| Wednesday, August 28, 2024 |
| Ernest to perform at 13th annual Cowbell Yell at Mississippi State | |
 | Ernest, the songwriter behind some of Morgan Wallen's tunes, will take the stage for the 13th annual Cowbell Yell at Mississippi State on August 30, 2024. The yearly kickoff-to-football-season pep rally will begin at 7:00 p.m., with the family-friendly Fan Fest by Coca-Cola opening at 5:30 p.m. Joining Ernest will be DJ KUJHO, the Famous Maroon Band, spirit squads and NFL alumni, with a fireworks display concluding the party at the Junction. Ernest may be best known for his 2021 song and duet with Wallen, "Flower Shops." He is a co-producer of the current hit "I Had Some Help" by Post Malone and Wallen, 2024's longest running No. 1 song and a history-maker, debuting at No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. Bulldog fans can park for free in the surrounding lots around Davis Wade Stadium and must move their cars at the conclusion of the event. The lots include Newell Grissom -- Lot 5, Barnes and Noble -- Lot 18, Dorman Hall -- Lot 11 and lots 7 and 19. All planning to attend are encouraged to bring their cowbells in preparation for the football season opener against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 5:00 p.m. in Davis Wade Stadium. Cowbell Yell is free and open to all students, faculty, staff, fans and community members. |
| Network debut set for MSU Films' documentary '9/20' | |
 | Nine days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks rocked the nation, Mississippi State hosted one of the most important football games in American history. This simple act of playing a game would help the country and its people start down the pathway of recovery. "9/20," an MSU Films documentary about the 2001 Southeastern Conference football game between MSU and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks -- the first major post-9/11 sporting event held in the U.S. -- makes its national television debut on SEC Network at 7 p.m. CDT on Sept. 11 and will be immediately available for streaming at films.msstate.edu following the broadcast. Told through archival footage and interviews of those who made the game happen both on and off the field, MSU filmmakers examine a watershed moment when Americans turned to sports as a momentary escape from tragedy and a return to normalcy. A lot was riding on the game outside of the SEC standings and the two top-20 teams' rankings. Americans, unsure of how to proceed with life as usual, needed some sort of restart, and the White House contacted then-SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer, urging him to move forward with the game after sporting events -- and most large-scale public gatherings -- had been canceled since the attack. |
| MSU revamps campus dining | |
| Mississippi State University and its dining contractor, Aramark, spent the summer revamping existing dining locations and introducing a fresh lineup of dining options as part of their $30 million project to modernize campus dining. New locations include Perry-to-Go, the Perry Food Truck, Bento Sushi, Umble Coffee Co. and a lineup of local food trucks that will be available around campus. Fresh Food Company has also made significant changes, and block meals are now available at the P.O.D. Markets. These changes coincide with the May closure of The Marketplace at Perry, one of MSU's major dining halls, for renovations. According to Aramark Resident District Manager James Jankowski, it was essential to ensure that the new locations opened before students returned for the fall to meet the demand created by Perry's closure. Another new option is the Perry Food Truck, which is located on Union Plaza near the YMCA building and offers breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. Sophomore mechanical engineering major Jonathan Shelton from Union, MS, tried Perry Food Truck's French dip sandwich on Thursday. Shelton said that he enjoyed the sandwich and praised the quick service. "It was very fast," Shelton said. "I ordered it on the GrubHub app and it was ready in two or three minutes." Jankowski emphasized that Aramark and MSU Dining are focusing not only the quantity of options but the quality of the food as well. |
| The Junction at 30: Celebrating MSU's radio legacy | |
| Mississippi State University's radio station, The Junction, has been a significant presence in the Golden Triangle area for over thirty years, offering a mix of music, news and community involvement. As the station celebrates its 30th anniversary, this milestone invites reflection on a journey marked by creativity, adaptability and a commitment to the community it serves. The station first took to the airwaves on March 21, 1994, under the original name "Radio on a Vision" with its inaugural broadcast, which began at 6 a.m., heralded by the song "Right Here, Right Now" by Jesus Jones. From its earliest days, the station distinguished itself by its dedication to Adult Album Alternative (AAA) music, a genre celebrated for its eclectic mix of indie rock, alternative, blues, soul and Americana. Neil Price, the voice of the Bulldogs since 2017, serves as the station's general manager. He took the position in Oct. 2023. Price provided insight into the thought process behind this latest rebranding. Price said the station's most recent transformation came on Aug. 15, 2024, when it adopted the name "The Junction." According to Price, this name symbolizes the station's dual role as both a geographical landmark on campus and a symbolic meeting point where music and news converge. In a nod to its history, the station celebrated this rebranding by playing "Right Here, Right Now," honoring its origins while looking ahead to the future. |
| New project to tag trees at Bonita Lakes Watershed | |
 | There's a new project in the works at Bonita Lakes Watershed to teach the community all about trees. Dr. Joshua Granger, a dendrologist from Mississippi State University, is tagging eighty-five species of trees and other plants along the Bonita Lakes trails. Hundreds of people walk these trails every week, but very few are aware of the environment around them. "Our society has moved away from an agrarian knowledge base, and so people see things, but they don't know what they're looking at. I'm confident that there are people out there that have a favorite tree on this trail, but they have no idea what it is. And you know, now they can see a sign, scan the QR code and learn about their favorite tree," said Angela Barnard, a chairperson of the Meridian Tree Commission. Dr. Granger is partnering with Ollie Wilkes, a Meridian resident who provided the seed money for this project, and the Meridian Tree Commission to teach the community about the biodiversity found right here in Meridian. |
| Arboretum brings forestry, education to Bonita Lakes | |
 | The Meridian Tree Commission is hoping to encourage forestry and outdoors education in future generations of Meridianites as it establishes an arboretum at Bonita Lakes watershed. "We don't teach people anymore about their environment. We say, 'Oh, trees are the lungs of the planet,' but they're more than that," Angela Barnard, chair of the Meridian Tree Commission said. "They're habitat for wild animals. They provide shade, they provide beauty." Work on the arboretum kicked off Tuesday with Joshua Granger, a dendrologist and associate professor at Mississippi State University's forestry department, working to identify and tag trees along the 4.5-mile gravel recreational trail around the watershed's upper lake. Granger said he hopes to identify around 150 species of trees along the loop and install roughly 200 tags. The tags, which are attached to the trees, bear the Latin name for the tree species and a QR code visitors can scan for more information. "There will be lots of multiples so that people can pick it up on this side of the trail and that side of the trail," he said. Trees are especially important to Mississippi, Granger said, where forestry is one of the state's leading industries. Opportunities to explore forestry and learn about the state's wealth of natural resources are limited, he said. |
| Inside the World of Parent-Led Dorm Design, Where College Move-In Day Costs $5K and a Year of Planning | |
| For those whose parents can afford it, the perfect college dorm room can be curated and constructed with the expert help of a professional interior designer. More than a few hundred dollars will streamline move-in day by dream-scaping every pillow, poster and pop of color before it gets pilled into a freshman's compact new home. Considering the high price point -- in 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported families paying professional designers up to $10,000 for dorm detailing -- most parents unsurprisingly opt out of decorative assistance. But that doesn't necessarily mean they don't care about where their kids are sleeping and studying away from home. Take Tamara Wingerter, for example. In many ways, Wingerter started dreaming up her daughter's dorm room four years ago, when she moved her older child into his freshman year accommodations at Mississippi State University. Looking back on her son's 2020 move-in day, Wingerter thinks she did the best she could considering how little she knew about Southern dorm design culture. "I was completely clueless, but we managed to make it a really nice dorm room for a guy," she recalls to PEOPLE. "And then I started seeing all of his friends' dorm rooms, the girls', and I was like, 'What?' I could not believe what these Mississippi State rooms looked like ... I was just in awe." |
| Public hearing set on potential sale of OCH | |
 | County supervisors have taken the next step to explore selling or leasing out OCH Regional Medical Center. A few minutes into Monday's supervisors meeting, the board went into executive session to discuss a feasibility study on the hospital it commissioned in April from Raymond James Financial Services. When supervisors came out of executive session, they voted unanimously to set a public hearing for Sept. 19 on the sale of the hospital. The hearing is set for 5:30 p.m. in the chancery courthouse. "Once we pass the resolution to move forward with exploring the sale of the hospital, the statute says we have to schedule a public hearing and let the public know what our intentions are," Board President and District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard told The Dispatch Tuesday. The study -- which has since been made available on the county's website -- includes information on the hospital's income, debt profile, capital spending, utilization, nursing staff and retention, revenue leakage and more. The Raymond James report recommends OCH find a "strategic capital partner" to ensure it has access to resources to expand its services and fund current and future capital needs. That would be best achieved with a sale or lease, it indicates. |
| Hargrove to lead discussions of literature at Starkville Public Library | |
 | The Starkville Public Library's discussions of Literature will begin on Sept. 3, 2024 at 4 p.m. and continue until Oct.1. Led by Dr. Nancy D. Hargrove, this session will feature a variety of works. On Sept. 3, the discussion will focus on Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," an intriguing work that traces the psychological disintegration of the main character. Next, on Sept. 10, we will consider Sylvia Plath's only novel "The Bell Jar," following the semi-autobiographical decline and recovery of Esther Greenwood. Sept. 17 and 24, the discussion will focus on a striking drama, Marsha Norman's "'Night, Mother," which will doubtless evoke spirited discussion of its controversial and challenging subject. On the last Tuesday (Oct. 1), we will turn to poems suggested by members of the group. Dr. Hargrove is William L. Giles Distinguished Professor Emerita of English at Mississippi State University and has been leading these discussions since her retirement in 2008. She has published books on T.S. Eliot and Sylvia Plath as well as numerous essays on a wide range of American and British authors in journals and books. She has received many honors and awards, including five Fulbright grants, the Mississippi Professor of the Year Award, and the John Grisham Master Teacher Award These informal, lively discussions are open to all and are free of charge. Dr. Hargrove encourages participants to read each work prior to the date on which it will be discussed and to come with questions and comments. |
| One dead in motorcycle wreck in Starkville | |
 | Law enforcement officials say a Tuesday afternoon wreck in Starkville ended in the death of an Arkansas man. Samuel Alan Shirley, 31, of Blytheville, Arkansas, died following a collision between a motorcycle and a vehicle on Highway 12 at the intersection of Russell Street and Stone Boulevard. Shirley, who operated the motorcycle, was declared dead at OCH Regional Medical center. The unnamed vehicle driver received treatment for minor injuries at the same hospital. Starkville police gave no further information about the cause of the accident. |
| The Mayflower Cafe reborn, Fenian's closes shop | |
| On the heels of the highly anticipated reopening of The Mayflower Café in downtown Jackson, a favorite Irish pub, Fenian's, announced its pending closure. The new owners of the iconic Mayflower, Hunter Evans and Cody McCain, welcomed a packed house when it officially reopened on Monday. The 89-year-old restaurant, located on West Capitol Street, opened for lunch, served weekdays from 11 am to 2 pm, on a first come, first served basis. Reservations arerecommended for dinner, served from 4 pm to 9 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Evans, 34, the executive chef and recent nominee for a 2024 James Beard Award, bought The Mayflower in April with McCain, the general manager. The pair are the brain trust behind another Jackson dining standout, Elvie's, located in the Belhaven neighborhood. Third-generation owner Jerry Kountouris closed the restaurant in 2022, after 87 years under family ownership. A staple of downtown Jackson life, it was featured in The Help and Ghosts of Mississippi. A day after the Mayflower officially reopened, the staff at Fenian's Pub on Fortification Street in Jackson wrote a goodbye letter on Facebook. Within an hour of its post, nearly 600 people had reacted, some 200 had commented; 369 had shared the news. Billy Smith said Fenian's "kept me sane while my wife was in UMMC for a few months for cancer treatments." Established in November 1996, Fenian's Pub & Restaurant celebrated Irish and Celtic heritage |
| Mississippi seafood distributor pleads guilty to decadeslong fish mislabeling scheme | |
 | A Mississippi seafood distributor and two managers pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to mislabel seafood and commit wire fraud by marketing frozen imported fish as more expensive local species, federal authorities said. Quality Poultry and Seafood Inc., the largest seafood wholesaler on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, agreed to forfeit $1 million and pay a $150,000 fine, the Justice Department said. The company's sales manager Todd A. Rosetti and business manager James W. Gunkel, both of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, also pleaded guilty to misbranding seafood. The developments Tuesday are the latest in a case tied to a well known Mississippi Gulf Coast restaurant, Mary Mahoney's Old French House in Biloxi. In May, the restaurant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to misbrand seafood and wire fraud. A co-owner/manager of Mary Mahoney's, Anthony Charles Cvitanovich, also pleaded guilty to misbranding seafood. Todd Gee, the U.S. attorney for southern Mississippi, said falsely marketing imported fish depresses the value of the local catch on the Gulf Coast. "This kind of mislabeling fraud hurts the overall local seafood market and rips off restaurant customers who were paying extra to eat a premium local product," Gee said. |
| Trouble lingers on horizon for public employee retirement system | |
| Mississippi's Public Employee Retirement System has operated with a considerable unfunded liability for years. According to PERS, that amount sits at over $20 billion. A new report from PEER highlights the fact that the funding gap cannot be closed by adding new employees, and the Legislature will need to take additional action. PERS saw its first increase in active membership in over a decade in 2023. Still, the state retirement system has a lower active-to-retiree member ratio compared to the average pension plan in the U.S. and continues to need the attention of lawmakers. According to a November 2023 Public Fund Survey, a lower ratio of active members to retirees results in funding future obligations over a smaller payroll base, although a declining active-to-retiree member ratio does not automatically pose an actuarial or financial problem. "However, when combined with an unfunded liability, a low or declining ratio of actives to retirees can cause financial distress for a pension system provider," a recent Joint Legislative Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee (PEER) report noted. Active PERS members – those still employed and working for one of the over 850 entities representing a Mississippi city, county, school district, state agency, university or community college, or other political subdivision -- total nearly 146,000. Retired PERS members total roughly 114,000. |
| Did Mississippi make it's revenue budget in July? See how the state did | |
 | Mississippi collected more taxes and other revenues in its first month of Fiscal Year 2025 than projections had for the state, but collections fell short of what Mississippi brought in during the same period last year. In July, the state collected $578,686,752 in taxes and other revenue-generating investments, falling far below what it did during the same period last year ($597,299,232). However, state economists are clearly not surprised considering that Mississippi collected more than $5,000 above than it was expected to in July, according to the latest Legislative Budget Office state revenue report. 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. In FY 2024, state investments' interest rates made up for a large chunk of revenue losses stemming from income tax cuts currenting being phased in. State sales tax collections for the month of July totaled $241,892,443, falling only 0.30% from the $242,610,697 that was collected in July 2023. Despite the slight year-over-year reduction, it is only the first of 12 months in the state's current fiscal year. |
| Mississippi lawmakers to study tax cuts with committees, summit | |
| The two presiding officers of the Mississippi Legislature have formed special committees to further their goals of providing additional tax cuts during the 2025 legislative session. On Tuesday, House Speaker Jason White, who earlier this year formed a special tax cut study committee, announced a day-long policy summit on tax cuts for Sept. 24. Also on Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, announced he has formed a special committee to study the state's fiscal policy. The committee will be led by the chairs of the Senate's two money committees, Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson and Finance Chairman Josh Harkins. "Our ultimate goal is always to lower the tax burden and ensure taxpayer dollars stay in taxpayer pockets," Hosemann said in a news release. "This requires Appropriations and Finance leadership to be at the table looking at all income and expenses to ensure we are being as efficient as possible while fully funding necessary services." Multiple speakers are scheduled for White's tax summit at the Sheraton Refuge in Flowood, including Gov. Reeves, legislative leaders, other state officials and legislators from Arkansas who have worked on tax cuts in the neighboring state. National tax cut proponent Grover Norquest also is scheduled to speak. |
| Hosemann creates study group to assess Mississippi's fiscal policy | |
| A new legislative study group has been created in Mississippi to assess the state's spending habits and look for methods of ensuring tax dollars are being efficiently used by the government. Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann announced the State Fiscal Policy Study Group which will be co-chaired by Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson, R-Vicksburg, and Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, R-Flowood, on Tuesday. The purpose of the newly configured group is to look into ways lawmakers can be more responsible with public money in order to lower taxes. According to a press release from Hosemann's office, the State Fiscal Policy Study Group will hold public hearings and hear testimony on current taxes, tax credits, bonds and bond capacity, diversions, and other budget and economic issues relating to revenues and expenditures by the state. All hearings will be webcast and archived on the state legislature's website. As Mississippi is set to see a drastic reduction in revenue, the new task force will serve to prepare the legislature for future budgeting obstacles and how to maneuver through them without placing an additional burden on taxpayers in the poorest state in the U.S. |
| More than $6.2M in taxpayer funds recovered this year | |
| In the last six years, the state auditor's office has demanded more in taxpayer funds than ever before, State Auditor Shad White told the Rotary Club of Columbus on Tuesday. The office recovered more than $6.2 million in taxpayer money during Fiscal Year 2024, according to its annual exceptions report. "A lot of what we do in the auditor's office is searching for waste and government inefficiency, especially in state government, and we have found tons and tons and tons of it over the course of the past six years in office," White said. White said his job is to make sure taxpayers know how their money is being spent and to highlight inefficiencies in government spending. Money that state agencies use inefficiently could be redirected to areas in the state that need it, he said. "If we could just take all of these instances of inefficiencies, waste, misspending and dump it into the stuff that matters, how much good could we do for teachers?" White asked. "Or how much good can we do for your universities?" |
| Welfare agency settles with eight defendants in fraud lawsuit | |
| More than two years into the litigation, the state of Mississippi has agreed to settle with eight defendants in the ongoing welfare fraud civil case for a total of about $750,000. That's roughly half as much as the state has spent on legal fees in the case so far. The eight defendants, who allegedly illegally received or were liable for the misspending of a total of $1.7 million, did not admit to wrongdoing. Their settlements represent some of the smaller components of the overall welfare fraud scheme. The future repayments amount to less than 1% of the total $79 million in federal welfare funds that Mississippi Department of Human Services' lawsuit claims were lost to malfeasance. Mississippi Department of Human Services said it could not comment on the settlements due to Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Faye Peterson's suppression order in the case, which has prevented parties from discussing the situation publicly. Mississippi Department of Human Services has paid Jones Walker, the law firm bringing the litigation, nearly $1.5 million in TANF funds since 2022, according to the state's public accounting database. The stated purpose of the lawsuit is to clawback the misspent TANF funds. |
| MS-13 gang member, who entered country illegally, charged after shooting at moving vehicles | |
| An illegal immigrant is facing up to eight counts of attempted murder after shooting at multiple passing vehicles. Captain Desmond Jones with the Philadelphia Police Department tells WLBT 3 On Your Side that not only did Fredy Antonio Amaya-Marin, 39, of El Salvador, shoot at moving vehicles on Beacon Street last week, but he also had no motive. At the time of the arrest, authorities did not know that Fredy Antonio Amaya-Marin was the suspect's real name due to the fact that he had gone by Jonathan Salvador for some time while he was in the country. However, with the help of immigration agents with Homeland Security, the suspect's identity was revealed after they took his fingerprints. Authorities also learned that Fredy Antonio Amaya-Marin was previously deported back to El Salvador in 2007 and reentered the country illegally again. Captain Jones says further findings showed that Amaya-Marin is a confirmed member of the Mara Salvatrucha gang (MS-13), which is a violent international street gang. Along with the attempted murder charges, Amaya-Marin is facing federal charges of illegal reentry after deportation and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. According to Captain Jones, he is being held without bond and is being held by Homeland Security ICE for a process of removal from the U.S. |
| Ag Groups Look for Farm Bill Support | |
| With cash corn and soybean prices 30% below a year ago, farm leaders Tuesday at the Farm Progress Show were frustrated that the farm bill is stalled and will likely remain that way until after the November election. "We've been fighting this battle for a while now, and we've got to get something done," said Jed Bower, a farmer from Washington Courthouse, Ohio. "There's been a tremendous amount of effort and energy we've spent in Washington trying to explain the importance this is to farmers, to have a reliable farm bill that we can work with that provides certainty." Bower is serving as first vice president-elect of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). North Dakota farmer Josh Gackle, president of the American Soybean Association (ASA), was at an event earlier this month in his home state with Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Tina Smith, D-Minn.; and John Boozman, R-Ark., the latter being the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Gackle said the conversation was productive, and all four senators seemed to suggest the committee was moving toward a bipartisan deal. "Both sides see the need to get a farm bill done this year, especially now with farmers," Gackle said. "The reality on the farm when it comes to profitability and cash flow, when you look at, you know, 30% to 35% decline in commodity prices over the past couple months, the pressure is on even a little bit more." |
| Farm bill, grain marketing among farmer concerns heading into Farm Progress Show | |
| Many farmers are looking to meet with industry experts on a variety of challenges at this week's Farm Progress Show. Eastern Iowa farmer Dave Walton, who serves as treasurer of the American Soybean Association, says the industry needs the certainty of a new five-year farm bill. "Our insurance programs are built into that, our commodity programs are built into that, and if we don't have that (legislation) it makes us nervous," Walton said. "It makes bankers nervous, and it makes equipment dealers nervous." Central Iowa farmer Brent Larson tells Brownfield grain marketing is his biggest concern heading into harvest. "The price of grain has been deteriorating," Larson said. "It's been tough to market grain this year. There haven't been any big bounces." Walton says he's facing similar challenges. "I don't have as much grain sold as I should have," Walton said. "We've got some hedged, we got some sold, but man, I wish I would have sold it all a year ago." Walton and Larson spoke to Brownfield during the American Soybean Association's farmer forum. |
| This National Guard Crowd Likes What It Hears From Trump | |
 | They knew they probably should not have been laughing. Hundreds of National Guard members sat chuckling in their camouflage uniforms as former President Donald J. Trump tore into Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, who served for 24 years in the National Guard. When Mr. Trump mocked him as "Tampon Tim" (a reference to a law he signed requiring schools to provide menstrual products to all students who need them) nervous laughter rippled through the crowd, then quickly dissipated. "This group is a little more low-key than the ones I'm used to speaking before," Mr. Trump observed. It was Monday afternoon, and he was speaking at the National Guard Association's annual conference in Detroit. There were people from all 50 states and various U.S. territories there. Those in uniform said they were prohibited from discussing politics with a reporter, but the crowd also included former service members who had gone to work for private contractors. These more casually dressed members of the defense sector were free to say what the others could not. "I think it's phenomenal that he's out and about, speaking with the military," said Walt Nichols, a 58-year-old from San Antonio who said he served for 26 years in the Texas National Guard and did three tours in Iraq. To his critics, this has always been one the more confounding aspects of Mr. Trump's political persona -- his appeal among members of the military. He received five deferments from the military during the Vietnam War, including one for "bone spurs" in his feet. He ridiculed John McCain, the senator who was held prisoner during the Vietnam War. He got into a war of words with a Gold Star family during his first run for the White House. |
| Parents can't function they're so stressed, surgeon general warns | |
 | American parents need a bailout. Suffering from stress, money woes and loneliness more than their childless peers, nearly half of parents can barely function, according to a new report from Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Murthy says government aid, in the form of child tax credits, universal preschool, early childhood education programs, paid family and medical leave, paid sick time and investments in social infrastructure, can help. That's in line with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' campaign pitch, but GOP contender Donald Trump is also considering how to get more cash in parents' pockets -- an issue his running mate JD Vance has championed. "The stress and the loneliness that parents are dealing with at a disproportionate level has real implications," Murthy told POLITICO. "We've got to provide more financial support." Chronic and excessive stress caused in part by the bills they have to pay exacerbates parents' mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, and can hurt children's development. Four in 10 parents say they're so stressed they can't function most days, according to Murthy's report, with two-thirds citing financial hardship. Harris' and Trump's campaigns agree there's a problem and have jockeyed over which will do more to help families. |
| The American Dream Feels Out of Reach for Most | |
 | Americans overwhelmingly desire all the traditional trappings of the American dream---owning a home, having a family, and looking forward to a comfortable retirement. But very few believe they can easily achieve it. A July Wall Street Journal/NORC poll of 1,502 U.S. adults shows a stark gap between people's wishes and their expectations. The trend was consistent across gender and party lines, but held more true for younger generations, who have been priced out of homeownership and saddled with high interest rates and student debt. While 89% of respondents said owning a home is either essential or important to their vision of the future, only 10% said homeownership is easy or somewhat easy to achieve. Financial security and a comfortable retirement were similarly labeled as essential or important by 96% and 95% of people, respectively, but rated as easy or somewhat easy to pull off by only 9% and 8%. By many measures, economists say, people are right to feel that their shot at success has diminished. "Key aspects of the American dream seem out of reach in a way that they were not in past generations," says Emerson Sprick, an economist at Washington, D.C., think tank the Bipartisan Policy Center. Sprick points to the continued decline of private-sector pensions -- leading to their near-disappearance -- and the surge in the cost of homeownership as two of the biggest economic changes over the past decade. |
| How States Are Working to Narrow FAFSA Completion Gaps | |
 | States across the country have worked all summer on a final push to boost FAFSA completion rates, which have dropped this year due to the U.S. Education Department's botched launch of the revamped form. State officials and college-access professionals say their efforts, backed by a $50 million infusion from the Education Department, have helped to move the needle, but they don't expect to catch up to last year's application numbers. Nearly 60 percent of graduating seniors in Mississippi have completed the FAFSA. The state's completion rate -- 58.3 percent -- ranks the highest among the states. At the end of May, the state had ranked 15th, as only 44.3 percent had filled out the form. Mississippi saw some of the nation's highest gains this summer in terms of closing its gaps and boosting completion rates. Even so, applications are down by 13.4 percent from last year. Historically, Mississippi's FAFSA completion rate is near the top. Last year, nearly 70 percent of the state's graduating seniors completed the form. This year, cracking 60 percent would be a success, said Kierstan Dufour, director of external training and partnerships at the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, a college-access organization that offers one-on-one support to students and families as they complete the application. Woodward Hines received $379,000 from the Education Department for FAFSA completion events. Dufour said that's funded 70 community events across the state, including one on Monday, at churches, businesses and schools. |
| State lieutenant governor says strong universities are vital | |
 | Mississippi's Lieutenant Governor said it is vital to have strong universities throughout the state. In the most recent legislative session, a move to close three universities failed, along with an attempt to bring MSMS to MSU. Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann said it is important to be fiscally responsible with state universities and to also make sure they are preparing students for the workforce. "The universities control their own destiny about this, the University of Mississippi has an increase in enrollment, MSU has an increase, we know we are struggling at Delta State and MUW, no secret about that, we have new presidents in there, trying to find their place in the education community, our main goal is to have young men and women have access to education," said Hosemann. |
| University housing adapts to increase in student population | |
 | Three consecutive years of record-breaking freshman classes has caused the University of Mississippi to expand housing options and has created uncertainty for students as they sit on housing waitlists and struggle to find off-campus accommodations. When Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Student Housing John Yaun joined the university in 2019, there was a strategic plan for student housing. "Because of all the changes, much of that strategic plan is almost obsolete or not applicable," Yaun said earlier this month. "At that time, the freshman class that we were housing was about 3,200, and right now I think we have at least 6,000 first-year students that are signed up for housing." UM has 22 student housing locations on and off-campus, with a total of 6,841 bed spaces. On-campus residence halls and Campus Walk have 5,687 bed spaces. The other 1,154 bedspaces are distributed across five off-campus apartment complexes that have entered master lease agreements with the university. All bed spaces are currently filled, and many freshmen and upperclassmen spent the summer on university housing waitlists. Remaining on the waitlist for a long period of time has caused stress for many incoming students. Freshman biological science major Jonlya Garrett spent several weeks on the waitlist before securing a spot in July. Garrett said that she did not expect to encounter this difficulty. "When coming to this school, I didn't know it would be this stressful trying to find a dorm room." |
| Brett Young, Josh Kelley return to Ole Miss with Friday concert | |
| Former Ole Miss baseball player Brett Young is making a highly anticipated homecoming to Oxford this weekend. This time it's not as a former Rebel athlete; rather, Young is returning as one of country music's biggest stars. Young, who was recruited as a pitcher out of California before suiting up for one season at Ole Miss in 2000, later turned his attention to music after transferring out and struggling with an elbow injury. The decision proved wise as Young would go on to release a self-titled EP in 2007 before launching onto the scene in Nashville as an A-list singer-songwriter. Seven studio albums and a list of chart-topping hits later, Young has won fans over with soulful vocals and memorable lyrics. He will now make his return to Ole Miss with a football season kickoff concert on Friday, Aug. 30 at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. Taking the stage before Young is another former Rebel athlete who decided music was the best route. Josh Kelley, who lettered on the Ole Miss golf team at the same time Young was on the baseball team, gave up the greens for the studio. The concert is being put on by Ole Miss Athletics and SuperTalk Mississippi Media. |
| Belhaven University Launches Pre-Law Degree for Aspiring Legal Professionals | |
| Belhaven University has announced its Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Law program, a new degree designed to prepare students for successful careers in law and related fields. This comprehensive program equips students with the necessary skills and knowledge for law school admission and offers pathways into a variety of legal-adjacent careers. The B.A. in Pre-Law program at Belhaven stands out for its interdisciplinary approach, combining courses from various disciplines to foster a holistic understanding of the legal field. Students will be well-prepared for the LSAT and law school admissions, and the program also opens doors to graduate studies and employment in legal-adjacent careers. "Our new Pre-Law program is a significant addition to Belhaven University's academic offerings," said Belhaven University Provost Dr. Audrey Kelleher. "We have designed a curriculum that not only prepares students for the rigors of law school but also provides a well-rounded education that integrates public relations, intercultural communication, and criminal justice, all taught from a Christian worldview." In addition to traditional legal careers, the program equips graduates with skills that are valuable in business, criminal justice, and other humanities fields. |
| Yale graduate returns to Jackson to teach at high school alma mater | |
 | Just over four years ago, Jeffrey Caliedo, a Murrah High School senior at the time, found out he was getting a full scholarship to Yale University. Now, Caliedo is once again walking Murrah's halls, this time as a teacher. In 2020, Caliedo left his hometown of Jackson to set off for the Yale campus in Connecticut. In the four years since, Jackson remained at the forefront of Caliedo's mind. He knew even in high school one day he would return to the area as a teacher. In December 2019, the Clarion Ledger spoke to Caliedo, 17 at the time, who had recently received the news that he was going to Yale on a full scholarship. Caliedo was one of 1,000 finalists that year who earned scholarships through the QuestBridge program, a nonprofit aiding low-income, high-achieving students. In June 2024, Caliedo, a newly graduated Yale alumnus, attended a Jackson Public Schools job fair. By July, Caliedo had gone through the application process and accepted a job at Murrah. Caliedo now teaches English to Murrah freshmen students, six classes in total. The job fulfills Caliedo's goal of giving back to his beloved community. Sitting in his desk with pictures of his high school and college careers decorating the classroom wall behind him, Caliedo told the Clarion Ledger how good -- and also crazy -- it feels to come full circle. "Giving back and being a part of your community is a momentous occasion, and it has leaps and bounds of effects on people more than you know," Caliedo said. Eventually, Caliedo wants to continue his education to get a master's degree, and he's considering going for a doctorate to become an English professor. |
| Million Dollar Band prepares for football season at U. of Alabama | |
 | Creating a sound worthy of the University of Alabama marching band's million-dollar name takes a lot of hard work. The 400 members of the Million Dollar Band have been rehearsing at Butler Field on campus in preparation for UA's season opening football game on Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Under the direction of Ken Ozzello, who has served as the Million Dollar Band director since 2002, band members have been working on everything from marching basics to the techniques they will use during halftime shows this football season. The Million Dollar Band has earned some high-profile gigs in the recent past: the 2024 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, and the 2021 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. The Million Dollar Band performs during the Elephant Stomp, a pregame pep rally on the steps of the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library on the Quad shortly before kickoff at each game. The Elephant Stomp concludes with the Million Dollar Band marching to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Once the band takes the field, they play such favorites as "Yea Alabama," UA's fight song, and the Fleetwood Mac song "Tusk," before performing the national anthem. |
| Disney Channel star performs at Auburn University's fall concert | |
 | Disney channel star and singer Ross Lynch performs for Auburn University students as they celebrate the first 56 days of classes. The Driver Era, a band that features Ross Lynch and his brother Rocky Lynch, held a concert at the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center on Saturday. Roommate, a band, headlined the performance. "What's up Auburn, this our first time here," Ross said onstage. "We've been all over the place; I don't think we ever been to Auburn, though. I don't know if anybody's ever told you this, but this place gives off hella Disneyland vibes." Auburn UPC's fall concert is the university's biggest concert of the year, and they had several big-name artists in the past such as the Jonas Brothers and Kesha. "The Driver Era was almost a last minute thing," said Cole Wheeler, President of the University Program Council. "We made a list, and we just weren't loving the people on our list." A UPC member mentioned Ross Lynch's band, The Driver Era, and everyone was on board. "We found out they were in our budget, we made an offer and the rest was history," Wheeler said. "So, we were really excited to be able to get them." Ross Lynch is mainly known for his role as "Austin Moon" on the hit Disney Channel series "Austin and Ally," and his role as "Brady" on Disney Channel movies "Teen Beach Movie" and "Teen Beach 2." |
| 'We've got lots of things coming': Vol Dining's newest editions and plans for UT's dining landscape | |
| A lot has changed on the University of Tennessee's campus over the summer. As students and staff acclimate to new parking locations, bus routes and construction zones, they must also navigate new dining options. Vol Dining has been working since 2021 to provide healthier, more sustainable food options to students, faculty and staff. National, corporate food chain companies and Aramark make it difficult for the university to dictate menu ingredients and brand standards, according to Amanda Hough, the director of Vol Dining. Before the Vol Dining department was created, Campus Operations oversaw UT dining facilities and many other issues such as parking and transportation, printing and mail, the VolShop and others. "They found it was really necessary to have our team on board so we could really pay attention to dining and oversee Aramark and ensure that we're representing UT and all its wants and needs," Hough said. The Big Orange Grill is a new concept dining option partnered with UT's Northeast Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center and UT Creamery. The grill features high-quality, pasture-raised "UT Beef" from their Greeneville farm and milkshakes made with premium ice cream from the UT Creamery. Vol Dining has also expanded its food truck offerings to accommodate growth and prioritize convenience options for students and staff across campus. |
| A&M capacity study committee recommends main campus pause undergrad growth for 5 years | |
 | A committee that studied Texas A&M's capacity over the past few months has recommended the university pause its undergraduate growth on the main campus over the next five years after enrollment grew 33% over the past decade, according to a report shared by A&M President Mark A. Welsh III. The report identified deficiencies in on-campus housing, dining and study spaces. Recommended solutions include increasing housing by 2,500 beds, increasing infrastructure of classroom and dining space on A&M's west campus, and looking into the feasibility of an underground tunnel system from main campus to west campus that would have an all-electric transportation system. Welsh shared the capacity study report, along with a student experience study report, to the campus community on Monday. Both studies were led by Joe Pettibon, A&M's vice president of planning, assessment and strategy. The capacity study report recommended A&M target adding 15,000 new undergraduate students (11,750 freshmen and 3,250 transfers) per year over the next five years. The capacity study report said the fall 2023 enrollment included 16,267 total new students (12,865 freshmen and 3,402 transfers). At the same time, the capacity study report recommended the university should still allow graduate, online and locations outside Bryan-College Station to continue growing at "modest rates." After the five-year window, growth should be well-planned and forecasted to a minimum of 10 years out to plan infrastructure. |
| Cuts to race-based scholarships block path to college, students say | |
 | On the first day of seventh grade, Elijah Brown clambered onto a bus. He was part of a desegregation effort that took him from his predominantly Black neighborhood in St. Louis to a school in the predominantly White suburb of Wildwood, Mo. The education was excellent, but students made denigrating comments about where he was from and his race. His mom worked hard -- often two jobs -- but sometimes there wasn't enough money for rent. Some nights, he and his mom and sister slept in their car. Some days he could only eat when he was at school. Brown began to think of the University of Missouri as a way out of hard times. In 2017, he got into Mizzou, but even with full federal financial aid, he would have needed to come up with thousands of dollars every year to cover the rest of tuition and room and board. To his overwhelming relief, he was awarded a prestigious George C. Brooks scholarship, which was designed to help students from groups underrepresented at the university and covered about 70 percent of tuition. At the time, 7.5 percent of students at the University of Missouri were Black. "It changed my life. It really did," Brown said. "I worked so hard. I was relentless with it, because I felt like I had something to prove," he said. "I felt so grateful to be getting a Brooks scholarship." That scholarship no longer exists. In the wake of the Supreme Court's 2023 decision to ban affirmative action, Missouri, like many other universities, dropped scholarships that until this year had been reserved for students from underrepresented racial groups, even though the court's ruling didn't mention financial aid. |
| It's a tough time for college presidents, but Tania Tetlow thrives as a trailblazer at Fordham | AP News | |
| Tania Tetlow has earned a reputation as a trailblazer. She became the first woman and first layperson to serve as president of two Jesuit schools -- first at Loyola University New Orleans and now at Fordham University in New York City. Fordham had previously been led by Catholic priests -- all male, of course -- since its founding in 1841. Tetlow has thrived in these barrier-breaking roles -- even becoming the first Fordham president to sing the national anthem at Yankee Stadium. But she is acutely of aware of the challenges facing her --- and other college presidents -- as they grapple with tight budgets, political attacks on higher education, and divisions within their student bodies arising from the Israel-Hamas war. What's the toughest challenge, as she heads into her third academic year at Fordham? "How much there is to juggle," she replied in an interview. "These are enormously complicated institutions with so many different constituencies," she said. "How do you navigate the latest controversy while still moving the university forward?" Already, she has weathered criticism from some students for increasing the cost of tuition by more than 10% over the past two years. Ahead of this week's start of the new academic year, Tetlow reflected on the past year's challenges. "Our job is not to wade into every controversial issue," she said. "What we do is to console our community." |
| College Feels Transactional to Many Students. Who -- or What -- Is to Blame? | |
 | There was a time when Maiya Villanueva was excited about learning. She loved every subject she studied in high school and imagined becoming a lawyer or entering medicine. Her parents never went to college, but they made sure education was her first priority. "They wanted for me to always have a better situation than what we were in," said Villanueva, a native of Fort Myers, Fla. Excitement is hard for her to muster these days. Her dream school was Florida State University, but Villanueva pursued an associate degree, partly to save money, before moving on to Florida Gulf Coast University, where she is majoring in business administration and management -- which seemed her most practical career path. Along the way she has studied under a few caring and dynamic professors. But for the most part her coursework feels repetitive. She's worried that she is not learning real-world business skills. College has come to feel like a chore. This last academic year was particularly frustrating. She had to retake one course because she got mired in campus bureaucracy as she tried to get help accessing a digital textbook. In another course, the instructor, who she didn't think was very good, joked that he could do a puppet show instead of teaching and nobody higher up would notice. "Those surveys you guys do at the end of the year," she remembers him saying, "they don't care." Villanueva's experience is just one story in a developing crisis in higher education. It's not the kind of drama marked by congressional hearings or Supreme Court decisions. But a smaller, subtler crisis that plays out every day in classrooms across the country. |
| Can Professors Get STEM Students to Vote? | |
| For years, students studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics have voted at lower rates than their peers -- especially lagging those in education and library science, who are most likely to vote. In the 2022 midterm election, 31.3 percent of all college students voted -- a decline of 8.7 percentage points from the previous midterm, according to the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, which studies the voting habits of college students. But students in some disciplines voted at much lower rates; only 26.5 percent of engineering students voted, along with 26.4 percent of business students and 21.1 percent of students in technical and trade fields. Students in all STEM disciplines except agriculture voted at lower than average rates. Experts believe that a key reason for the disparity is that STEM students don't feel like the issues on the ballot relate to their interests or careers, which is an important factor in motivating students to vote. They may also feel less informed about the issues of the day than their peers in the social sciences and humanities, who are more likely to learn about policy, social issues and current events as part of their courses. "Sometimes [STEM students] don't know how they feel about issues, or they don't know where to go to find information that they trust," said Bridget Trogden, dean for undergraduate education and academic student services at American University. Many STEM professors are trying to incorporate civic education into their classrooms |
| Harris puts spotlight on HBCUs | |
 | Vice President Harris is the first presidential nominee from a major political party to also have graduated from one of the nation's historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), putting a bigger spotlight on those schools at a critical time. Harris, an alumna of Howard University, accepted the Democratic nomination Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It served as a moment of great pride for many who went to HBCUs. "She has shown the world that graduates of our esteemed HBCUs are leading the way to a more just and equitable society," Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who attended Central State University in Ohio, told The Hill in a statement. "She is a vanguard for women and HBCU graduates everywhere." In 2024, 107 HBCUs around the nation serve more than 228,000 students, according to the Department of Labor, and produce nearly 20 percent of the country's Black college graduates. Elsie Scott, director of Howard's Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center, said HBCUs beyond Howard are celebrating. Scott said this moment is particularly inspiring for students, who are now able to see someone from an HBCU aspire all the way to the top position in the United States. "Students will say, if she can do it, I can do it," Scott said. |
| Harris needs Gen Z. Here's her plan to win them | |
 | Vice President Harris is bolstering her outreach to young people just in time for students to head back to school and as the campaign enjoys an increase in support among Gen Z and younger millennial voters. The campaign tells NPR that it plans to invest in new digital ads on campus and social media, double its youth organizing staff around the country, and launch a college campus tour in battleground states. The initiatives will target young voters on 150 campuses across 11 states: Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia, Minnesota and Nebraska. It builds on the work the Biden campaign has done with youth organizing and highlights a potential shift in prioritizing this group of voters. Biden's campaign put more emphasis on reaching traditional Democratic base voters, including voters of color, suburban families, and union workers -- groups Harris is also courting along with young voters. The Harris campaign announcement coincides with a series of campus stops for campaign surrogates, which will continue over the next several weeks: Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Alexis McGill Johnson is talking with students at the University of Pittsburgh, and Gen Z Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., is visiting the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Bennett College in Greensboro. |
| Presidential, Senate elections will significantly impact the state's shipbuilding industries | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: As noted in prior writings on this topic, only Walmart employs more Mississippians than what Mississippians have since 1938 known as Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula (now formally Huntington Ingalls Industries) -- but the pay and benefits for shipbuilding are far better for those 11,000 Mississippi employees than at the big box store. ... With direct, indirect and induced jobs combined, Mississippi owes about 24,000 jobs to shipbuilding and holds a Top 10 ranking in the shipbuilding industry. ... But shipbuilding and ship repair in the U.S. have declined precipitously over the last two decades. And shipbuilding is far more than the making of U.S. warships. ... So how do the presidential and congressional elections impact Mississippi's shipbuilding industries? Control of the White House equates to the appointment of the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy. Control of the two houses of Congress equates to control of the committees making U.S. Navy policies and funding military shipbuilding. Republican Mississippi senior U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker is the ranking GOP member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and he is poised to become chair of that committee if the GOP controls the Senate after the November elections. |
SPORTS
| Familiar faces, new places: QB transfers have taken over college football | |
| On Thursday night, Rutgers kicks off Week 1 of the 2024 college football season by starting a transfer at quarterback. That's where our story begins, with Athan Kaliakmanis, the man they call "The Greek Rifle." In all, 43 transfer quarterbacks are projected to start among the 68 power conference teams -- a 63% clip that is perhaps the most glaring sign yet of the transient era of college football. Thirty of those 43 projected transfer starters are in their first year at their new school. Unusual if not downright rare years ago, such a leap -- team rookie to starting quarterback -- is often now the norm when a quarterback starter at one power conference school moves to another. Just because it has become the norm --- first-year transfer starting quarterbacks --- does not mean it is easy. Just ask Blake Shapen, who spent the past four years at Baylor before transferring to Mississippi State this offseason. He'll play at a new school, in a new conference and for a new coach. First on his to-do list upon arriving in Starkville: Hang with the boys. "Hanging out outside of the facility is a big deal," Shapen said. "You have to build these relationships before the season. You can't just go onto the field and play with somebody you really don't know. So hanging out, doing regular things like regular dudes do and just building those relationships." |
| Mississippi State embracing new headset communication system, in-game video | |
| In the NFL, coaches have been relaying signals from the upstairs booth to players on the field via a headset communication system for 30 years. But only this year will a similar system be allowed at the highest levels of college football. One player on the field will be able to wear a special helmet with an unbranded green dot on the back, indicating that the helmet has radio receiving capabilities. For Mississippi State, quarterback Blake Shapen and middle linebacker Stone Blanton will bear those responsibilities on offense and defense, respectively. "It's been great being able to use it all spring and have it all fall camp so that we get used to it and Blake understands the expectation between plays and understands the communication piece, along with Stone and (defensive coordinator) Coleman (Hutzler) on defense," head coach Jeff Lebby said. "I love having the ability to communicate with the guys." Coach-to-player transmission will be cut off with 15 seconds left on the play clock or at the snap, whichever comes first, according to a release from the National Football Foundation. If more than one green-dot helmet is on the field, it will result in a five-yard equipment violation penalty. Although the headset communication is only being implemented at the FBS level, FCS teams playing an FBS team will be able to utilize it as well, so Eastern Kentucky will have access to the systems when the Colonels visit Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday. |
| Mississippi State football coach Jeff Lebby not flashy, but if offense is, he can be a winner | |
| Jeff Lebby is nine months into being the Mississippi State football coach, and fans are beginning to learn about him just as much as he is learning about the community. He's a first-time head football coach, an ascended offensive wizard that legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban even tried to hire at one point. He's no Lane Kiffin on social media and has a very business-like approach at the press conference podium where the 40-year-old almost always wears a baseball hat with a bulldog outline. Players have lauded Lebby's attention to detail and ability to teach while also sprinkling in some fun. The one thing yet to occur is an actual football game. "Hopefully everyone that has had the opportunity to come in contact with me, your family knows how thankful we are to have the opportunity and to see us try to connect," Lebby said Monday. "That's one of the coolest things about where we live and where I get to work every single day is there is this incredible amount of connection, an incredible amount of community." The season opener against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday (5 p.m., SEC Network+) will be the first time Lebby leads Mississippi State down the tunnel and onto the field of a packed Davis Wade Stadium, cowbells ringing into oblivion. Wins are expected, but how quickly they will come remains to be seen. |
| Men's Tennis: Bulldog Doubles Duo Earns No. 1 National Ranking | |
| Mississippi State's Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez were ranked the No. 1 doubles duo in all of college tennis on Tuesday. Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez earned top billing on the ITA's preseason doubles rankings and became the program's fourth tandem to hold No. 1 status and second coached by Matt Roberts. The junior duo joins Daniel Courcol and Laurent Miquelard (Nov. 8, 1992-April 20 1993), Miquelard and Joc Simmons (Dec. 7, 1993-May 10, 1994) and Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic (May 3-Nov. 14, 2018) as State doubles duos to stand atop the national rankings. Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez finished last season as All-Americans posting a 24-11 record together, including an 8-2 mark inside the Southeastern Conference. The duo knocked off a dozen ranked teams in 2023-24 and clinched eight doubles points for the Bulldogs. Their 24 wins together this past year marked the sixth-most wins by an MSU tandem in a single season matching the marks set by Kristian Broems and Per Nilsson in 1994 and also Matthieu Ballay and Mattias Karlsson in 1996. Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez earned six victories versus top 20 foes, including three triumphs over top 10 teams. |
| CeeDee Lamb on Dak Prescott contract: 'I have no doubt they're gonna get a deal done' | |
| At long last, CeeDee Lamb got paid. He and the Dallas Cowboys came to an agreement on a contract extension on Monday to end his holdout and get ready for game action. That's one domino. Now, the Cowboys will continue to work on Dak Prescott's contract situation, and Lamb is confident something will get done. As Prescott looks at potential free agency, Lamb expressed his desire to continue the partnership with his quarterback. He said Jerry Jones also wants Prescott to return, and he wants to see a deal come together so the focus can be on football. "You look at our numbers together, they're at the top of the charts," Lamb said, via The Athletic's Jon Machota. "I have no doubt that they're gonna get a deal done. We all know that I want Dak here. Jerry wants Dak here too, so let's just get this under control and kill the speculation." Lamb and the Cowboys came to an agreement that made the former Oklahoma star the second-highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL behind Justin Jefferson. His extension will be for four years and $136 million, to go with a $38 million signing bonus -- the largest ever for a wide receiver. As for Prescott’s negotiations, those took a few turns this offseason. The quarterback market changed quickly as Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love signed lucrative contracts. All the while, Prescott is looking at potential free agency if a deal doesn’t come together, although the former Mississippi State star indicated things are going well. |
| ESPN planning for increased exposure amid realignment changes in SEC, ACC and Big 12 | |
| The SEC's additions of Texas and Oklahoma add more than just fervor to a league busting at the seams with excitement. For ESPN, the most recent round of realignment and the first year of the SEC's new TV package gives it a slew of big-time matchups as cornerstones for its college football slates this fall. "There's no doubt there's depth of TV brand strength with those two schools in the fold," said Nick Dawson, ESPN's SVP/college sports programming and acquisitions. "[That] creates more weeks where, at least on paper, going into the season, you look at it and say [there are] one, two, three, maybe even sometimes four games that you would say, 'That's a high-quality TV matchup from a brand-versus-brand perspective.'" That the SEC package has two shiny, new toys to play with is a nice addition for a network that will be able to boast basically wall-to-wall coverage of the conference for the entire season. ESPN plans to stagger kickoffs throughout the day between its main channel, SEC Network and ABC to allow fans to functionally watch SEC football all day, if they so desire. "We looked at it and felt like if we could do something slightly different with SEC Network, that would allow opportunities for halftime live look-ins across networks and things like that," Dawson said. "When things are staggered, you have live action all day long." |
| Kirby Smart expects SEC to implement football availability report: 'I have no issue with it' | |
| Georgia coach Kirby Smart said he expects the SEC to implement an injury report, or availability report, by next week, with teams facing fines if they're found to violate it. "What I've been told is conference games will have it," Smart said. "I'm great with it, as long as we're all doing it. I have no issue with it." Smart did not offer specifics on what the policy will be, and the SEC has not confirmed that it will have a policy. Since it only would apply to conference games and there are none between SEC teams this week, an announcement could wait until next week. But it's far enough along that Smart said he's putting head athletic trainer Ron Courson in charge of putting it together. The SEC would join the Big Ten as the only power conferences with a current policy, although the SEC's is setting up to be different from the Big Ten, where teams are required to provide an availability report -- which players can and cannot play -- two hours before kickoff. The SEC has been considering tiers of availability, similar to the NFL's system, where players are categorized as out, doubtful, questionable and probable, although the SEC may not go exactly that route. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has been open to an injury policy ever since a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 that essentially legalized sports gambling in the entire country. But the push to get a policy in place ratcheted up within the last year. |
| Mizzou to add logos of 2 Columbia companies to Faurot Field in new sponsorship deals | |
 | The logos of two Columbia companies will appear on Faurot Field at Missouri's Memorial Stadium this season, reflecting the school's efforts to adopt new revenue generation strategies amid an accelerated need for funding in college sports. Shelter Insurance and EquipmentShare will each have a logo on the Tigers' playing surface. The insignias will be located on each 25-yard line and are expected to be in place for Mizzou's Thursday home opener against Murray State. Financial terms of both sponsorship deals were not immediately available Tuesday, but Sports Business Journal reports that the agreements are for multiple years. "We are thrilled to partner with Shelter Insurance and EquipmentShare in this historic initiative," MU athletic director Laird Veatch said in a statement. The sponsorship agreements are managed by media rights holder Mizzou Sports Properties, which operates as part of Learfield. That MU is adding field sponsors for this season is unsurprising: Veatch told the Post-Dispatch earlier in the summer that he was "absolutely" interested in securing those partnerships. Missouri appears to be the second Southeastern Conference school to announce on-field sponsorships, following Tennessee. Interestingly, though, the logos cannot be on display for any College Football Playoff games held at schools' home sites. |
| NCAA proposes eliminating football's spring transfer window | |
| College football's spring transfer period is officially in danger of being eliminated after the NCAA's FBS and FCS oversight committees recommended the sport move to a single offseason notification-of-transfer window. Under their proposal, the 30-day transfer window in December would become the lone opportunity for FBS and FCS players to enter their name in the transfer portal and seek a new school. For the past two years, the transfer portal has also opened for a 15-day window in April. The Division I Council will meet in October to determine whether it will adopt the proposal, which reduces the total number of days when student-athletes can transfer from 45 to 30. If approved, the change would take effect for the 2024-25 school year. The December transfer window will open on the Monday after conference title games and extend from Dec. 9 through Jan. 7. The NCAA cited a focus on promoting "roster stability for student-athletes and their programs" in its release regarding the proposal. Players whose teams are competing in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff or in the FCS playoffs would still get a five-day exemption to enter the portal after their season has concluded. Players have also been able to take advantage of a 30-day window to transfer in the event of a coaching change. |
| There's a Quarterback Who's About to Destroy College Football. You've Probably Never Heard of Him. | |
| As the new college football season kicks off in earnest this weekend, there's one thing that counts as a near certainty. We're about to witness a quarterback emerge from complete obscurity to become one of the most prolific passers in the country. Over the next four months, he'll carve up opposing defenses, rewrite a bunch of school records, and put his team squarely in contention for a national championship. There's just one thing we don't know: who that quarterback actually is. In the years since a little-known benchwarmer named Joe Burrow came out of nowhere to pilot the most productive offense in college football history at Louisiana State, the sport has seen a succession of unheralded quarterbacks explode into the spotlight after switching schools for their final seasons of eligibility. This phenomenon owes something to the series of rules changes that have been implemented since Burrow blazed a trail in 2019. In 2021, the NCAA did away with the one-time transfer exemption that required football players to sit out a season after switching schools for the first time. Later that year, the NCAA allowed players to start cashing in on their name, image and likeness, creating powerful financial incentives for athletes to seek out starting opportunities. Thanks to a wave of lawsuits, those rules were relaxed even further this spring. Previously players still had to sit out after transferring a second time. Now, athletes can transfer as many times as they like, provided they remain academically eligible. The upshot is that every offseason, a growing number of quarterbacks are testing their luck and entering the transfer portal in search of more snaps, more talented teammates and more opportunities to win titles. |
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