| Thursday, November 14, 2024 |
| Dancing weatherman Nick Kosir partners with MSU for new social media course | |
 | Nick Kosir, widely known online as "The Dancing Weatherman," has partnered with Mississippi State University's College of Professional and Continuing Studies to bring students a course called "The Kosir Code." The course, which launched on Sept. 24, aims to equip students with the skills they need to create a large social media following and build a successful career as a content creator. Kosir, who graduated from the MSU online broadcast meteorology program in 2011, maintains a following of 14 million across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. His journey into social media stardom began in 2019 when a video of him dancing in the television studio went viral. "I remember growing up, I would tell people I wanted to be a college professor," Kosir said. "And, you know, several decades later, I'm just sitting there, and I get an email that came from Sean Owen." Owen, the associate dean at the College of Professional and Continuing Studies, contacted Kosir to propose the continuing education course and set the collaboration in motion. "I do pride myself on having a lot of off-the-wall ideas," Owen said. "And unless you've lived under a rock in the last couple of years, social influencing has been the way to market that even Fortune 500 companies are going about it." Owen said that continuing education courses like The Kosir Code are helping to change the perception that MSU only provides traditional education. “We want to be seen as trailblazers and thought leaders in higher education,” Owen said. |
| Virtual seminars aim to help those considering a run for city office | |
 | Mississippi State University Extension Service will hold a series of workshops for people considering running for public office, meant to give a better idea of city government to those who may someday help run it. The first "Ready to Lead" virtual workshop will run on Nov. 25, followed by another on Dec. 19 and the last on Jan. 6. Over the course of around an hour, these seminars will try to prepare future candidates for the expectations of public office and complexities of local government in advance of the 2025 city election cycle in Mississippi. "It's so vital that we have community leaders that step up," said Jason Camp, a local government specialist with Extension who is running the seminars. The workshops come courtesy of Extension's Center for Government and Community Development. Though CGCD already trains elected officials and has run occasional information programs for potential candidates, this is the first time it's attempted a support program of this level for people not even campaigning yet. "Before someone jumps out there and makes the decision to run for office, we want to let them be fully informed about serving as a local government official," Camp said. "So many times, people may run on just having one encounter with the city and don't completely understand what they're getting into. We want to give them as much information as we can on the front end." |
| Photo: Sanderson Center reopens | |
| Mississippi State University student Tori Welch ascends the university's new climbing wall Wednesday. It was installed alongside 40 new exercise machines, several new fitness spaces, flooring, architecture, and lockers as part of a $2.5 million renovation of the Joe Frank Sanderson Center. The wall can link with student phones to light up paths of varying difficulty. The university hosted a reopening ceremony for the center Wednesday to show off the renovations. A referendum passed by the student association increased the student activity fee to fund the work, the first major renovation of the building since its opening in 1998. |
| More than $110M invested in projects statewide, nearly $16M in Northeast Mississippi | |
 | Gov. Tate Reeves on Wednesday announced the state of Mississippi is investing over $110 million toward economic development, infrastructure upgrades, workforce development, tourism and conservation efforts throughout Mississippi. The majority of grant approvals, totaling over $97 million, will be invested in site development, infrastructure improvements and workforce training support. Several projects in Northeast Mississippi received funding totaling almost $16 million. "Mississippi's economic development results have been historic and unprecedented," Reeves said. "We've secured billions in new private sector investment and created thousands of jobs across the state. The funding we announced today will go a long way toward continuing Mississippi's economic momentum and will help create more high-paying job opportunities for Mississippians across the state." The projects in Northeast Mississippi include: Starkville Road Wastewater Improvements – Oktibbeha County – $750,000 to update the wastewater system and replace the sewer force main that serves North Star Industrial Park. MSU Research Technology Building Construction – Oktibbeha County – $1,500,000 to construct a building adjacent to Thad Cochran Research Park. MSU Advanced Composite Institute Stitching Equipment – Oktibbeha County – $600,000 to support the build out and tech transferability of blended wing technology in the aerospace industry. |
| Gov. Reeves announces $110 million in economic development grant awards | |
| On Wednesday, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced $110 million in grant funding to assist with economic development, infrastructure improvements, workforce development, conservation and tourism. The lion's share of that grant funding, $97 million, will focus on strengthening the state's economy. "In Mississippi, we are investing in economic development, and we are investing in site development in every single region of our state," Reeves said. "We have prioritized site development, because we believe that speed to market is a key component of decisions that are going to be made in the future and we're going to be prepared for that." Projects include Starkville Road Wastewater Improvements, Oktibbeha County, $750,000 to update the wastewater system and replace the sewer force main that serves North Star Industrial Park; MSU Research Technology Building Construction, Oktibbeha County, $1,500,000 to construct a building adjacent to Thad Cochran Research Park; MSU Advanced Composite Institute Stitching Equipment, Oktibbeha County, $600,000 to support the build out and tech transferability of blended wing technology in the aerospace industry; MS Cyber Center, Harrison County, $6,600,000 to support the construction of the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center; GOMESA: Fixed Lab Equipment (Mississippi State University), Jackson County, $865,000 to support the purchase of fixed equipment to complete the analytical and biosafety laboratory capabilities; and RESTORE: Mississippi Sound Estuary Program (MSEP), Coastwide, $1,100,000 to inform the development and implementation of a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). |
| Gov. Reeves announces $110 million in grants | |
 | The Mississippi Gulf Coast is seeing impressive economic development, Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday as he announced millions of grants to add more business and conservation efforts. Reeves said $110 million in grants would be spent throughout the state for future economic development success. A map of the distribution shows much of the projects will be in South Mississippi, thanks to GOMESA grants, which come from oil and gas leases off the Coast, and the Restore Act funds that come from the BP oil spill in 2010. "I've never been more bullish on Mississippi's economy and I've never been more bullish on the Gulf Coast," he said. Projects announced for South Mississippi include: $6.6 million for Cyber Center to support the construction of the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center in Harrison County; $1.1 million for Mississippi Sound Estuary Program Coastwide to inform the development and implementation of a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan; and $865,000 for fixed lab equipment at Mississippi State University in Jackson County to purchase equipment to complete the analytical and biosafety laboratory capabilities. |
| Gov. Tate Reeves highlights more than $100M for economic development | |
 | Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday more than $110 million toward economic development upgrades to make sites more shovel ready so communities can recruit projects for the future. The largest of the grants from the state is going to the Mississippi River Inland Port Complex Megasite. There, more than $10 million will be used to conduct wetlands mitigation as required by the site's U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit. The majority of grant approvals, however, totaling over $97 million, will be invested into projects that will further strengthen Mississippi's economy through site development, infrastructure improvements, and workforce training support. The massive investment, according to a statement from the governor's office, will help expand infrastructure capabilities at sites across the state and better position Mississippi to secure even more record-breaking private sector investment. Funding for the projects is available through the Mississippi Development Authority, Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority, RESTORE Act, GOMESA, and Southeast Crescent Regional Commission. |
| Mississippi lumber group partners with MSU to advance mass timber | |
| Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Lumber Manufacturers Association have teamed up to drive innovation in mass timber manufacturing, construction and design, with a research emphasis on sustainable wood construction, strength and durability. The new partnership has established the Mississippi Lumber Manufacturers Association Endowed Professorship in Innovative Wood Construction and Design at MSU. The endowment will be housed in the College of Forest Resources' Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, with a joint appointment in the College of Architecture, Art and Design's School of Architecture. Wes Burger, dean of the College of Forest Resources and director of the university's Forest and Wildlife Research Center, said the endowment further positions MSU as an innovator in sustainable building products and design. "MSU's and MLMA's commitment to advancing education, research and outreach in mass timber is essential for the growth of sustainable construction in our region," he said. "This partnership empowers MSU to equip future professionals in wood science, architectural design and construction science with the knowledge and skills needed to drive economic development and environmental stewardship throughout Mississippi and beyond." |
| Can renewable energy projects find homes on Mississippi farms? | |
| Abbott Myers has been farming on his land in the north Mississippi Delta since 1969. Between the rising costs of everything from land to equipment to chemicals, as well as the toll of recent droughts, Myers knows his industry is in a precarious place. "The next couple of years are really going to be some hard years in agriculture it looks like," he told Mississippi Today over the summer. "Unless something changes." With a growing market for clean energy and a medley of financial obstacles for modern agriculture, farmers in Mississippi and elsewhere are exploring the potential of putting renewable power projects on their land. Earlier this year, energy company AES partnered with Amazon to open the state's first utility-scale wind power facility on land that includes Myers' farm. The potential for renewable projects on farmland has also caught the eyes of the state's academics. Last year, a Mississippi State University student began working with the company Cubico at its solar plant near Greenwood to study how well turfgrass can grow alongside the panels. Cory Gallo, assistant dean for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at MSU, explained that the dual purpose of farming on a solar company's land can deliver financial benefits in both directions. Gallo clarified that he doesn't advocate for or against the practice. He said it's important to mitigate any impacts to surrounding natural life, and said he hopes the university's research will help inform landowners interested in using their land for wind or solar farms. |
| Dog left for dead on road; couple empty wedding fund to save her | |
 | Dylan McCay and Emily Roberts had been carefully setting aside money to pay for their wedding, which they hoped to have within the next year or so. On a recent day after work, McCay was scrolling through Facebook when he saw a post about an injured puppy that had been hit by a car and left to die on the side of a country road in Conway, Arkansas. The dog would need surgery costing more than $12,000. McCay and Roberts cleaned out thousands of dollars from their savings, and put the remainder on their credit card to foot the bill. "We learned she was about 8 to 10 months old," McCay added. "She's very young and deserved a lot better than what she'd been through." He and Roberts decided to temporarily name the pup Acklin for the road where she was found. The veterinarian referred them to Mississippi State University's Animal Health Center, five hours away, because the dog needed a specialist to do the surgery. Doctors in Mississippi told the couple that surgery to repair both of Acklin's legs would cost between $10,000 and $15,000. Before the surgery, McCay had started a GoFundMe page, hoping that others might be willing to chip in for the cost of Acklin's treatment. Little Rock television station KATV helped put the word out, and donations soon began to pour in. About $37,000 has been contributed so far -- more than enough to pay for the pup's medical expenses and ensure that McCay and Roberts are able to one day have the big wedding bash they'd dreamed about for years. |
| Students showcase skills at reverse career fair | |
| Students from Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District's Millsaps Career and Technology Center flipped the script Wednesday during a reverse career fair, showcasing their skills and experience for industry professionals. Instead of browsing booths to explore career options, students manned their own booths where potential employers, teachers and college representatives learned about their projects and portfolios. April Dill, who teaches the education preparation program at Millsaps and spearheaded planning the event, said instructors meet with an advisory board of local industry twice a year to discuss employability skills. Hosting the fair, she said, was a way to get students involved in that conversation. "This is an opportunity to have our industry come, but our students to be the focus, with the goal of networking and then practicing their presentation skills and highlighting their resume and showing off the things we do in our classes," Dill told The Dispatch. Starkville High School's cafeteria was packed with second year career-technical education students presenting their work from different classes, ranging from horticulture and welding to digital media and unmanned aviation. |
| Mary Means Business: Bealls prepares to close at Columbus Place | |
| Another national retailer is closing at Columbus Place. A store associate from Bealls confirmed Wednesday the retail company will shutter permanently on Dec. 14. Bealls is a Florida-based retail company that first opened in 1915 as a dry goods store. Since then, the company has expanded to more than 600 stores nationwide. With this store's departure from the mall, that leaves Claire's, Cato, Prestige, Five Below, Hobby Lobby, Mobi Care, Dollar Tree, Planet Fitness, American Deli, City Gear, Hibbett Sports, and outparcels Trustmark and Hardee's, as the shopping center's remaining open stores. ... After much speculation, Starkville's 929 Coffee has officially announced its new home. In August, 929 announced an abrupt departure from its nearly decade-long location at 106 Main St. While paying homage to its former home, 929 posted an Instagram video announcing its new location at 115 E. Main St. This was the former location of the Occasions gift shop that closed in April. The video said "new location coming 20xx." Be on the lookout for more information and upgrades as they start renovations and remodeling in the new space. ... Also in Starkville, Wilkins Refresh Cleaning Service is now open at 301 E. Main St. Owner Michael Wilkins, a Mississippi University for Women graduate, found a silver lining when his company laid him off. It gave him the opportunity to work with a friend to help start a professional cleaning service. |
| Grand opening date set for casino-based travel plaza in Louisville | |
| A grand opening date has been scheduled for a new, casino-based travel center in Winston County. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians announced Wednesday that its Crystal Sky travel plaza in Louisville will open on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 11 a.m. after nearly two years of construction. The 18,000-square-foot facility will feature a casino with 150 slot machines, a sportsbook lounge, a restaurant, 3,000 square feet of retail space, and fueling stations for both commercial and passenger vehicles. The plaza will be open 24/7, promising limitless access to travelers and locals alike. The Crystal Sky travel plaza cost $25 million and is expected to employ at least 100 people. Ahead of the grand opening, a job fair will be held at Lake Tiak-O'Khata in Louisville on Friday, Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Career opportunities include security officer, maintenance engineer, maintenance engineer attendance, sous chef, kitchen steward, line cook, and deli associate. |
| Mississippi governor intent on income tax cut even if states receive less federal money | |
| Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday that he will continue pushing lawmakers to phase out the state income tax, even with the possibility of federal spending cuts that could affect states after Donald Trump begins his second term as president. Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the U.S., and it receives billions of dollars a year from the federal government. One of the biggest chunks of federal money is for Medicaid, a government health insurance program for low-income residents. "To the extent that the federal government wants to reduce federal funding -- and I think they should -- they need to give states more flexibility on what segments of the population are covered and which ones are not," Reeves said of Medicaid. Reeves, who spoke during a news conference Wednesday, has supported Trump since the 2016 election. Trump said Tuesday that he had chosen Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead an effort that could significantly reduce spending and the size of the federal government. About 42% of the money for state government services in Mississippi is coming from the federal government during the budget year that began July 1, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Budget Office. That is about $13.2 billion out of nearly $31.7 billion. About $6.5 billion of the federal money was for Medicaid. |
| Fordice Equine center needs seating heading into 60th Dixie Nationals | |
| In February, the state welcomes the 60th Dixie National Livestock and Rodeo. The annual event brings thousands to the state fairgrounds. However, one of the venues needs some improvements to accommodate visitors. The Dixie National Livestock and Rodeo will bring thousands to the Mississippi Coliseum for two weekends of riding and roping. Nine hundred contestants will participate. "They are here to experience and show you why they're the best in the world. These guys will make up to half a million dollars a year rodeoing," said Rorey Lemmel with Harper & Morgan Rodeo. "It all starts right here at the Dixie National. So we're very proud of." Across from the coliseum in the Kirk Fordice Equine Center quarter horse, cutting horse, and roping events will take place. But there are issues with the 2,500-seat facility, roughly 100 chairs are broken. "The problem that we have with theses seats [is] we no longer have parts for them," said MS Fairground Director Michael Lasseter. "So we've kinda run into a stopping point. We can't repair those seats anymore, and it's very unfortunate for us. It's such a beautiful facility." Fair officials hope lawmakers will allocate funding for new seating. "This is something we're gonna need help with to get these seats upgraded. It is a problem," added Lasseter. |
| Hall to introduce veterans bill in Legislature | |
 | As a veteran, the words "thank you for your service" have come to have a whole new meaning for Rodney Hall. Hall, who represents District 20 in the Mississippi House and is a 20 year veteran of the Mississippi National Guard, said while that phrase still resonates with him every time a neighbor, friend, or child says those words, he believes that "thank you for your service" should mean more than just words. "It is time for this state to demonstrate this gratitude in real tangible ways," Hall said. Hall was the guest speaker at Southaven's Annual Veterans Day Luncheon and said he plans to introduce a bill in the Legislature called "Thank You For Your Service" that would lower taxes, provide free in-state college education to children of military families, and increase mental health services for veterans. Hall said while lawmakers are working hard to eliminate the state income tax, he pointed out that Mississippi has the highest grocery tax in the country. He said he and his wife, like most families, have felt the effects of inflation and higher food prices that has made it hard for them to make ends meet. Hall said the second focus of his bill would provide free college education to military families in order to create more pathways for young people so they can continue to serve our country and receive an education. |
| US wholesale inflation picks up slightly in sign that some price pressures remain elevated | |
| Wholesale prices in the United States rose last month, remaining low but suggesting that the American economy has yet to completely vanquish inflationary pressure. Thursday's report from the Labor Department showed that its producer price index -- which tracks inflation before it hits consumers -- rose 0.2% from September to October, up from a 0.1% gain the month before. Compared with a year earlier, wholesale prices were up 2.4%, accelerating from a year-over-year gain 1.9% in September. An increase in services prices drove the October increase. Excluding food and energy prices, which tend to bounce around from month to month, so-called core wholesale prices rose 0.3 from September and 3.1% from a year earlier. The readings were about what economists had expected. Since peaking in mid-2022, inflation has fallen more or less steadily. But average prices are still nearly 20% higher than they were three years ago -- a persistent source of public exasperation that led to Donald Trump's defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris in last week's presidential election and the return of Senate control to Republicans. |
| Senators divided on Hegseth nomination for Defense secretary | |
 | Senators on Wednesday offered differing opinions on the possibility of confirming President-elect Donald Trump's pick Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department, as some embraced the selection and others questioned his lack of experience. Trump caught much of Washington by surprise when he announced Hegseth, a combat veteran and Fox News host, as his choice to lead the DOD, the nation's largest federal agency responsible for all aspects of the military, despite Hegseth's lack of a record in management or government positions. Republican senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee will be among the first to formally weigh in on Hegseth's nomination via confirmation hearing next year. They are all publicly positive about Hegseth, though a few hinted they have concerns, especially about his level of experience. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the top Republican on the committee who is in line to become chairman during the next Congress, told CNN Wednesday he has no concerns about Hegseth's qualifications and said, "I am delighted at the prospect" of working with him. But some of the more moderate Republicans on the committee said that, while they like a lot about Hegseth, they are withholding judgment on his nomination. |
| U.S. Senate Republicans choose a Mitch McConnell acolyte to replace him | |
 | Mitch McConnell's 18-year run as Senate Republican leader careened toward its end as the GOP caucus on Wednesday selected a longtime protege of the Kentuckian to guide the incoming majority through President-elect Donald Trump's second term. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, a McConnell deputy and close ally, won the support of his colleagues over Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. The secret ballot vote was 29-24. Rick Scott of Florida, a favorite of Trump allies who unsuccessfully challenged McConnell for the post two years ago, secured only 13 votes during the first voting round, including that of Kentucky's junior U.S. Senator, Rand Paul. Thune's ascension amounts to a final victory for McConnell, who did not publicly reveal his preference but heaped praise on both Thune and Cornyn, two men who are seen as Senate institutionalists in the McConnell mold. A late -- largely online -- campaign by Trump allies to boost Scott's chances failed to resonate with Senate Republicans, who are loathe to take direction from outside voices. But during an American Enterprise Institute event on Tuesday, McConnell swiped at the horde of MAGA stars trying to tilt the race in Scott's favor. "That's a waste of their time," he told reporters. Thune's victory may mean that McConnell, who has two years left in his term, will still wield influence as a quiet, private adviser on legislative strategy and how to deal with Trump and his new White House. "It's still Mitch McConnell's world and we just live in it," quipped Eric Michael Garcia, an MSNBC columnist. |
| Matt Gaetz resigns from Congress 'effective immediately' after Donald Trump taps him as AG | |
 | U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has resigned from Congress, "effective immediately," House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Wednesday, just hours after President-elect Donald Trump announced he was tapping Gaetz for U.S. Attorney General. "He issued his resignation letter effective immediately from Congress," Johnson said during a press conference Wednesday night. "That caught us by surprise a little bit." Johnson said Gaetz's abrupt resignation allowed for a faster special election in Northwest Florida to replace him and shore up the thin Republican majority in the House. "If you start the clock now, if you do the math, we may be able to fill that seat as early as Jan. 3 when we take the new oath of office for the new Congress," Johnson said. It'll be up to Gov. Ron DeSantis to set a special election date to fill Gaetz's seat. The move also likely ends any further inquiry from a House Ethics probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. Gaetz has vehemently denied the accusation and has publicly blamed the Department of Justice for leaking the allegations to the press, a department he will lead if his appointment is confirmed by the Senate. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Mississippi, chairman of the House Ethics Committee, told reporters before Gaetz's resignation that any congressional ethics inquiries into Gaetz would end if the Senate confirms him and he resigns from Congress, the New York Times reported. The committee could still release a report on its probe. |
| Pete Hegseth is not just Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, he's also a Tennessee Vols fan | |
 | First, the Tennessee Vols produced the Minister of Defense. Now Vol Nation can claim the secretary of defense. President-elect Donald Trump announced Pete Hegseth as a member of his cabinet on Nov. 12. Hegseth will oversee American armed forces as the secretary of defense once he's confirmed by the Senate. There is a lot to know about Hegseth. He is a veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, author of "The War on Warriors" and a Fox News co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend." The 44-year-old is an active voice in conservative politics. And, important to many Tennesseans, Hegseth is a Vols fan. On Oct. 23, Hegseth posted about his "Rocky Top weekend" on Instagram, showing himself and his family attending a University of Tennessee football game and celebrating the Vols' electrifying win over the Alabama Crimson Tide the weekend before. Photos from the game show Hegseth's seven kids on the field of Neyland Stadium following the big win. The whole family, including Hegseth, is decked out in Tennessee orange for game day. "@vol_football is the real UT," Hegseth wrote on Instagram. Hegseth is not a UT graduate. He graduated from Princeton University in 2003 before earning a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, although a biography on his website says he "mailed this degree back to Harvard!" |
| 'Left turn and off the bridge': Trump's spy pick stuns intel world | |
 | Donald Trump was expected to pick an outsider to lead the U.S. intelligence community. He exceeded expectations by choosing Tulsi Gabbard. The former Democratic member of Congress from Hawaii has many critics and no formal intelligence experience. She's known chiefly for her opposition to American wars abroad -- and sympathetic views on autocrats like Russia's Vladimir Putin and Syria's Bashar al-Assad. The president-elect's announcement of her nomination as Director of National Intelligence stunned members of Congress, along with current and former members of the intelligence community. One senior former intelligence official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the pick, described the choice as "left turn and off the bridge." Her foreign policy views have frequently put her firmly outside the mainstream of U.S. national security experts in both parties. The possibility of Gabbard as DNI also drew alarm from those outside the U.S. One Western intelligence official said it could lead America's allies to curb how much information they share with Washington. "I imagine even Israel will have serious qualms -- America's main intelligence partner on terrorist threats," said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue. |
| Some Black Voters Ask, What Have Democrats Done for Us? | |
 | In the final weeks of the campaign, many Democrats hoped that signs of crumbling support among Black voters would not materialize at the polls. The historic nature of the campaign, with the possibility of the country electing a Black and Indian American woman as its leader, inspired some confidence. There was also an expectation that Mr. Trump's baggage would be poisonous, as he was heavily criticized for trying to discredit Ms. Harris's racial identity. And for an overwhelming majority of Black Americans, those reasons were more than enough to justify supporting Ms. Harris. But her loss has illuminated a percolating sense of dissatisfaction and an increasingly conspicuous divide within the Black community, as a segment of Black voters rejected her campaign and the message of the Democratic Party more broadly. Some of those voters, namely working-class Black men, said they doubted their circumstances would fundamentally change, regardless of who won. The dissatisfaction -- evident in urban centers in swing states, like Milwaukee and Philadelphia, as well as remote reaches in the Mississippi Delta -- was potent enough to depress turnout in some Democratic strongholds and even flip some majority-Black counties to Mr. Trump. "I think the Democrats have abused us for years," said Vincent Genous, 50, who lives in Yazoo City, Miss., and followed the guidance he grew up hearing -- that the party was his only realistic choice -- before he was swayed by Mr. Trump in recent elections. |
| Southern Baptist Convention public policy head takes aim at LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access in Trump letter | |
 | In a marker of evangelical Christians' hopes for President-elect Donald Trump's second term, Southern Baptist Convention public policy leaders asked the incoming administration to prioritize restricting abortion and reversing antidiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people. Despite evangelicals' frustration with Trump on the campaign trail for easing his stance against abortion, a letter from the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission to Trump's transition team expresses a renewed optimism for conservative policy positions on major social issues. The letter outlines a series of policy priorities for the Trump administration to consider in its first 100 days: restricting access and funding for abortion providers and the abortion pill, reversing an executive order issued by President Joe Biden with guidance to federal agencies on antidiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people, and reversing other federal rules under Biden protecting LGBTQ+ rights. "President Trump will reassure millions of Americans that they will not be targeted by the federal government simply for believing in biological realities or holding to their religious convictions," Brent Leatherwood, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said in a Nov. 11 letter to Trump transition team co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon. |
| Trust in science hasn't fully recovered from pandemic controversies | |
| The pandemic and the chaos and controversies that came with it led to an erosion of trust in scientists, and it may be a while before that trust returns to levels that preceded the contagion. That's the implication of a survey published Thursday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. The organization asked adults in the United States if they have confidence in scientists to "act in the best interests of the public." The vast majority of people still do, saying they have "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of confidence. But although the new numbers show a small uptick in trust in scientists over the past year, the public's confidence in that community remains significantly eroded. When Pew conducted such a survey in January 2019, 86 percent of respondents said they had "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of confidence in scientists, rising to 87 percent in the April 2020 survey at the height of the initial wave of infections that struck the United States. But in a survey in November 2020 that figure began to show the erosion, and trust bottomed out at 73 percent in October 2023. The latest result showed a small bump to 76 percent. "We're calling it a slight uptick," said Alec Tyson, associate director at Pew Research Center and lead author of the report. "At least for now, it marks an end to the decline that we saw during the pandemic." The survey captures a partisan divide over scientists and their role in crafting policy. Democrats have a higher level of trust in scientists than Republicans, and are significantly more positive than Republicans about scientists being engaged in policy discussions. |
| MUW hosts EDU job fair for students on campus | |
 | Mississippi University for Women's School of Education hosts its annual awards day and job fair. Schools could come meet the students in person. Administrators could also talk to the future teachers during a tabletop recruitment fair. The program was open to students enrolled in MUW's education programs, along with private and public schools looking to hire teachers. |
| Campus Executive Chef Revamps Rebel Market | |
 | Since joining the University of Mississippi dining staff in September 2021, Campus Executive Chef Michael Brainard has made many changes to Rebel Market. Rebel Market is the university's main dining hall and the first certified green restaurant in Mississippi. The Green Restaurant Association judges restaurants on specific environmental standards. Rebel Market has partnered with local vendors such as Oxford Community Market and Ole Miss Green to bring fresh produce to campus. Brainard said that this was one of the central changes made to Rebel Market's food service. "Since joining the campus community, I've focused on elevating our dining experience by making it more sustainable, diverse and locally connected," Brainard said. "One of the key initiatives has been establishing partnerships with local vendors. These partnerships not only support local farmers but also ensure that our students enjoy the freshest and most nutritious ingredients." |
| U. of Mississippi opens much-anticipated new STEM building | |
| After years of construction and anticipation, the Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation has opened its doors to University of Mississippi students. At 202,000 square feet, the Duff Center is the largest academic building on the Ole Miss campus and offers a wealth of new opportunities for students and faculty alike. In 2020, Jim and Thomas Duff, brothers and co-owners of Duff Capital Investors, committed $26 million to build the new facility. The Duff brothers joined U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and Ole Miss faculty, staff and supporters Thursday, Nov. 7, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Students have been taking classes in the new building since fall semester began in August. The Duff Center includes four floors built around a central atrium complete with skylights. The building can accommodate up to 2,000 students at once and includes a total of 50 technology-enabled classrooms, 60 offices, a food service venue and a 3D visualization lab. |
| Former Itawamba Community College honor society advisor pleads guilty to embezzlement | |
| A former Itawamba Community College honor society advisor will spend one year under house arrest after she pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement. Robin Lowe, 51, of Amory, entered her plea Tuesday in Itawamba County. Circuit Court Judge Michael "Chip" Mills then sentenced her to 20 years in prison, with 19 years suspended if she completes one year of the Intensive Supervision Program, commonly called house arrest. She must also pay $1,511.50 in fines and court costs. Lowe was an advisor to the Phi Theta Kappa honor roll society chapter for 15 years, ending in May 2023. State Auditor Shad White said Lowe converted public funds meant to benefit the national honor society chapter for her own personal use. When she was arrested in February, Lowe was served a demand letter for $36,915.30 demand letter at the time of her arrest. That figure includes the money allegedly stolen, plus interest and investigative fees. Following Lowe's arrest in February, ICC Office of the President Chief of Staff Tyler Camp told the Daily Journal that the school discovered an external checking account for PTK managed by Lowe and began an internal audit. The information uncovered by that inquiry was promptly turned over to the State Auditor's Office for further investigation. |
| 110 Pearl River Community College students get 'Round Up' scholarships for 2024-25 | |
 | More than 100 students at Pearl River Community College were recipients of $800 scholarships from the "Round Up for Education" scholarship program. Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association and The Pinebelt Foundation presented the scholarships to 110 students this academic year. The scholarships are made possible by Pearl River Valley EPA members, who donate a small amount of their power bill to the program each month. Ten percent of the money collected is set aside in an endowed fund, managed by The Pinebelt Foundation. The rest is divided equally among the eligible scholarship applicants. "What happens is a good chunk of that money goes every year just straight out the door to (the PRCC) students, but then, we set aside 10 percent each year into an endowment that's growing in the market, and, hopefully, one day will help sustain this whole thing on its own," said Michael Dixon, The Pinebelt Foundation executive director. "That endowment, we're excited to say, has reached over a million dollars now and is growing." |
| University System of Georgia sets enrollment record | |
 | The University System of Georgia has hit an all-time high for student enrollment this fall. Nearly 365,000 students are enrolled at the system's 26 public colleges and universities, an increase of more than 20,000, or 5.9%, compared to last fall, Angela Bell, the system's vice chancellor for research and policy analysis, told the Board of Regents Tuesday. The enrollment growth since the pandemic year of 2020 has been most dramatic among out-of-state students, Bell said. Out-of-state enrollment has increased by 27% since the pandemic year of 2020. "Students are looking to the South for a number of reasons, whether it be winning football or the weather," she said. Bell said another reason for enrollment growth in the university system is that Georgia remained open for business during the pandemic while other states shut down. Other highlights of Bell's report included a huge 53.5% increase in dual enrollment students since 2020. In other business Tuesday, board members unanimously approved a series of policy changes aimed at basing student admission and faculty hiring decisions on merit. Among other things, the changes prohibit requiring prospective students or professors to submit "diversity statements," typically one or two pages that outline how the applicant plans to advance the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). |
| A Texas University Tells Professors Their Teaching and Research Will be Under 'Intense Scrutiny' | |
 | Faculty members at the University of North Texas at Denton fear their teaching and research on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion will be curtailed by their own university's interpretation of a state law targeting DEI efforts -- and, in one college, they say it already has. Texas attracted national attention last year by passing Senate Bill 17, which went into effect in January and bans diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, training, and statements at the state's public universities. While the bill's text carves out exemptions for teaching and research, faculty members on the Denton campus were surprised to find out last month that the university's Integrity & Compliance Office would, in fact, be monitoring those areas to ensure they didn't run afoul of the law. It's a striking development in a state where legislative attacks on DEI have already resulted in widespread uncertainty about what teaching and scholarship is and is not permissible, and created a chilling effect for some faculty members who fear professional repercussions. The news at North Texas came in an October presentation to the Faculty Senate by Clay Simmons, the university's chief integrity officer, who said his office was in turn relying on the University of North Texas system's general counsel's interpretation of Senate Bill 17. |
| Gov. Greg Abbott wants to freeze tuition at Texas colleges and universities for another two years | |
| Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday he will not support any tuition increases at Texas colleges and universities in the next two years, continuing the tuition freeze currently in place. In a letter to public colleges and universities, Abbott said he spoke to all of the university system Boards of Regents, whose members agree with his position. "The State has made historic investments in higher education, including increased funding for universities and financial aid programs," Abbott wrote in his letter. "These efforts reflect our commitment to ensuring that higher education remains accessible and affordable for all Texans. When all Texans have access to quality and affordable education, they can earn better wages, meet workforce qualifications, and experience a higher quality of life. I will ensure college affordability remains a top priority for the state as we head into the next legislative session. Last legislative session, lawmakers allocated an additional $700 million to the state budget for Texas' public universities. University leaders requested the extra funds at the start of the session and agreed to keep tuition flat for undergraduate students for the 2024-2025 budget cycle if the state provided the financial boost. |
| Local historian reminds patrons of how slavery impacted U. of Missouri | |
 | Researcher and historian Zachary Dowdle will take patrons on a journey Nov. 19 at the Columbia Public Library, which will explore the construction to the inception of University of Missouri-Columbia, reminding visitors of the notable contributions of Black people to the campus. Dating back to the 1840s, MU used enslaved labor to build some of the first buildings, which was not unusual for universities in slave states in the U.S. at that time. "It's important for people to know where they come from. I think it's important for people to have a sense of the institutions that they are a part of," Dowdle said. "For students, you are spending four years of your life in this place. What is it about? How did it come about?" Dowdle, dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at William Woods University, was previously a graduate student at MU where he did his dissertation on James Rollins, a founder of the university and slave owner. As part of the research, Dowdle looked into the role slavery had in the construction of MU. The University of Missouri was founded in 1839, securing funds as the first public university west of the Mississippi River. Missouri was also a slave state before the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865. |
| Republicans, Back in Charge of Congress, Aim to Increase Higher Ed Accountability | |
 | Republicans are primed to ratchet up their efforts to hold colleges accountable after securing a majority in the House and Senate. With President-elect Donald Trump in the White House, the table is set for the GOP to make significant progress on a higher ed wish list that includes granting federal aid to nontraditional programs, increasing taxes on wealthy colleges, cracking down on campus antisemitism and busting the current model for accreditation, experts say. Unlike Trump's first term, when the GOP also controlled the House and Senate, Congress will likely be more subservient to the president's agenda, as several key Republicans lawmakers who opposed him in the first term have left office or died. Those elected in recent years are more in line with Trump. Current Republicans, particularly those on the House Education and Workforce Committee, have been gearing up for this moment, outlining their higher ed agenda via hearings and legislation over the past two years. They want to overhaul student lending, protect free speech on campus for conservative students and faculty members, and restrict the use of diversity, equity and inclusion policies in higher ed. Dr. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, is expected to chair the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. In the House, longtime committee leader Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican, is giving up the gavel. Representatives Tim Walberg of Michigan and Burgess Owens of Utah are vying to replace her as chair of the panel. |
| Schools, colleges brace for 'a much more threatening political environment' | |
 | Educators and university leaders are on the edge of their seats as President-elect Trump makes his return to office with an aggressive posture toward K-12 and higher education. Trump has threatened multiple times to take away funding from schools if they do not align with his views on subjects such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and transgender rights. That threat has left institutions holding their breath as they try to prepare with how to deal the hostility they could face for the next four years. Trump has threatened to "tax endowments, impose budget reconciliation, and fine institutions 'up to the entire amount of their endowment' if they are perceived as having promoted 'wokeism,' [which] risks eroding academic freedom, institutional autonomy and the democratic purposes of higher education," said Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities. The federal government gives billions of dollars to colleges and universities every year, from grants to research funding to direct financial aid. The fluid situation leaves schools in a position of trying to figure out how to prepare without fully knowing what comes next. |
| Financial Aid's Foggy Future | |
| For all the political oxygen that higher education consumed during Donald Trump's four years out of office, the once and future president has yet to put forth a comprehensive policy agenda on postsecondary education for his second term -- including how he'll approach federal financial aid and programs to ease postsecondary access. He has called for the abolition of the Education Department, a move that would relegate most financial aid responsibilities to the states and strand a massive federal operation with no home. Some have suggested that the Office of Federal Student Aid and its 1,500-plus employees, responsible for enacting federal aid and student loan policy, could be rehoused in the Treasury Department. A half dozen experts who spoke with Inside Higher Ed agreed that dismantling the Education Department is an implausible outcome. What's more likely, they said, is that Trump and a Republican-dominated Congress will advance significant cuts to the Education Department's funding, and to financial aid programs in particular. The presidential transition could disrupt this cycle's FAFSA rollout, just as all eyes are on the form after a disastrous launch last year. As the Education Department turns over and leaders who've dealt with the form for the past four years hand off responsibility, some fear the friction could lead to further delays in the spring. But there's also bipartisan agreement on the department's failings last cycle, and the new administration will face immense pressure to ensure this one goes smoothly. |
| What a Trump presidency might mean for student loan forgiveness | |
 | Millions of federal student loan borrowers are facing uncertainty -- or, rather, even more uncertainty -- after last week's presidential election. President Biden will leave office with much of his student loan agenda tied up in the courts -- and Donald Trump has been actively hostile to the kind of broad-based student loan forgiveness that Biden has championed. Not only that, millions of borrowers aren't even sure what their monthly loan payments will be, as they're enrolled in a repayment plan that's in legal jeopardy, raising big questions about if or when they could see their loan costs spike. Biden's largest effort at loan forgiveness was rejected by the Supreme Court, which ruled that such a sweeping -- and costly -- forgiveness plan exceeded his legal authority. Since then, the Biden administration has floated several other student loan proposals. But that legal question, of whether the president has any power to broadly cancel student loan debt, has dogged every effort. "Most fifth-graders who are taking their first government course, they know... it's Congress who's supposed to spend the money," says Michael Brickman, an adjunct fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, AEI, who worked on higher education policy in the first Trump administration. So far, the courts have largely agreed -- with a big test yet to come. |
| Research advocates see 'no good news' in Trump's economic, immigration agenda | |
| The campaign promises that propelled Republican President-elect Donald Trump to a decisive victory last week over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, including huge tax cuts and tough anti-immigration measures, threaten collateral damage to the U.S. research enterprise, science advocates say. They foresee less money for basic research and a restricted flow of foreign scientists into the country. They also expect the new administration to ignore the scientific consensus on numerous topics, including climate change and public health. "There's no good news for science in this election," says Rice University physicist Neal Lane, former director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and science adviser to President Bill Clinton (D). "And that means no good news for U.S. high-tech industries and for the country." As a result, "We're going to be playing defense," says Bart Gordon, a former Democratic congressman who is now a lobbyist at K&L Gates. Government spending on research rose from $161 billion to $200 billion in the first 2 years of President Joe Biden's administration. But it plateaued this year after a budget agreement capped overall federal spending; nonmilitary research, about half the total, fell by 10%. Spending on civilian science could drop even further as Republicans seek cuts to offset the massive increase in the federal deficit expected to result from Trump's push for lower taxes, says Gordon, who chaired the House of Representatives science committee from 2007–10. |
| Massive corruption, bumbling stupidity, to laugh or cry? | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: It's easy to Google "Lumumba federal indictment PDF" and read the whole thing. I recommend you do it. You will be amazed. In all my years of journalism, I've never witnessed a more depressing case of political corruption. It looks like all those rumors about our top local government officials running the Jackson drug trade are true. That would certainly explain how the drug trade, the gangs and the gang warfare have gone on forever. Perhaps now we can see some progress in Jackson now that the root of the crime has been uprooted. Like many others, I was fooled by Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens. He seemed like a good guy. The indictment paints a completely different picture. ... This is the most disgusting case of corruption I have ever seen in my life. It is also the most stupid thing I have seen in my life. Here we have the DA and the mayor, plotting payoffs and money laundering, and doing it on their smartphones. ... Throughout the whole Lumumba administration I kept thinking, "How could this mayor be so incompetent? What am I missing?" The answer is now in: Our mayor is fully capable of acting with the requisite stupidity not only to leave our citizens without water and garbage collection for weeks, but to walk right into an obvious FBI trap. |
SPORTS
| Women's Basketball: Mississippi State demolishes Alabama State on Education Day | |
| Mississippi State wasted no time giving the 6,000 or so elementary school students at Humphrey Coliseum a reason to scream their lungs out Wednesday. The Bulldogs scored the game's first 13 points, holding Alabama State scoreless for more than five minutes after the opening tip, and cruised to an 83-29 victory over the Hornets on Education Day. "That first five minutes was probably the best basketball I've seen them play," MSU head coach Sam Purcell said. "I probably did them a disservice by taking all five (starters) out. It was a game that I felt comfortable we were going to win, so I was trying to give a lot of different people opportunities in an awesome atmosphere with a quick turnaround. They were dialed in, so that gives me a lot of excitement moving forward." The Bulldogs are back in action Sunday at home against Chattanooga, which defeated MSU 59-53 last December. The Mocs finished 28-5 a year ago and won the Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles to reach their second straight NCAA Tournament. Chattanooga is 2-1 this year under new head coach Deandra Schirmer, who went 30-3 last season at Division II Valdosta State. |
| Jeff Lebby: Teams already tampering with Mississippi State players | |
| The 2024 college football regular season is coming to a close at month's end, and programs are gearing up to mine the transfer portal for players. Even if that means tampering, apparently. In response to a question about tampering in the age of the transfer portal and the NIL, Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby shared on the SEC coaches teleconference that his players are already being tampered with, and recruited to leave for other programs. And as he explained it, Lebby spoke about it as if it is a reality of life in college football until something changes. "Well yeah, it's going on," Lebby said about tampering. "There're guys on football team right now that are going through that. Again, until that is managed and policed at the highest level, there's nothing that's going to stop people from doing it." Lebby left the matter at that, not naming which players other programs might be trying to poach or which teams and coaches are trying to do the poaching, allegedly, and breaking rules in the process. Lebby also didn't have a prescription for what could specifically fix this problem, but he seems keen for something to be done to curtail players on his team being recruited to transfer before the season is even over. |
| Mississippi deer population likely at record high. Hunters asked to shoot more | |
 | Mississippi's deer population may be at an all-time high and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is asking hunters to help get the population under control by harvesting more deer. "In looking at the numbers, I think we are probably looking at a record level of deer in the state," said Russ Walsh, Wildlife chief of staff. "We've had good habitat conditions. "We had a reduction in harvest. People are being more selective. All those things coupled together and you really see the population get on the increase." Deer numbers in the state are generated from data including Deer Management Assistance Program harvest records from public and private land. Figures are fed into a model which produces a population estimate. "It is showing the population is increasing," Walsh said. "We're also looking at deer harvest over time. We're not harvesting as many deer as we used to." Many hunters tend only to harvest as many deer as they can eat. So, if you harvest more than that this year, consider donating some to Hunter's Harvest. It's a program that distributes venison to families in need in Mississippi through churches and other organizations. |
| Even in death, college football fans want to be at their favorite stadiums | |
| Barbara Weitz sat at a Nebraska Board of Regents meeting over the summer, when thinking about ways to generate revenue to help mitigate recent university budget cuts, she blurted out an idea. Without much thought or research, Weitz wondered aloud whether passionate Nebraska fans would pay money to have cremated remains stored in a columbarium, a standalone structure with cubbies that house said remains. Even better, with a grass field set to be installed at Memorial Stadium in 2026, what if that columbarium was built underneath the football field as part of the renovations? Her fellow regents laughed her out of the room. Nobody liked the thought of games being played above a de facto burial ground. The idea was impractical, anyway. If the columbarium was built under the field, they would also have to construct an underground entrance for people to be able to visit, and how exactly would that work? Feeling discouraged, Weitz went about her other work. But the meeting was public, and soon a newspaper article published her idea. The idea gained enough traction that at a recent football game, someone stopped Weitz and said that if the columbarium became a reality, she would pay to have her husband's ashes housed there. Weitz got plenty of emails from Cornhusker fans to the same effect. When she blurted out her idea, Weitz did not know just how often fans spread the cremated remains of their friends and loved ones at college football venues across the country, mostly without permission. "Let's face it. Fan is short for fanatic," said Chris Gerbasi, who helped spread the remains of his good friend, John Burr, at Michigan Stadium in 2005. |
| Exclusive Q&A with Alabama AD Greg Byrne: Latest on House vs NCAA, NIL | |
 | Leadership of the Alabama football program is not the only change Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne has navigated in the past year. Byrne, who has been AD since 2017, continues to navigate a new collegiate athletics landscape with the pending settlement of the House vs. NCAA lawsuit and the introduction of revenue sharing paired with athletes being able to cash in on Name, Image and Likeness deals. Byrne spoke with the Tuscaloosa News to tackle a handful of topics ranging from the settlement and NIL to the current state of Alabama athletics. |
| Texas A&M Spent $160K on Aggies Branding for Two NASCAR Cars | |
| Texas A&M University agreed to spend $160,000 to be the primary sponsor of Stewart-Haas cars at two NASCAR races, a marketing partnership that the school called "novel" during its original announcement. The contract, a copy of which Sportico obtained via open records requests, was signed by both sides in early October. For a final cost of no more than $160,000, Stewart-Haas agreed to race twice with Texas A&M-branded liveries, plus a handful of other marketing, promotional and ticket deliverables. Chase Briscoe raced his No. 14 car with a maroon Texas A&M wrap in Las Vegas on Oct. 20, and his teammate Josh Berry drove his No. 4 car with a maroon and camouflage wrap at this past weekend's season-ending race in Phoenix. Both races were televised on NBC. Berry also wore a Texas A&M-branded firesuit. In addition to the marketing on the cars and drivers, Stewart-Haas agreed to provide the university with a handful of other benefits, according to the contract. They include a minimum of four "Texas A&M-specific" social media posts during race weekends, and a promise to tag the school's socials in all race-related posts. Texas A&M is not the first college to advertise via NASCAR cars -- Penn State, Auburn, Maryland and Virginia Tech are among the many schools who have done similar. NASCAR also has its own marketing deals with schools, including one signed in 2022 with Alabama. |
| LSU student arrested, accused of threatening Jeff Landry over live tiger in stadium | |
 | An LSU student has been arrested, accused of threating on social media to kill Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry because of his push to bring a live tiger to the sidelines of LSU's game against Alabama, according to an arrest affidavit. Jackson Pemberton, 21, posted on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, "I am going to kill you @jefflandry," tagging the governor's account, the affidavit says. Pemberton said the post was a joke, the affidavit says. When contacted by State Police investigators at his Baton Rouge apartment on Tuesday, Pemberton said he was "upset with the governor's decision regarding the live tiger that was brought on the LSU football field this previous weekend," the affidavit said. "Pemberton further stated disagreement with the governor's decision," it said. Pemberton was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish prison on a count of threatening a public official. In a statement released Wednesday, an LSU spokesperson said the university was aware of the student's arrest and of the threat made against the governor's life. |
| Vanderbilt shows off new building for basketball programs | |
| The growth on Vanderbilt's campus can't be overlooked. Through the dust and debris, a brand new building has been erected on campus. Vanderbilt's men's and women's basketball teams are getting ready to get a new three-story home. "It's incredible," Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee said. "I believe it's the best basketball facility in the country, and I know it gives Shea Ralph, Mark Byington and our student-athletes everything they need to succeed." The 90,000-square foot practice facility will feature extended basketball courts, a giant weight room, player locker rooms, film and meeting areas as well as coaches' offices. "I love the facility," Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. "It sets the right tone that we are committed to athletics and we want to have a first-class facility for them. We are playing in the toughest conference in the country and we need to have a level of investment for out student-athletes to compete at that level." The state-of-the-art space has everyone buzzing. "They are excited about it," Diermeier said. "That's what they tell us. The coaches are excited. The players are excited I think it would be a wonderful place to help us recruit the next generation of great Vanderbilt athletes so it's all coming together in a very nice way." |
| NIL provides new artillery for recruiting wars in what Ole Miss coach Kiffin says is a flawed system | |
| NIL money has added a new variable to the long-held practice of college coaches trying to flip recruits who have given verbal commitments to other schools. The NCAA rules providing college athletes the ability to earn revenue from their name, image and likeness provide new artillery for recruiting wars. When the recruiting spotlight is on a top recruit, millions of dollars are on the line. Some coaches worry about the potential abuse of NIL when recruiting high school athletes and also when trying to lure players from other schools through the transfer portal. "I mean, that's just part of, again, a truly flawed system," Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin said Wednesday. "They're not just tampering but they go and offer money and numbers. So you got young kids go, 'Wait. I can go make that much money somewhere else if I go in the portal and leave?'" Florida coach Billy Napier said NIL is "a part of an evolution of our game." "We continue to generate a lot of revenue," Napier said Wednesday. "So it is becoming business-like. This is the first job for a lot of these players in terms of their career. So I think for me, it's just, you know, we have to adapt and evolve." |
| 'Worst week of my coaching career': An unprecedented NCAA early signing period begins | |
| Walker Gantt got the call on, of all days, Halloween. Gantt, a senior at Greenbrier High in Evans, Georgia, had been verbally committed to play golf at nearby Augusta University for over five months. But now, just a couple weeks from making that decision official during the NCAA's early signing period for the Class of 2025, he was listening to Jaguars head coach Steven Paine, on the other line, break the unfortunate news: Due to looming, NCAA-mandated roster limits, Paine no longer had a spot for Gantt next fall, and Gantt was being de-committed. "It was a huge surprise," Gantt said. "Those next couple days, those were brutal for me, I'm not going to lie. I was panicking. I wanted to get a spot. I was heartbroken that I got my opportunity to play college golf taken away from me." Gantt's story, however, is not unique – not this year, not amid this unprecedented signing period. Last month, the U.S. District Court of Northern California granted preliminary approval to the pending $2.78 billion House v. NCAA settlement that, if finalized, would most notably pave the way for schools to directly compensate their student-athletes via a revenue-sharing model while also removing scholarship limitations across all Division-I sports. That's the good news, at least for players. The bad news is that the NCAA, as part of this agreement, is also planning on imposing roster limits in each sport by next fall, a decision that will see thousands of D-I playing opportunities disappear with the Class of 2025 experiencing the first crop of casualties -- players, like Gantt, who had their verbal commitments revoked in the eleventh hour. |
| With non-football early signing period upon us, we're about to see how messy college sports is going to get | |
| Months ago, Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois and her administrators created 26 different models for how the university might structure its player compensation system in the new era of revenue sharing. Twenty-six models went to 10 models, then to four models, then, finally, to one model. This week, that model is being executed. Over the last few days, the school has distributed revenue-sharing contracts to recruits ahead of the start of the early signing period on Wednesday, when all non-football prospects can sign with schools. "We met two weeks ago with each one of our head coaches," Reed-Francois told Yahoo Sports in an interview last week. "We walked them through the revenue share, scholarship models and their P&L (profit and loss). This is the gap year. This year could be bumpy, but we have a pathway forward. There is light at the end of the tunnel." In a way, college athletics this week enters the next phase of its evolution into a more professionalized entity: signing athletes not to national letters of intent but to name, image and likeness agreements that guarantee compensation directly from school to player. The agreements, such as the seven-page NIL contracts from Arizona to its prospects, are contingent on the House settlement's final approval in April and its full implementation at the start of the 2025-26 academic year on July 1. Despite the caveats, these contracts are historic in nature. They kick off what is expected to be a messy transition period. |
| NCAA Scores Win With John Thune as Senate Majority Leader | |
| The uplifting 2024 election news for the NCAA may have gotten even a little better on Wednesday, when Republicans tapped Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) to become the Senate majority leader in the next Congress. A former college basketball player at Biola University in California who hails from a state whose two Division-I programs -- South Dakota and South Dakota State -- compete in the second-tier Football Championship Subdivision, Thune has long been engaged on the issue of college sports while consistently evincing concerns about the consequences of its increasing professionalization. Thune, who will take over the GOP's reins from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), beat out Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and Texas Sen. John Cornyn. While none of the three presented a threat to the NCAA's current legislative goals -- which includes its long-held wish to receive Congressional protection from antitrust litigation -- Thune's pick to helm the conference is arguably its best-case scenario. While the NCAA became a bipartisan punching bag over its slow-footed response to state-based NIL legislation, the association has in recent years found a more sympathetic audience among Hill Republicans, as the college sports reform debate has moved beyond athletes' rights of publicity to whether they should also be given the legal protections and entitlements of employees. |
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