| Wednesday, November 6, 2024 |
| MSU celebrates first generation students in Starkville | |
 | "Being a first-generation college student actually means a lot to me," said Amy Mata, a student at Mississippi State. Amy Mata is a freshman. She's the first in her family to go to college. "Both of my parents, they're from Mexico, and they have never graduated from a college institution before, so me being their first child, doing something that's higher than what we have, is pretty cool to me, and I feel like I'm doing them a huge favor for it," said Mata. It's First-Generation Scholars Week at MSU. The university celebrated those who are the first to pursue post-secondary education in their family. Mata is not alone. 37% of Mississippi State students are trailblazers in their families. "We make sure they are empowered, so realizing, by helping a student along, to get a four-year degree, we're changing up the legacy of their family. They now are the inspiration to the brother, or the sister, the cousin, somebody in their community to be able to continue on," said Jalonda Thompson, the Executive Director for the Office of Access and Success. Mata said she appreciates the support she receives from her school. |
| Political science professor talks about voting trends | |
| This is the first presidential election since the pandemic. 2020's race of President Joe Biden vs Donald Trump, broke records by having the highest voter turnout since the 1900s according to census.gov. "2020 was pretty much defined by COVID, and so, you saw a significant turnout owing to mail-in ballots, early voting, a lot of trends nationwide that deeply impacted voter turnout," said Dr. Brian Shoup, a professor and the department head for MSU's department of Political Science and Public Administration. Shoup says many factors affect how voters turn out. "I do think that higher turnout is largely now driven somewhat by the extent to which the political party we vote for, the candidates that we vote for, are a part of our identities, and I think historically that may not have been such a strong dynamic in terms of what drove people to the polls," said Shoup. Shoup also suggests that social media may have impacted the higher voter turnout this year in an attempt to reach a younger or underrepresented audience. "It is definitely the case in this age where we have polarization, social media, and a lot of other dynamics compelling people to participate in a rate that they historically didn't," said Shoup. |
| Mississippi growers see good sweet potato yields | |
 | Despite another year of dry, hot conditions during growing season, officials with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service said the state's sweet potato crop looks excellent overall. Lorin Harvey, sweet potato specialist with the MSU Extension Service, said 85% of the crop has been harvested as of October 30, 2024. "I was skeptical coming into harvest this year, but several operations have reported above average yields, which is much needed after last year," he said. "State production fell 15% in 2023 due to extreme drought. This year, I've seen fields yielding 150% of the state average yield, which I'm attributing to a favorable early season. Many growers have run out of wooden storage crates and are shipping them in from across the country." However, not everyone is experiencing high yields. Producers who were unable to plant at the earliest dates possible are experiencing lower yields. Mississippi's 45 sweet potato farming operations planted around 30,100 acres across 15 counties. Mississippi is second only to North Carolina in sweet potato production. This year, sweet potatoes were grown from Humphreys to Tate counties. Harvey said prices for loose sweet potatoes range from 44 to 89 cents per pound depending on the region and grocery chain where they are sold. |
| Starkville P.D.'s '9 p.m. Routine' campaign contributes to drop in property crimes | |
 | According to the Mississippi Crime Statistics, there were 337 reported cases of robbery in Mississippi in 2023, with 36.2% of them occurring in a person's place of residence. Of those incidents reported, officials solved 25.22% of them. In addition, there were 2,336 aggravated assault cases in Mississippi last year, 60% of which also took place within a house or place of residence, and 50.4% of which were committed by an unknown offender. While these statistics are alarming, it is also noteworthy that the crime rates for both robbery and aggravated assaults are decreasing, with both robbery and aggravated assault down 24.10% and 25.44%, respectively, since 2022. Many factors could have caused the decrease in crime rates, but the Starkville Police Department believes increased communication between law enforcement and citizens has contributed to the decrease in crime in Starkville. Mark Ballard, the chief of police in Starkville, attributed part of that success to an online campaign to which his officers have dedicated their time, resources and personality. Every night at 9 p.m., the Starkville Police Department sends out a post from their social media accounts reminding people to lock their doors, windows and cars, turn on outside lights and close their garages if they have one. "It is a proactive attempt to remind people in their day-to-day activities to take one simple step to go and lock their vehicles to take their property, their valuables out of the vehicle and simply lock the door," Ballard. |
| Security requirements slimmed down on updated ordinance | |
 | A proposed amendment to city ordinances around kitchen and security requirements for restaurants has narrowed its scope, garnering a mixed response from the business community. During Tuesday's meeting of the board of aldermen, Mayor Lynn Spruill said changes to the city's alcohol ordinances initially proposed in October -- ostensibly to allow a potential indoor pickleball court to sell beer -- have been slimmed down significantly. Rather than potentially requiring dozens of businesses to maintain security cameras, the proposed ordinance would only require cameras in businesses in the leisure and entertainment district open past 11 p.m. and those that apply for an exemption to sell beer and light wine without a full kitchen. Those who violate the camera requirement would also no longer face the possibility of up to six months in the county jail. The October version of the ordinance would have also required businesses selling liquor to maintain on-site security personnel past 10 p.m. until an hour after closure. Tuesday's version only requires restaurants that sell liquor to provide security from 11 p.m. to 30 minutes after closing on heightened security dates. "We're identifying a few heightened times like ballgame weekends and tournament weekends," said Spruill. "We had discussions with restaurant owners who said these times are appropriate for them, that they don't need security Thursday through Sunday because they don't have those kinds of crowds." |
| GTR LINK explains what Mega Site will bring to Lowndes | |
| It may be bare now, but this field will soon be growing new economic development opportunities for Lowndes County, with the help of current industries. "When we talk about Airbus, when we talk about Paccar, and Steel Dynamics." said Meryl Fisackerly, Chief Operating Officer of the GTR Link. "When we are able to show perspective industries, the investment that has been made here, and the success of the companies that we have had here, it really is a great selling point for us, when we are trying to attract new businesses."Some of the new industries that could someday sit on this mega site are pipe manufacturers, warehouse distributions, and some aluminum and steel companies. Fisackerly said there are several factors that businesses are looking for, when it comes to choosing a location. "Things that make these industries want to be here," said Fisackerly. "Is our availability of land an infrastructure like water, sewer, and power, having all of those utilities available along with the land, makes it easier and faster for them to build their facility, and makes it more enticing for them to want to locate here." |
| What impact will Hurricane Rafael have on Mississippi | |
 | Hurricane Rafael picked up steam Wednesday morning and rose to a category 2 storm with sustained winds of 110 mph as of 9 a.m. Rafael gained hurricane status Tuesday night as it made its way northwestward into the Gulf of Mexico. Whether Mississippi will see any impact remains to be seen, but as of 7 a.m., the storm appears to be tracking northwestward along its current path, with parts of Cuba in its path. Rafael is expected to make landfall in Cuba as a major hurricane later today, before turning west-northwestward in the Gulf of Mexico. Coastal flood advisories remain in effect for Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties until Thursday. The National Hurricane Center in its 9 a.m. update said Hurricane Rafael appears to be shifting more westward and could turn a little more south later today or Thursday, but residents along the Mississippi Gulf Coast should remain alert in case the storm track shifts again. On its current trajectory, Rafael could impact western Louisiana and eastern Texas this weekend but is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm before it makes landfall in the U.S. |
| Tecumseh investing $3.4M for upgrades to help retain 135 jobs | |
 | Tecumseh Products Co., will invest $3.4 million in upgrades to its facility in the Tupelo-Lee Industrial Park South. Tecumseh, a refrigeration and air conditioning products manufacturer, said the upgrades will help retain the 135 jobs at the plant. Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Tecumseh produces a variety of products for use in residential and commercial refrigeration and air conditioning applications. The company is a global manufacturer of hermetic compressors, condensing units and associated systems. The Verona plant has been in operation since 1975 and includes 528,000 square feet of manufacturing space. The investment project includes repairs and upgrades to the roof and lighting in the company's Verona facility, along with additional improvements to employee common spaces and offices. The company also will make modifications to its production layout to improve its competitiveness in the North America market. The Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for building improvements. Lee County also is assisting with the project. |
| Farmers were feeling the blues, but sentiment shifted in October | |
| One sector that will be watching closely for an interest rate cut decision by the Federal Reserve is agriculture. Farmers and ranchers have been pretty down in the dumps lately, according to Purdue University's monthly Ag Economy Barometer. In August and September, lower income expectations and thin margins were weighing on ag producers. But a fresh reading out this week shows a rebound in farmer sentiment, from 88 to 115 on a 200-point scale, perhaps due in part to the Fed's movement on rates. Farmers and ranchers typically take out loans every year to pay for things like seeds, fertilizer and livestock feed. And they might not see a return on that investment for months. Unlike in other sectors, "there's this big delay that happens that, you know, Walmart doesn't have when Walmart's selling product every single day," said Courtney Bir, a professor of agricultural finance at Oklahoma State University. Michael Langemeier, who helps run Purdue's ag survey, said the sector is deeply invested in machinery, buildings and land -- all very capital-intensive. Langemeier said October's rebound in farmer sentiment is steep and a bit of a head scratcher. But it might be in part because fewer farmers cited interest rates as a major concern. Plus, the likelihood of another Fed rate cut this week could have lifted their spirits, along with expectations around change in Washington. |
| Ingalls President Wilkinson to lead Newport News Division come January | |
| A change in leadership is coming at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. Huntington Ingalls, the nation's largest military shipbuilder, announced Wednesday morning that its Board of Directors has elected Ingalls president Kari Wilkinson to serve as president of the company's Newport News Shipbuilding division, effective Jan. 1, 2025. The Newport News facility is HII's largest division, with more than 26,000 shipbuilders. Pascagoula's Ingalls Shipyard has roughly 11,000 shipbuilders. The two shipyards make HII the largest industrial employer in both Virginia and Mississippi. Wilkinson, who has served as president of HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division since 2021, will succeed Jennifer Boykin. Boykin is retiring from her position at year's end after 37 years with the company. HII noted that under Wilkinson's leadership, Ingalls secured the recent $9.6 billion multi-ship procurement contract for construction of three San Antonio-class (LPD 17) amphibious ships, and contract modification for the next America-class (LHA 6) large-deck amphibious ship. Elected to succeed Wilkinson as executive vice president of HII and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding, overseeing all programs and operations, is Brian Blanchette, who has served as vice president of quality and engineering at Ingalls since May 2021. |
| Republican Sen. Wicker wins reelection in Mississippi, defeating Democrat Ty Pinkins | |
| Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi has defeated Democrat Ty Pinkins, a challenger who received little financial support from his own party in a heavily Republican state. Wicker, 73, is extending his 30-year career on Capitol Hill. He is an attorney and served in the Mississippi state Senate before winning a U.S. House seat in northern Mississippi in 1994. He was appointed to the Senate in 2007 by then-Gov. Haley Barbour after the resignation of fellow Republican Trent Lott. Wicker is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and has pushed to expand shipbuilding for the military. He was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. "It is a blessing to serve in the U.S. Senate, and I look forward to returning to Washington and relentlessly working on the behalf of the great state of Mississippi," Wicker said in a statement after winning. Mississippi's last Democrat in the U.S. Senate was John C. Stennis, whose final term ended in January 1989. Republicans control all of Mississippi's statewide offices, three of the state's four U.S. House seats and a majority of state legislative seats. |
| Incumbents sweep Mississippi's U.S. House races | |
| Incumbents have officially mounted a clean sweep in Mississippi's U.S. House of Representatives races. On Tuesday, familiar faces in Congress walked away victorious, providing a semblance of continuity in Washington D.C. amid an expected change of many faces in the federal legislative chamber. Republican incumbent Trent Kelly overcame Democratic challenger Dianne Black. The election was called in Kelly's favor at 8:59 p.m. with just under 60% of votes counted. The incumbent had around a 36-point lead when the race was decided. Mississippi's longest-serving member of Congress, Bennie Thompson, has officially earned a 16th term. Thompson had a 19-point lead when his race was called at 10:07 p.m. with 65% of votes counted. After being forced into a GOP runoff in 2022, Michael Guest drew no challengers on either side this election cycle. Guest, a former district attorney, was elected to the U.S. House in 2018 and now serves as chairman of the Ethics Committee and vice chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. District 3 covers central portions of the state and stretches from the Louisiana border in the west to the Alabama border in the east. Its largest cities are Meridian, Starkville, and Pearl. Republican Mike Ezell remains Mississippi's newest face in Congress but is now poised for another term after an initial two-year stint under his belt. The race was called at 8:53 p.m. with a little over 40% of votes counted. Ezell had a convincing 45-point advantage. |
| Branning, Kitchens advance to runoff for Central Mississippi Supreme Court seat | |
| Incumbent Justice Jim Kitchens and State Senator Jenifer Branning appear to have advanced out of the five-candidate field Tuesday, heading to a November 26 runoff election for the State Supreme Court District 1, Position 3 seat. Unofficial results with 90% of precincts reporting show Branning with 42% and Kitchens with 36%. Kitchens, a former three-term District Attorney, has served on the bench since 2008. While judicial campaigns are non-partisan, Kitchens has been endorsed by high profile state Democrats. Branning has represented State Senate District 18 since 2016 as a Republican. She has drawn endorsements this cycle from the Mississippi Republican Party as well as numerous GOP elected officials. Combined, the two campaigns have raised nearly $1 million this cycle, with Branning pulling in nearly two-thirds of those donations. |
| Will election results deliver a farm bill this year? | |
| Election night couldn't have gone better for Republicans. Voters returned Donald Trump to the White House and gave the GOP a Senate majority. While control of the House remains up in the air as of early Wednesday morning, it's clear the political landscape will be much different in D.C. come 2025. But what about the rest of this year? Could a lame duck president and Congress deliver a farm bill on the way out? It could just happen. House Republican Ag Committee Chair Glenn "GT" Thompson has made it clear he desperately wants to pass a farm bill this year. Now the Pennsylvania Republican holds more leverage, knowing a farm bill next year would go through Trump and a Republican Senate. That means House Democrats could be more willing to negotiate with their Republican counterparts. They know their negotiation position will be much weaker next year. Sources close to Thompson say he personally wants to pass a farm bill with the committee members that have worked on the legislation over the past two years. Before Congress went on recess in October, he requested a meeting with Democrat Ranking Member David Scott, D- Ga., and Senate Ag Committee leaders Debbie Stabenow, R-Mich., and John Boozman, R-Ark. to emphasize that point. This will be Stabenow's last chance to get a farm bill over the finish line before she retires at year's end. Whether or not that influences her decision remains to be seen. |
| Dejected Democrats look to House as 'only hope' | |
 | For Democrats around the country, the last hope rests in the House. The party lost control of the Senate on Tuesday, as expected. And by the early hours of Wednesday, Decision Desk HQ projected that former President Trump had won the presidency, securing the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat Vice President Harris and return to the White House next year for a second term. Only the House remains unresolved, leaving the battle for the lower chamber as the Democrats' last chance to control a lever of power in Washington -- and push back on the second Trump administration. It's a dynamic that hasn't been overlooked by Democrats, who were dejected by their party's performance and are now watching anxiously for signs that not all was lost. "In terms of the power trifecta, the House is the only hope for Democrats to maintain a check on our out of control Donald Trump," Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a 15-year veteran of the lower chamber, told The Hill in an interview early Wednesday morning. "The results tonight are grim ... for the country, and Democrats offer those who believe in constitutional democracy the only hope of presence in the White House and an enabling Republican Senate," he continued. "So a lot is hinging on district-by-district results tonight." Democrats saw a few bright spots in shooting for that goal. |
| AP VoteCast: Voter anxiety over the economy and a desire for change return Trump to the White House | |
| A disaffected electorate wanted former President Donald Trump to return to the White House, a blatant rejection of Vice President Kamala Harris and her nearly four years with President Joe Biden. The Republican's victory came from a public so put off by America's trajectory that they welcomed his brash and disruptive approach. About 3 in 10 voters said they wanted total upheaval in how the country is run, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. Even if they weren't looking for something that dramatic, more than half of voters overall said they wanted to see substantial change. Both nationwide and in key battleground states, the Republican won over voters who were alarmed about the economy and prioritized more aggressive enforcement of immigration laws. Those issues largely overshadowed many voters' focus on the future of democracy and abortion protections -- key priorities for Harris' voters, but not enough to turn the election in her favor. Among voters under 30, slightly less than half went for Trump, an improvement from his 2020 performance. About three-quarters of young voters said the country was headed in the wrong direction, and roughly one-third said they wanted complete and total upheaval to how the country is run. There was also a divide between young men and women on which candidate they backed. About 6 in 10 women between 18 to 29 voted for Harris, and more than half of men in that age group backed Trump. |
| Shifting loyalties of these voters helped power Donald Trump to election win | |
 | A realignment among Latino voters -- and a smaller shift among Black voters in key swing states -- helped catapult Donald Trump to his election victory over Kamala Harris as the Republican nominee expanded his support by peeling off voters from two core Democratic constituencies. And the signs of a shift might have been there all along. While Harris spent much of her campaign attacking Trump as a dangerous former president out for revenge and power, polling consistently showed voters preferred Trump over Harris to address their top priority: rising costs and inflation. Although Trump didn't win a majority of either group, he won support from about 13% of Black voters nationally and 45% of Latino voters, according to CNN exit polls. In the 2020 election, Trump won just 8% of Black voters and 32% of Latinos. Black voters have long been the Democratic Party's most loyal voting bloc, often securing and catapulting Democrats to victory. Trump made those inroads thanks mostly to support from Black and Latino men, helping him overperform his 2020 performance in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Detroit and other cities. Together, the former president's gains suggest his base of working-class voters has expanded beyond just white non-college educated voters -- a warning sign for Democrats that threatens their base in elections beyond this year. |
| How Donald Trump Won -- by Being Donald Trump | |
 | Former President Donald Trump cleared a path to the White House by doubling down on the very things that Democrats said made him unfit to return to the Oval Office. Throughout Trump's campaign, the Republican Party candidate was bombastic, profane and frequently untruthful, claiming the 2020 race was stolen from him, that he held no responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress and that President Biden had orchestrated his criminal indictments and felony convictions. Trump also did what he does best: he connected with crowds, went on the attack and offered a clear vision to voters. The push by the Democratic Party and Vice President Kamala Harris to highlight Trump's words and actions, to portray him as a danger to the country, failed to loosen the former president's grip on the electorate. Trump's legal troubles, instead of hobbling his candidacy, fueled donations. He denied wrongdoing in all of his cases. American voters seeking a change in fortune bet on Trump's promises to boost the U.S. economy, lower prices and taxes, settle foreign conflicts and put a stop to illegal immigration. The Republican Party leader successfully cast himself as a fighter, dodging by a whisker an assassin's bullet, and as a victim -- of political opponents, the media and so-called deep-state adversaries. He broadened his support from Black and Latino voters, as well as young men, building a coalition that will strengthen the party in the future. |
| Stocks and bitcoin jump after Trump's victory. So do worries about inflation as Dow surges 1,300 | |
| The U.S. stock market, Elon Musk's Tesla, banks and bitcoin are all storming higher Wednesday as investors bet on what Donald Trump's return to the White House will mean for the economy and world. Among the losers the market sees: the Mexican peso, solar-power companies and potentially anyone worried about higher inflation. The S&P 500 was up by 1.8% in morning trading and on track to top its all-time high set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1,315 points, or 3.1%, as of 10:10 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 2.1% higher. The U.S. stock market has historically tended to rise regardless of which party wins the White House, with Democrats scoring bigger average gains since 1945. But Republican control could mean big shifts in the winners and losers underneath the surface, and investors are adding to bets built earlier on what the higher tariffs, lower tax rates and lighter regulation that Trump favors will mean. "The markets are scrambling to figure out what happens next, but for the time being, the market is pricing in a higher growth and higher inflation outlook," Peter Esho of Esho Capital said. Of course, how much change Trump will be able to effect will likely depend on whether his fellow Republicans win control of Congress, and that's still to be determined. That could leave room for snaps back in some of Wednesday's big knee-jerk movements. On Wednesday morning alone, the S&P 500 wavered between gains of 2.1% and 1.4%. |
| The Trump agenda: Here's what to expect from his second term | |
 | Donald Trump has promised the largest deportation of immigrants in American history, sweeping new tariffs on imports, a freeze on climate-related regulations, a remaking of federal health agencies and ideological changes in the education system. Now he gets his chance. And Trump insiders say they believe he'll be able to move faster than he did in his first term to accomplish those goals. In his first term, Trump made major policy changes but often complained of bureaucracy getting in the way of his most ambitious aims. Armed with that experience, he expects officials in his second administration will better understand how to navigate complex agencies and policy processes, making a faster -- and more ambitious -- agenda possible, according to Trump's advisers. Though some of Trump's largest agenda items -- tax breaks and Affordable Care Act changes -- will take congressional approval, many won't. The Trump administration will be able to change immigration enforcement, impose tariffs, change health regulations, intervene in overseas wars and shape the education system without help from the Hill. The Republican Party platform, which doesn't mention student loans, calls for firing "radical Left accreditors" to drive down tuition costs. Trump has previously advocated for replacing accrediting organizations that oversee colleges and universities and imposing new standards such as removing staff members that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The platform also calls for creating "more affordable alternatives to a traditional four-year college degree" and funding "proven career training programs." But Trump wants to gut the Education Department, which provides billions of dollars in scholarships for low-income students to afford higher education. |
| At Howard, an Election Night Party Turns Dour | |
 | Kamala Harris's election night watch party at Howard University kicked off with a boisterous sense of celebration and optimism. It ended with a pensive, tired crowd whose dreams of putting an HBCU alum, and the first woman, in the Oval Office appeared to be slipping away by the hour Harris returned to her alma mater, the historically Black university in Washington, D.C., Tuesday for the most important moment of her political career -- a moment soured by election returns that favored her opponent, former president Donald Trump. As of midnight, the race was too close to call and will likely come down to Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But Wednesday morning, news outlets declared Trump the winner. The former president return to the White House could put more pressure and greater scrutiny on higher education. But thousands of Howard students, alumni and guests were still on hand to mark a potentially historic night for Harris and the college. The vice president spent her formative undergraduate years at Howard and used the campus as headquarters during her 2020 presidential campaign. In between booming dance music and performances from Howard student groups, large monitors stationed throughout the Yard switched to CNN for live election updates. As results came in and began to paint a harrowing picture of Harris's chances, the mood shifted -- though Howard attendees held on to hope throughout the night. |
| Trump Retakes the Presidency. Here's How Election Day Played Out on Campuses. | |
 | Former President Donald J. Trump has retaken the Oval Office, a result sure to stir panic throughout much of higher education. The Republican campaigned on promises to wield the executive branch more aggressively against people and institutions doing things he doesn't like, including colleges. Early Wednesday, the Associated Press called victories for Trump in four of the seven key swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Those electoral votes were enough to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris. How much Trump can accomplish depends partially on control of Congress. Republicans won a majority in the Senate by picking up at least two seats in West Virginia and Ohio. Control of the House remained unclear as results continued to trickle in. A second term for Trump will look different than his first. Critics and allies alike suggested throughout the campaign that he would be less constrained by bureaucratic norms in realizing his aims, including mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Another possibility might be a scaled-up version of Trump's 2017 travel ban, which restricted entry to the United States for those from half a dozen majority-Muslim countries and affected many international students and scholars. The former president has also promised to withhold recognition for accreditors as a lever to force colleges to adopt policies favored by conservatives. |
| What Trump's Victory Means for Higher Ed | |
| After a divisive and historic election, Donald J. Trump emerged Wednesday with enough electoral votes to return to the White House in January. He's the country's second ever president to serve two nonconsecutive terms. A second Trump administration will likely ramp up scrutiny of colleges and universities and empower advocates for sweeping reform of the sector during a historically unstable time for American higher education. As enrollments flounder and public disillusionment with college cost grows -- and after a year of negative public attention over campus protesters and federal policy blunders on student debt and financial aid -- that shift could have transformative implications for higher ed. Higher education consumed comparatively little oxygen during Trump's first term, but his actions then offer some clues as to his policy agenda for the next four years. While in office, he toned down oversight of for-profit colleges, issued new Title IX rules that bolstered due process protections for those accused of assault, and appointed a conservative majority to the U.S. Supreme Court, empowering it to strike down affirmative action. Trump's choice of running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, was seen as a signal that he's moved further to the right on higher ed. The Vice President-elect is a sharp-tongued critic of higher education. |
SPORTS
| Top-Seeded Mississippi State Advances To SEC Tournament Semifinals In Double-Overtime Thriller | |
| In a night that showcased resilience, skill, and the fighting spirit that has defined their record-setting season, top-seeded Mississippi State advanced to the SEC Tournament Semifinals with a thrilling 2-1 double-overtime victory over Tennessee. The win adds to the Bulldogs' remarkable 2024 campaign, marking their 14th straight victory and 11th consecutive SEC win, both program records. Mississippi State now holds an outstanding 17-1-0 overall record and remains undefeated in SEC competition in 2024 at 11-0-0, proving their place among the nation's elite. It was Aitana Martinez-Montoya who delivered the decisive blow just seconds into the second overtime, securing the Bulldogs' spot in the semifinals with her sixth goal of the season. Martinez-Montoya's golden goal was served up from an absolute beauty of a ball from Hannah Johnson, capping a dramatic battle and adding their names to Mississippi State soccer lore. The Bulldogs now ready to take on the No. 4 seed in South Carolina in the first of two semifinals matches on Thursday. State will take the 3:30 p.m. CT slot live on the SEC Network. |
| Ball security Mississippi State's top priority heading into season opener | |
| All basketball coaches want their teams to be unselfish, but Mississippi State's Sam Purcell is a little worried that his Bulldogs are unselfish to a fault. "I've joked about this, our fans might need to bring baseball gloves because we are slinging that ball," Purcell said Tuesday. "It's not that we're bad passers, it's that we love the home run pass. We love to thread the needle, we love to make the showtime pass, and sometimes it's just a simple old-school jump stop and making the simple pass (that works)." MSU is a guard-heavy squad heading into Purcell's third season in Starkville, which begins Thursday evening at Humphrey Coliseum against Memphis. Fifth-year senior Jerkaila Jordan is the Bulldogs' unquestioned leader and one of just three returners along with junior wing Debreasha Powe and sophomore post player Quanirah Montague. Of the six transfers MSU added in the offseason, five are either guards or play primarily on the wing. The Tigers (1-0) opened their season Monday with an 89-78 home win over Mississippi Valley State, led by a 26-point, 17-rebound effort from Hannah Riddick. They also played an exhibition game at home against defending national champion South Carolina on Oct. 15, losing 106-63. Memphis is in its second year under head coach Alex Simmons, who went 13-17 last season. |
| Basketball 'Dawg Talk' Schedule Announced | |
| Mississippi State basketball's radio show, "Dawg Talk" presented by Learfield, returns to Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux with head coaches Chris Jans and Sam Purcell for a third consecutive season starting on Monday, Dec. 2 from 7-8 p.m. CT. The 60-minute program will air on the affiliates of the MSU Sports Radio Network. Neil Price, "The Voice of the Bulldogs", will serve as the show host for the men with Jason Crowder acting as host on the women's side. "Dawg Talk" can be watched online at www.Facebook.com/HailState and will be streamed courtesy of Hail State On-Demand at www.HailState.com/watch and The Varsity Network App. The initial episode of "Dawg Talk" on Dec. 2 will feature both Coach Jans and Coach Purcell to recap the start of non-conference action and preview each team's highly anticipated SEC/ACC Challenge matchup, where the men will host Pittsburgh inside Humphrey Coliseum and the women will travel to face Georgia Tech, each on Dec. 4. Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is locally owned by MSU alumni and is located at 996 MS HWY 12 E in Starkville. Coach Jans is slated to make four additional appearances on Monday's Dec. 9, Feb. 10 and Feb. 17, in addition to a Tuesday show on Jan. 28. Coach Purcell is also scheduled to appear four times after the joint show on Monday's Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Feb. 3 and Feb. 24. |
| Auburn's Toomer's Corner rolled to celebrate Donald Trump's election win | |
 | Republican Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, and Auburn University celebrated in a way that is unique to The Loveliest Village on The Plains. The tradition of rolling Toomer's Corner is well known, and students made it a point to celebrate. The historic victory avenged Trump's loss in the 2020 election. Auburn fans were more than eager to roll Toomer's Corner, which is typically reserved for wins on the football team. The Tigers have struggled to a 3-6 record overall and 1-5 in the SEC. It isn't the first time students rolled Toomer's for a reason other than Auburn athletics. In January, in the hours after news broke of legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban being set to retire, Auburn fans flung toilet paper on the branches to celebrate. Toomer's Corner is, obviously, named for Toomer's Drugs, the business that occupies one of the four corners of the main downtown square. Other businesses may come and go, but the things that remain are Toomer's Drugs and the entrance to the Auburn University campus, located diagonally from one another. |
| Georgia football hosting a CFP game in Sanford? Details on behind-the-scenes preparations | |
 | What would be one of the most consequential games in Sanford Stadium history could be just six weeks away. Georgia football fans shouldn't be upset if the game never happens. College Football Playoff games are coming to campuses next month and Sanford Stadium would be the site if the Bulldogs are one of the first-round host teams. That would only happen if Georgia, which is 7-1 and No. 3 in the first CFP rankings, doesn't win the battle royale to be in position to get to Atlanta and leave with the SEC championship. Preparations have been underway for more than a year. "We prep for every single scenario," Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said. Georgia's event operations staff and ticketing staff, like at other schools, have been in contact with the College Football Playoff staff which has hosted calls and webinars to discuss details. "We'll be ready for whatever comes," Brooks said. First-round games are on the third weekend of December with one game on Friday Dec. 20 and three on Saturday Dec. 21. Georgia will host if it is the No. 5, 6, 7 or 8 seed. Possible opponents could be the likes of SMU, Boise State, Notre Dame or even an SEC team. Hotels rooms in Athens have been reserved just in case. |
| How election impacts future of college sports, NCAA | |
| As votes were counted on Tuesday night, the future of college sports played out. The 2024 election, both presidential and congressional, will impact multiple college athletics issues. As part of the House v. NCAA settlement agreement, the NCAA hopes to establish a new enforcement entity with court backing to limit the role of collectives. Even though the settlement lays out the framework for an NIL arbiter, Congress will need to step in. State laws will continue to supersede the settlement without lawmakers' help. NCAA president Charlie Baker, the former Massachusetts governor, has repeatedly made trips to Washington, D.C., since June 2022 to lobby lawmakers. Over 10 bills have been floated but none have moved forward. "There were too many people in college sports that thought no rules would work well for them. And what everyone has discovered is no rules, no transparency, no accountability, no framework doesn't work well for anybody. That's one of the reasons why I think it's possible Congress may be interested in doing something about this." Multiple sources have told On3 in recent weeks that Sen. Ted Cruz is working on new legislation and has held meetings with Power Four schools to hammer out a bill. Cruz won his Senate race in Texas against Democrat and former Baylor linebacker Colin Allred. |
| Rory McIlroy says Donald Trump's election 'clears the way' for PGA Tour-PIF deal | |
 | Donald Trump's return to the United States presidency could help the PGA Tour and PIF reach a deal to reunite men's professional golf, Rory McIlroy said Wednesday. "Given today's news with what's happened in America, I think that clears the way a little bit," McIlroy told reporters at the DP World Tour's Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Trump told the Sirius XM podcast "Let's Go!" with Jim Gray and Bill Belichick earlier this week that he believes "it would take me the better part of 15 minutes to get that deal done" between the PGA Tour and the PIF, the Saudi Arabia sovereign fund that owns and operates LIV Golf. Negotiations, which have carried on for around 18 months and blown past the original deadline of the end of 2023, have always faced a potential stumbling block with the Department of Justice. The DOJ's antitrust officials have expressed concern with the potential deal, and other government officials have been concerned about a foreign investment of this magnitude. But the DOJ would work under Trump's direction and his administration's priorities, and he's made it clear he's in favor of an agreement. "He might be able to (get a deal done)," McIlroy said. "He's got Elon Musk, who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too." |
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