzz of almost 1,000 excited readers that attended the inaugural Possumtown Book Festival. Friendly City Books owner Emily Liner said the festival, produced by the Friendly City Books Community Connection, a special project of the CREATE Foundation, was intended to bring together book lovers from around the area together for one big event. "There are so many readers in the Golden Triangle Region and beyond who just don't always get the opportunity to meet authors face to face and to connect with other book lovers," Liner told The Dispatch Saturday. "That's part of the fun of it, right? To get to talk with others that like the same books you do." For the festival's keynote panel, Ace Atkins, who recently published his latest book, "Don't Let the Devil Ride," spoke with Michael Farris Smith, author of "Nick" -- a prequel to "The Great Gatsby." While Atkins and Smith discussed their writing processes in creating their novels, Smith also expressed excitement to return to the city for the festival, since he lived in Columbus for about 10 years. Christie Collins, a Starkville-based poet who is also an English instructor at Mississippi State University, brought her book of poems, "The Art of Coming Undone," to the festival. The book was published last year, she said, and includes artwork by Dutch artist Erna Kuik. Collins had previously shown her work at the Welty Symposium at Mississippi University for Women and the Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson. For her, coming to the festival was a way to reconnect with friends and make new connections. |
| TVA using drones to inspect structures, ensure reliability | |
 | Rural electrification means exactly what it says: transporting electricity into rural environments. It's been a big part of the Tennessee Valley Authority's mission for the past 90 years. Thanks to advances in drone flight and the compact camera gear they carry, that mission has recently grown a good bit easier. The structures that help transport electricity throughout the Tennessee River Valley, both TVA's and those of the cooperatives that span the last miles, bear watching. What's long been needed is a way to get above the lines and look down, to take detailed photography, to gather thermal imagery, to document the precise when and where of each and use all of the above to make an efficient plan for maintenance or repair. That's where Chad Wilson comes in. He's been part of TVA's drone-based inspection team since its creation last March. Since then, he and his five fellow customer service drone pilots have inspected more than 50 miles of line and more than 1,000 load-bearing structures. In the course of that, the drones have helped identify roughly 120 major issues, of which 20 to 30 demanded immediate attention. "The drones give us great access to hard-to-reach spots, such as river crossings, mountainsides and more," Wilson said. |
| Despite Tupelo's new Dallas route, GTRA continues push for westbound flights | |
| Westbound flights are still on the table for the Golden Triangle Regional Airport, though adding a new route to Dallas is a work in progress. Tupelo Regional Airport announced this week it will offer a new daily round-trip route with Contour Airlines to Dallas with the goal of connecting its business passengers to a central airport out west. Those flights start in October. GTRA Executive Director Matt Dowell said he doesn't expect Tupelo's new route to affect the Golden Triangle's efforts to get a westbound flight. "We don't see that really affecting our ability to still work with (American Airlines) to try and get that service," Dowell told The Dispatch on Friday. "We think there's more demand out there, and so we would still be a viable option and a money making opportunity for American Airlines to offer that product multiple days, multiple times a day." For now, Dowell said the airport is maintaining its relationship with American Airlines in hopes of eventually securing the new route. The growth happening in the Golden Triangle will be a big help with that, he said. "That's ultimately why we think we'll be successful in getting additional service and growing the service we have," he said. "Economic development is a big reason why we've continued to have good air service. We think ultimately that airlines want to grow with us, and so we continue to tout the growth of the industry." |
| Retail coach looks to bring businesses to Meridian | |
 | The Meridian City Council is looking to bring in some outside help in attracting new businesses to the Queen City. In a 4-1 vote Tuesday, the council approved a contract with The Retail Coach to assist the city in recruiting and retaining businesses. Councilman Joe Norwood Jr., who proposed the city's contract with The Retail Coach, said the contract will cost $35,000 and last for one year. During that time, The Retail Coach will work to develop data and site profiles of Meridian and use its connections with retailers to identify and recruit businesses that will be a good fit for the area. Kyle Cofer, who works for The Retail Coach and is based in Tupelo, spoke to the City Council at its July 9 work session and explained retail businesses make decisions where to locate new stores based primarily on data. Having that data available and being able to put it in front of businesses already considered a good fit for Meridian is key in bringing new industries to town, he said. Norwood said he first heard about The Retail Coach while at a conference in Las Vegas and thought the company could be an asset to the city. A priority, he said, is bringing grocery stores to the North Hills Street area and the College Park area, both of which lack a nearby location for residents to purchase groceries. |
| Prairie Arts Festival to bring fine arts, fun downtown | |
| For the 46th year, downtown West Point is gearing up for the Prairie Arts Festival. Lisa Klutts, director of community development for the West Point Clay County Community Growth Alliance, has been coordinating the festival since 2008. Every year, she said, the festival returns during Labor Day weekend, filling downtown with about 200 vendors, with artists, food trucks, music and more. "Even though it's been going on for 46 years and you know what to expect, there's still some element that's new every year," Klutts said. "Whether it's different vendors, different attractions, different musicians, or just something new to try to eat, there's always a new element to the festival that keeps it fresh." The festival will take over downtown from Main Street to Westbrook Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 31. A 5K race, which happens before the festival each year, will start at 8 a.m. Klutts said the festival will include a variety of jewelry, pottery, paintings, door hangers, yard art, and baked goods, along with the fine arts that the festival is known for. Newer additions include plushies, boutique clothes and 3D printed art. The Bryan Public Library is also bringing back its book sale during the festival, Klutts said. |
| First Waldo's in state opens next week in Tupelo; Oxford slated for 2025 | |
| The first Waldo's Chicken and Beer in Mississippi is set to open next week in the All-America City, and the restaurant franchise owner/operator is eyeing Oxford for its next location. The Tupelo location is fully staffed with 45 people, and training has been ongoing the past week. The restaurant is located in the former Abner's location on North Gloster, between Wendy's and Olive Garden. "Tupelo is an upcoming market, and it's part of my territory stretching from Jackson, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi," said franchise owner Fayaz Abdul, adding that he plans to open several more stores. "We plan to open Oxford by the second quarter of next year." Besides Oxford, Abdul is eyeing other locations in North Mississippi including Southaven and Olive Branch. Abdul has tried all the other chicken restaurants and found them lacking. A friend and former partner of his in Tulsa, Oklahoma told him he needed to connect with Waldo's as he had done. And he did. The menu, with chicken tenders, fried chicken on the bone and rotisserie chicken also features sandwiches, salads, desserts and sides like macaroni and cheese, collard greens, white beans and more. |
| Gipson: Relief from ad valorem tax increases available for Mississippi poultry farmers | |
| Temporary relief of a pending ad valorem tax increase in Mississippi is now available for the some of the state's poultry farmers, with the potential for the increase to be eliminated all together in the upcoming legislative session. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson has pushed against the tax, which is assessed based on the value of real estate or property, stating that the increase would be "highly detrimental to our farmers" due to record inflation pressure. Gipson explained in a press release that Mississippi law provides for periodic updates of ad valorem land tax valuations. Due to the increase, poultry farmers updating tax values in 2024 can request a delay in the proposed increases for one year. "It is confirmed that counties in the process of updating these tax values in 2024 now have the option to request a delay in the proposed increases an additional year, giving time for the Legislature to address this ad valorem tax issue in the 2025 Regular Session," Commissioner Gipson said. "I encourage all affected poultry farmers to contact your local county Tax Assessor to make sure this information is passed along to the county supervisors in advance of the land roll deadline. We will be working closely with our Legislators to find a permanent resolution to help the farmers on this major issue during the 2025 Session." |
| Rep. Hinson addresses farm bill uncertainties ahead of Farm Progress Show | |
| U.S. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says she expects the farm bill to be a top focal point of next week's Farm Progress Show. "It's unfortunate that the Senate hasn't even put forth a piece of legislation. Nothing has changed." In a press call Friday, the Iowa Republican said farmers are concerned about long-term stability in the markets and don't need farm bill uncertainty. "Obviously, we've seen a huge dip in what the commodity prices are. Input prices are still high, labor prices are still high. So those very real concerns are on the minds of our producers." Hinson says she plans to talk with growers about some options for House lawmakers. "Our Iowa delegation is united behind a good Republican farm bill that we passed out of committee. I'm hopeful our leadership will put it on the floor, but at the very least we have to make sure we get that extension done so that our farmers can continue to access the programs they know and trust." The Farm Progress Show begins Tuesday in Boone, Iowa. |
| Trump allies try to energize him as he struggles to adapt to Harris | |
 | Republican nominee Donald Trump looked cheerful playing golf at his New Jersey club one day earlier this month, then appeared bored in an afternoon news conference and dour during a reception with megadonor Miriam Adelson. He publicly mused about staying home during the Democratic National Convention, letting Vice President Kamala Harris hold the spotlight unchallenged. Several former aides who have known Trump for years said he always preferred to keep a lighter schedule in August, when his family visited Bedminster and he usually golfed almost every day. But aides did not want a situation where he was watching the convention every night, getting angry, and then just golfing all day and stewing, according to people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private interactions. Trump also had grown annoyed with the news coverage that depicted him as not working as hard as his opponent, one person who talked to him said. So the campaign launched back-to-back events over the past week, with the goal of counterprogramming the Democratic convention and securing news coverage, as other campaigns have often done, but also as a way to keep Trump busy. Trump has publicly acknowledged his challenge in defining Harris, describing his goal as to portray her as a "communist." His frustration with his advisers burst into public Wednesday when he mocked them for telling him to focus on politics instead of personal insults. He then polled the crowd on which they preferred and, when they predictably cheered louder for personal attacks, Trump joked, "My advisers are fired." |
| Trump is expected to tie Harris to chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal on 3rd anniversary of attack | |
 | Former President Donald Trump on Monday is expected to tie Vice President Kamala Harris to the chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal on the third anniversary of the suicide bombing that killed 13 service members. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is expected to visit Arlington National Cemetery to pay his respects to the service members killed in the bombing outside the Kabul airport. Trump will then go to Michigan to address the National Guard Association of the United States conference. Monday marks three years since the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, which killed 13 American service members and more than 100 Afghans. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. Since President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid, Trump has been zeroing in on Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, and her roles in foreign policy decisions. He specifically highlights the vice president's statements that she was the last person in the room before Biden made the decision on Afghanistan. "She bragged that she would be the last person in the room, and she was. She was the last person in the room with Biden when the two of them decided to pull the troops out of Afghanistan," he said last week in a North Carolina rally. "She had the final vote. She had the final say, and she was all for it." |
| 'America is not a museum': Why Democrats are going big on housing despite the risks | |
 | Democrats are trying to turn a political vulnerability, housing affordability, into a winning issue for November. The strategy carries significant risk: It's likely to spark a host of fights across blue cities and states. Top party leaders are leaning into what's long been a perilous issue for the Democratic Party in response to voter outrage over the crunch of housing supply and the rising costs of homes and rents. At the Democratic convention, leaders including Kamala Harris and Barack Obama built on existing momentum in both red and blue states -- including Harris' home state of California --- and called for an overhaul of local zoning laws that act as barriers to new and cheaper housing. But the federal government has limited influence on these rules. Instead, if the pleas work, it would send cheering mayors, city councilmembers and party chairs back to their hometowns to pick battles with Democrat-run planning boards and Legislatures in major metro areas and small towns alike in an effort to fulfill Harris' pledge to build three million new homes. In some ways, it's a political risk for Democrats to confront housing. But it's also a sign of how hard it's become for Democrats to ignore the growing chorus of voters who can't find affordable housing or are priced out of buying homes. Now they want to flip the script and own an issue impacting large swaths of Americans as it becomes a centerpiece of Harris' campaign. |
| The EPA can't use Civil Rights Act to fight environmental injustice in Louisiana, judge rules | |
| A federal judge has weakened the Biden administration's effort to use a historic civil rights law to fight industrial pollution alleged to have taken a heavier toll on minority communities in Louisiana. U.S. District Judge James David Cain of Lake Charles handed down the ruling Thursday, permanently blocking the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing what are known as "disparate impact" requirements on the state. Cain had already issued a temporary blocking order in January. His ruling was a victory for Louisiana officials who challenged the EPA policy, which was based on possible violations of Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act forbids anyone who receives federal funds from discriminating based on race or national origin. It's been used in housing and transportation, but rarely on environmental matters. The EPA under President Joe Biden, however, tried to use it more aggressively. The state sued in May 2023, a move that may have played a role in the EPA dropping an investigation into whether Louisiana officials put Black residents living in an industrial stretch of the state at increased cancer risk. The area, often referred to as "cancer alley" because of the amount of suspected cancer-causing pollution emitted there, stretches along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. |
| Ann Abadie remembered for contributions to study of Southern culture | |
| Ann Abadie, a leader in the study of Southern culture with a passion for William Faulkner and literacy, died July 30 at age 84. Abadie had a hand in launching initiatives in the Oxford and University of Mississippi community, including the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at Ole Miss, the Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference, the Oxford Conference for the Book and various publications. The South Carolina native moved to Oxford in 1960 for graduate school. Having received a Bachelor of Arts in English and history from Wake Forest University, she earned master's and doctorate degrees in English from Ole Miss. She served as director and then associate director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture from 1979 to her retirement in 2011. Abadie coedited the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, the New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture and the Mississippi Encyclopedia. She was one of the first people Charles Reagan Wilson met when he came to Oxford in 1981 to work at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. He served as director of the center from 1998 through 2007, during which Abadie served as associate director. A meticulous grammarian, Abadie established a clear style and proofed all of the work that came out of the center. "She read every press release, every grant proposal, every publication that we sponsored," Wilson said. "You never had to worry there was a grammatical mistake, an inaccurate fact or infelicitous phrase. She checked everything." |
| Ole Miss to again welcome largest freshman class in school history | |
| The new school year will soon commence at the University of Mississippi, and according to Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill, this year's freshman class will once again be the largest in school history. "This is the best time of the year," Tannehill said during an appearance on The Gallo Show. "You get all these happy, enthusiastic 18-year-olds that bring a new level of energy to our community. And we've got more 18-year-olds than we've ever had before in this huge freshman class -- a record-setting class." While enrollment numbers won't be finalized until later this fall, Tannehill did mention that year's freshman class is so large that the university has had to acquire off-campus housing to offer students who cannot get a dorm on campus. Off-campus options available for the 2024-25 academic year include apartment complexes such as Lark Oxford, The Quarters at Oxford, and Gather at Oxford. In the meantime, Ole Miss is working to construct additional housing complexes on campus. "This large freshman class and the lack of housing on campus certainly cause some growing pains for us, but I'm thrilled Oxford is a place people want to be," Tannehill continued. "I'm thrilled parents trust us to take care of their kids for four years, and I take that responsibility very seriously." Classes begin at the University of Mississippi on Monday, Aug. 26. |
| HPD investigating reported shooting near USM campus | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi sent out an alert late Friday night about a shooting near campus being investigated by the Hattiesburg Police Department. The university did conclude the brief message by saying, "There is no threat to campus at this time." HPD provided no information Friday night. A heavy police presence and crime scene tape was visible near McDonald's, Cadence Bank and Exxon Gas Station/Krispy Krunchy Chicken on the north side of Hardy Street. The full "Eagle Alert" message that went out just before 11 p.m. to USM students, faculty and staff read: "EAGLE ALERT Hattiesburg Police Department is investigating a shooting at the intersection of 31st Ave. and Hardy St. There is no threat to campus at this time." |
| Bond denied again for man accused of killing Southern Miss nursing student | |
| Bond has been denied once more for the man accused of killing a Southern Miss nursing student. Bricen Rivers, 23, appeared in court on Friday. He is currently facing first-degree murder, grand larceny, and tampering with evidence charges in connection with the early July death of his ex-girlfriend, Lauren Johansen. Police found Johansen's body in the trunk of a vehicle at Wolf River Cemetery in Pass Christian. Before the discovery, law enforcement spotted a man later identified as Rivers fleeing the scene into a wooded area. A manhunt then ensued with the suspect being captured and locked up. Though Johansen was caught in Harrison County, investigators believe the actual murder took place in Forrest County. Due to the revelation, Harrison County District Attorney W. Crosby Parker deemed it necessary for Rivers' case to be handled in the Pine Belt where the suspect allegedly killed the victim. "Due to the hard work and collaborative effort of law enforcement departments in Forrest County, it has been determined that Forrest County is the appropriate jurisdiction," Parker stated. |
| Alcorn State's marching band will perform at 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | |
 | Members of the Alcorn State University's marching band will be celebrating Thanksgiving in New York City next year. The band was one of nine chosen from across the country to participate in the 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Hundreds of bands audition each year for the parade. Officials from Alcorn and Macy's were set to deliver the news during a special event at the university in Lorman. The band was scheduled to be the headlining act, introducing the latest lineup, following a performance by several high school bands, including Jefferson County, Natchez, South Pike and Port Gibson. The band has performed in parades and at major sporting events across the nation, including several NFL halftime shows. Alcorn Director of Bands Everson Martin was scheduled to share the news with the Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite team. The 2025 parade will be Macy's 99th. The first university marching band from Mississippi to participate in the annual parade was the University of Southern Mississippi's Pride of Mississippi Marching Band. The Pride made its debut in the Macy's parade in 2010, according to the Macy's parade fan page. |
| Schools are competing with cell phones. Here's how they think they could win | |
| Isabella Pires first noticed what she calls the "gradual apathy pandemic" in eighth grade. Only a handful of classmates registered for service projects she helped organize at her Massachusetts school. Even fewer actually showed up. When she got to high school last fall, Isabella found the problem was even worse: a lackluster Spirit Week and classes where students seldom spoke. In some ways, it's as if students "just care less and less about what people think, but also somehow care more," said Isabella, 14. Some teens, she said, no longer care about appearing disengaged, while others are so afraid of ridicule they keep to themselves. She blames social media and the lingering isolation of the post-COVID era. Educators say their tried and true lesson plans are no longer enough to keep students engaged at a time of struggling mental health, shortened attention spans, reduced attendance and worsening academic performance. At the crux of these challenges? Addiction to cell phones. Now, adults are trying new strategies to reverse the malaise. Cell phone bans are gaining traction, but many say they're not enough. They argue for alternative stimulation: steering students outdoors or toward extracurriculars to fill time they might otherwise spend alone online. And students need outlets, they say, to speak about taboo topics without fear of being " canceled " on social media. |
| New Training and Tougher Rules: How Colleges Are Trying to Tame Gaza Protests | |
 | Less than 10 minutes had passed before Daniel Diermeier, Vanderbilt University's chancellor, told hundreds of new students what the school would not do. The university would not divest from Israel. It would not banish provocative speakers. It would not issue statements in support or condemnation of Israeli or Palestinian causes. Before the hour was up on Monday, he added that Vanderbilt would not tolerate threats, harassment or protests "disrupting the learning environment." This month, Vanderbilt required all first-year undergraduate students to attend mandatory meetings about the university's approach to free speech, with the hope that clear expectations -- and explanations for them -- would help administrators keep order after protests rocked American campuses toward the end of the last academic year. "The chaos on campuses is because there's lack of clarity on these principles," Dr. Diermeier said in an interview. There is no guarantee that the pre-emptive, plain-spoken meetings will work. Many student activists and professors at Vanderbilt have condemned the university's rules as suppressing their speech, and even universities with histories of hard-nosed tactics have struggled with demonstrations. But university officials nationwide are grasping for new approaches as they brace for renewed protests over the Israel-Hamas war, along with a bitterly contested presidential election. |
| Car culture is changing at the U, of Tennessee: Meet Tanara Teal-Tate, parking pro | |
 | Since the University of Tennessee at Knoxville announced Tanara Teal-Tate as the new executive director of parking and transportation in March, new parking strategies and upgrades to infrastructure have been rolling out across campus with approval from the UT System Board of Trustees. New parking zones, new visitor spots and a new partnership with Knoxville Area Transit are changing the way motorists navigate campus, and Teal-Tate is at the center of it all. The Memphis native and three-time graduate of the University of Memphis has 24 years of parking experience under her belt, and her background includes six years as director of parking operations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she oversaw transportation infrastructure for more than 75,000 students, faculty and staff. Since classes began Aug. 19, new students have been getting familiar with campus, and Teal-Tate is encouraging upperclassmen to be patient with them while they're trying to find a place to park. As a student, parking near your classroom is ideal. While that won't always be possible, Teal-Tate believes the new zone system will make it easier for students to arrive on time. "I would ask students to arrive timely, but they don't have to necessarily be here hours in advance," she told Knox News. "I think based on the reductions in how we've allocated our ratios, they can have the confidence to know that when they do arrive to campus, that they will have a parking space." |
| UT System prohibits its universities from making political or social statements | |
| The University of Texas Board of Regents amended its free speech policy this week to prohibit the system and its 14 universities and health-related institutions from adopting political or social positions unrelated to campus operations. "Institutions should not, in their official capacity, issue or express positions on issues of the day, however appealing they may be to some members of the university community," reads the new language that was added to the system's statement on freedom of speech and expression and approved by the board during its Thursday meeting. The policy does not apply to individual faculty, staff or students free speech and only relates to "official university statements, functions, ceremonies, and publications." In a statement, Paul Corliss, associate vice chancellor for external relations and communications, said the new policy is an extension of the principles put forth in the Kalven Report from the University of Chicago, a 1967 report on the university's role in political and social action that concluded "institutional neutrality" is necessary for the university to fulfill its core mission and create a campus environment were all students, faculty and staff have the freedom to take their own political or social views. |
| Black MU students find community at renamed Welcome Black and Gold BBQ | |
 | The Legion of Black Collegians' annual barbecue aimed at Black students returned to the University of Missouri Friday, despite turmoil over a recent name change. From 4 to 7 p.m., new and returning MU students gathered at the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center for the Welcome Black and Gold BBQ, a staple event renamed this year due to recent changes concerning MU's diversity programs. LBC, the only Black student government in the nation, has traditionally called the event the Welcome Black BBQ. LBC announced the name change in a social media post Aug. 16, writing, "The Legion spent several months fighting this decision and finding a way to preserve the original title and message." LBC said it was faced with two options: renaming the event or not having the event at all. "Ultimately, the best decision was to change the name so we can live to fight another day," LBC Vice President Madison Ward said. The change came after the dissolution of MU's former Division of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in July, in anticipation of impending legislation concerning DEI |
| Scientists may have found a radical solution for making your hamburger less bad for the planet | |
| Sushi, a four-week-old Holstein calf, was lying in a pen under the hum of a metal fan when a group of professors and graduate students arrived to sample his stomach. The male calf greeted the researchers with a friendly nibble of their clothing, then flopped back down lazily on a bed of rice hulls. But even as the cow slumbered, deep in his four-chambered stomach, minuscule organisms were hard at work. Fungi, bacteria, and other tiny creatures were breaking down feed into energy and chemicals, setting in motion an ancient process that today heats the Earth more than every flight across the world combined. Scientists here are hunting for a way to transform Sushi's gut -- so that he no longer releases planet-warming methane. The 125-pound calf belongs to the first wave of a multiyear, approximately $30 million experiment by scientists at the University of California at Davis and the Innovative Genomics Institute to change the inner workings of the cow stomach. Cows, one of the most-consumed creatures on the planet, produce enormous amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that is responsible for 30 percent of global warming. Using tools that snip and transfer DNA, researchers plan to genetically engineer microbes in the cow stomach to eliminate those emissions. "It's completely out of the box," said Ermias Kebreab, a professor of animal science at UC-Davis. "Nobody has done it before." |
| Fighting the Mental-Health Crisis Narrative | |
 | "Notre Dame Makes $68-Million Commitment to Fighting Mental-Health Crisis; Scalable Solutions Could Become National Model," reads the headline of a February news release. "University of Iowa Working to Combat Mental-Health Crisis Among Students Over Summer Break," headlines a June 2023 article about the university's embedding therapists in various schools, departments, and dorms. A March alert about a mental-health survey from the publishing company Wiley quotes the author of a psychology book: "The student mental-health crisis is real, and evident every single day in my classroom." Crisis. Crisis. Crisis. Even before the pandemic, college counseling centers described being overwhelmed, not nearly able to meet students' need for help handling mental-health challenges. Amid rising overall rates of anxiety and depression, researchers report an increase in social anxiety, among late adolescents and college students in particular. That's contributed to what has been described as an epidemic of loneliness. But an intriguing news release this past February from Richard Shadick, chair of the communications committee at AUCCCD, the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, takes a different tack. "Changing the Crisis Narrative," the release is titled. "In an era where mental-health concerns among college students are at the front of public discussion," it opens, "AUCCCD is urging the media, the public, and educational institutions to adopt a more responsible approach to discussing the mental well-being of students." |
| In Bid to Deter Misconduct, U.S. Releases New Data on Financial Aid Enforcement | |
 | A for-profit college based in Washington, D.C., that offered IT and health-care programs shut down in May 2023 after the Education Department cut it off from federal financial aid -- one of 35 institutions in the last three years that have lost access to the funding source that's a lifeline for most colleges. But the department didn't say anything publicly about its decision to take action against Prospect College after it found evidence of an "illegal scheme" to evade the so-called 90-10 rule. Under that rule, only 90 percent of a for-profit college's revenue can come from federal financial aid. Prospect counted institutional payments to students as revenue to the college to keep its federal revenue under 90 percent, and when the department recalculated the college's revenue for fiscal 2019, 2020 and 2021, the college failed the 90-10 standard all three years. The department's Jan. 31, 2023, finding against Prospect was disclosed along with dozens of others earlier this month, when the department released information about its enforcement efforts on a new webpage that will serve as the hub for future fines, settlements and termination actions. It is now public knowledge that the Office of Enforcement at Federal Student Aid, the agency within the Education Department that oversees the federal financial aid system, has taken 87 actions in all against 85 colleges and universities over the past three years. |
| The Divine 9 is engaging with politics in whole new way for Harris | |
| When Kamala Harris stepped on stage to deliver her acceptance speech Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention, she looked out on a sea of women wearing white, a homage to the women's suffrage movement. There were also islands of pink and green. The colors, signaling pride for the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, got a shoutout on the convention stage earlier in the evening, when comedian D.L. Hughley shouted: "Where the AKAs?" prompting screams of excitement from sections of the crowd. It was a nod to a burgeoning political force: Members of AKA and the rest of the elite Black fraternities and sororities known as the Divine Nine, who are determined to usher one of their own into the White House. Harris, who joined the sorority during her time at Howard University in the 1980s, and maintains deep connections with it to this day. AKA, the oldest Black Greek-letter organization, recently created its own political action committee. It's hoping to raise money to support down-ballot candidates who are members of the sorority. The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which is also part of the Divine Nine, established a $100,000 grant program for local chapters to boost voter mobilization efforts. And Delta Sigma Theta, aired its first-ever get-out-the-vote ad, which aired in Chicago and Philadelphia. "Everyone understands the assignment," said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) and a member of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority, who saw Harris speak at the sorority's biennial boulé on her second full day as de facto nominee. "We recognize we have, you know, less than 100 days," she said, "and we got to propel this sister." |
| Trump says everybody should vote on abortion. Mississippi leaders clearly disagree. | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Mississippi's Republican political leaders have continuously voiced unwavering support for former President Donald Trump's policies and actions. But on the hot button issue of abortion, there appears to be some separation between the position of the state's political leadership and the policy of the former president who is vying to win a second term. Trump now supports, his campaign has said, every state voting on the issue of abortion. A spokesperson for the Trump campaign told NBC News earlier this month: "As president Trump said, he wants 'everybody to vote' on the issue, reiterating his long-held position of supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion." Mississippi's political leaders, however, have gone to extraordinary measures to ensure that their citizens are not allowed to vote on the issue. For two consecutive legislative sessions, the state's political leadership has proposed legislation that would prohibit Mississippians from being able to vote on abortion. |
| Medical marijuana contends with intoxicating hemp | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: The medical marijuana industry has broad support in Mississippi. In 2020, 69% of voters approved the medical marijuana initiative (later nullified by the Mississippi Supreme Court). In 2022, the Legislature overwhelmingly passed the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act establishing a highly regulated, high quality industry. Less than a year later over 20,000 medically qualified Mississippians were benefitting from medical marijuana. Yet in its 2024 session the Legislature failed to stand with the popular, developing industry against largely unregulated, potentially unsafe competition. The FDA and CDC have cautioned against use of intoxicating hemp products, stating these are largely unregulated, not systematically tested for additives or contaminants, and often lack labeling or are mislabeled with respect to product contents. House bill 1676 sought to bring intoxicating hemp products under medical marijuana guidelines. Proponents pointed to an investigation that found products containing pesticides, mycotoxins, and 30 to 40 times the legal tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) limit. Hemp growers fought the bill. ADVERTISING |
SPORTS
| What would constitute a successful season for Mississippi State football | |
| With so much uncertainty nearly everywhere on the field for Mississippi State this fall, expectations are understandably tempered for the Bulldogs, particularly from outside the program. MSU has a new head coach, eight new assistants and likely 20 new starters out of 22 combined spots on offense and defense. Change was certainly necessary after a 5-7 campaign and the Bulldogs' first postseason without a bowl game since 2009 as Zach Arnett -- who took over as head coach under unfortunate circumstances following the death of Mike Leach -- never seemed fully comfortable in that role and was fired with two games remaining. Jeff Lebby, like Arnett, is a first-time head coach, but that didn't stop MSU fans from giving him a hero's welcome when he arrived at the airport late last November and clanging their cowbells when Lebby declared that the Bulldogs are going to be "a football team that scores a bunch of points." MSU may well score a bunch of points -- Lebby's offenses have been effective at his previous stops as offensive coordinator, and he and the coaching staff did have success bringing offensive players out of the transfer portal -- but stopping opponents from doing the same could be a tougher matter. The Bulldogs struggled attracting impact defensive players in the portal to Starkville, and that, combined with the relative inexperience all over the roster, was a big reason why they were ranked 15th out of 16 teams in the Southeastern Conference preseason media poll. With that in mind, here's what it would take for Lebby's debut campaign to be considered a success. |
| Mississippi State predictions for 2024 college football season | |
 | It's a new beginning for Mississippi State football as coach Jeff Lebby's first season kicks off Saturday. He should start off 1-0 with a win against Eastern Kentucky at Davis Wade Stadium (5 p.m., SEC Network +). What happens after that is where it really gets interesting. The Bulldogs draw a difficult SEC schedule with games at Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss. Games against teams like Arizona State, Florida and Arkansas could determine if the Bulldogs reach a bowl game. Here are our Mississippi State game-by-game predictions for this college football season. |
| No. 20 State Soccer Falls In Tough ACC/SEC Battle | |
| State soccer faced its first setback of the 2024 season, falling 2-1 on the road against a veteran Wake Forest side at Spry Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Wake Forest got on the board early, as Abbie Colton netted her first goal of the season just two minutes into the match, assisted by Emily Morris. The early goal set the tone, forcing the Dawgs to fight from an unfamiliar position thus far in 2024. Despite conceding early, the Bulldogs responded with resilience. In the 6th minute, Ilana Izquierdo had a shot that narrowly missed, followed by another effort from Aitana Martinez-Montoya in the 10th minute that was saved by Wake Forest's goalkeeper, Payton Cahill. State's persistence paid off in the 41st minute when freshman Kara Harris scored her first collegiate goal, equalizing the match at 1-1. Harris capitalized on a well-placed ball from Chelsea Wagner, who recorded her first assist as a Bulldog. The Dawgs and Deacs went into the break deadlocked at 1-1. The second half was marked by intense play from both sides, with Wake Forest applying consistent pressure. Mississippi State goalkeeper Maddy Anderson was kept busy, making a total of eight saves in the match. However, in the 84th minute, Wake Forest broke through when Nikayla Small scored her first goal of the season, putting the Demon Deacons ahead 2-1. Despite a late push from the Bulldogs, they were unable to find another equalizer. |
| Few baseball fans recall Hughie Critz, but his grandchildren surely do | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: The Baseball Encyclopedia tells us Hugh Melville "Hughie" Critz was born in Starkville in 1900 and died in Greenwood in 1980 at the age of 79. It tells us Critz was a wee man, standing just 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing but 147 pounds, that he played second base and batted .268 over a 12-year career with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants. Baseball's "bible" also tells us Critz hit .322 for the Reds as a rookie in 1924, that he finished second in the National League's Most Valuable Player voting in 1926, and that he helped the Giants win the National League pennant and then the World Series in five games over the Washington Senators in 1933. Clearly, Hughie Critz excelled as a baseball player and was one of the finest Major Leaguers Mississippi has ever produced. ... But there's so much about Critz that baseball's bible does not tell us, so much that any Mississippi baseball fan -- or any lover of Mississippi history, period -- should know. ... Critz never planned to play baseball for anything other than fun and didn't play on the Mississippi State team until his junior year of college. His father, Hugh "The Colonel" Critz, had captained one of State's earliest baseball teams and years later would be the college's president. The father suggested the son go out for baseball. The son did. Hughie not only made Coach Dudy Noble's team, he was elected team captain, just as his father had. |
| SEC announces women's rowing as new sport: Conference championship set for May 2025 | |
| The SEC added a new sport to its conference on Friday, announcing that rowing is now the 13th women's sport and 22nd overall sport sponsored by the conference. Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas are the four programs that currently sponsor the sport in the SEC after having previously competed out of the Big 12. According to the conference, an SEC championship can only be conducted with a minimum of 25% of the league's membership participating. With the additions of the Sooners and Longhorns to the conference for the 2024-25 athletic calendar, the SEC was able to meet that threshold and sponsor women's rowing for the first time. The conference's athletic directors voted on the move unanimously. "The addition of Oklahoma and Texas provides the opportunity to support a new SEC championship experience for rowing student-athletes," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a release. "We look forward to providing support to the growth of the sport of rowing in the Southeastern Conference." Texas won the Big 12 and national championships last season. |
| No. 10 Florida State started season with playoff hopes but got exposed by Georgia Tech | |
 | Losing to Georgia Tech very strongly suggests that Florida State is not going to win the national championship, or even come within a whisper of the College Football Playoff for the second year in a row. The Yellow Jackets are pretty good. Right? Who knows? With just one game down in this 2024 season, all we can say for sure is the Jackets are a field goal better than the Seminoles. But as a sign, this isn't a good one: Tech beat No. 10 Florida State 24-21 in Ireland on a 44-yard kick as time expired. A year ago, the Seminoles went undefeated during the regular season and still couldn't get into the top four. Under multiple different postseason formats -- regular bowl games, the Bowl Championship Series and the four-team playoff -- Saturday's loss would've left Florida State on the edges of the championship race or even been an immediate disqualifier. The 12-team college football playoff will alter the complexion of the regular season. Beyond changing the pressure of November games, though, the new format will give teams such as Florida State much more room for error and allow for one or even two losses before being eliminated from the conference-title race. But they also face a schedule that still includes Clemson, Miami and Notre Dame and have little margin for error. |
| Big 12 leaders to discuss potentially inviting UConn after school makes pitch, AP sources say | |
| Big 12 presidents are scheduled next week to discuss potentially inviting UConn to the conference after school officials made an in-person pitch to the league that included a hefty investment in the Huskies' struggling football program, two people familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press on Friday. The people said a plan to add UConn, which has won the last two men's college basketball national championships, would include the school's football team staying independent before being added to the Big 12 in 2031 and not require current members to take a cut in their current expected conference revenue share. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the conference and school were not making their discussions public. The Athletic first reported the Big 12's renewed interest in UConn. UConn officials were in Dallas last week to present to the Big 12 a plan for major investments to the athletic programs, the vast majority of which would be focused on football, one of the people said. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, a former executive with the Brooklyn Nets, has long been intrigued with getting a foothold in the New York area market, where the Big East school has a huge following. |
| Sources: NCAA proposing elimination of spring football transfer portal window | |
| A proposal to eliminate the spring transfer portal window in football is advancing through the NCAA legislative process. The NCAA Football Oversight Committee, a group of school administrators controlling football-related policy, recommended the proposal this week to the Division I Council, sources tell Yahoo Sports. If the council adopts the legislation, it would take effect this cycle, eliminating the 15-day portal window in April. The DI Council meets via video conference next month and in-person in October. It is unusual, but not unprecedented, for the council to reject a recommendation from the oversight committee. The four power conferences, as well as the American Football Coaches Association, are supportive of the move, several sources with knowledge of the situation told Yahoo Sports. In February, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey openly expressed support for a single football portal window. The change would be significant. Under the proposal, football players could only enter the portal during a 30-day window that begins after the completion of conference championship games, which, this year, is Dec. 9-Jan. 7. Under the current transfer policy, players can also enter the portal from April 16-30. The proposal would eliminate the April window. |
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