| Friday, November 15, 2024 |
| MSU hosts ceremony after new renovations on Sanderson Center | |
 | Fitness and Recreation on the Mississippi State campus get a welcome upgrade. The University held a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday to show off renovations to the Joe Frank Sanderson Center. The $2.5 million project includes new up-to-date fitness equipment, the conversion of former racquetball courts to an open-concept fitness space, an interactive climbing wall, and upgraded flooring and wall surfaces. In 2022, the Student Association passed a referendum to raise the student activity fee to pay for the renovations. "We have great new spaces for our students, new fitness space with all sorts of gym equipment, cardiovascular equipment, a boxing area plus a brand new bouldering cave and we have lots of exciting new opportunities for students to improve their health and well-being through these new spaces," said Regina Hyatt, MSU's Vice President for Student Affairs. This is the first major renovation to the Sanderson Center since it opened in 1998. |
| Drones follow the letter of the law in Mississippi | |
 | Seven years ago, Madison Dixon spent months gaining clearance to fly a drone at night during a NCAA-sanctioned Mississippi State football game. This year, many football fields will feature full drone light show displays on any given weekend. Drone access and ease of use are a quickly evolving aspect of drone technology and as drone tech develops, so too do drone regulations. "The point here is that the drone regulations we're dealing with are a moving target," said Dixon, associate director of MSU's Agricultural Autonomy Institute. "What they are today does not mean that's what they're going to be a month or six months or a year from now. They will change, that's guaranteed." Dixon said drone regulations will continue to change until the dust settles on drone innovation. Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture hope to be ahead of regulation changes and on the forefront of agricultural drone research. For agricultural drone pilots in Mississippi and the greater Delta region, Mississippi State has developed guidelines for the best way to become a certified drone applicator. |
| 2024 Special Olympics Egg Bowl to be held in Starkville | |
 | The Special Olympics Egg Bowl will be a rematch against Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Before the 2024 gridiron showdown in Oxford on November 29, the Bulldogs and the Rebels will face off in Starkville for the 9th Special Olympics flag football match. The game has been scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on November 18 at the MSU RecPlex near the Sawyer Tennis Courts on Stone Boulevard. Mississippi State has won the last two matches. |
| Mississippi investing $110 million in 'future economic development success' | |
| Governor Tate Reeves has announced that Mississippi is investing more than $110 million toward economic development, infrastructure upgrades, workforce development, tourism, and conservation efforts statewide. The majority of grant approvals, totaling over $97 million, will be invested into projects expected to boost the state's economy through site development, infrastructure improvements, and workforce training support. Projects include: 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. RESTORE - Mississippi Sound Estuary Program (MSEP) - Coastwide - $1,100,000 to inform the development and implementation of a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). |
| $6.6M to go towards construction of Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center in Biloxi | |
 | Governor Tate Reeves allocated $110 million toward statewide economic developments on Wednesday. $6.6 million is going toward the construction of the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center. This will be adjacent to Keesler Air Force Base and house the Mississippi Cyber Initiative Headquarters. $35 million was already given to the district to fund the center. With the funding from Governor Reeves, this puts construction on track to start next June. Mississippi Representative District 117 Biloxi Kevin Felsher says, "The Cyber Center is a collaborative effort that's going to enhance the missions of Keesler Air Force Base and our partnership with DOD. In addition to that, it's going to provide workforce training in the cyber and artificial intelligence arena. It's also going to provide office space for hopefully companies like AWS and Google and Microsoft so they can come down here." The Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center will be located on White Avenue and is projected to be completed in the summer of 2026. |
| Republican carries Oktibbeha in presidential race for first time since '04 | |
 | For the first time in 20 years, the Republican nominee for president carried Oktibbeha County in a general election. President-elect Donald Trump garnered 8,901 votes (48.8%) in the county during the Nov. 5 general election, compared to 8,851 (48.6%) for Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, according to updated tallies the circuit clerk's office posted Thursday on Facebook. Those totals include election day, absentee and counted affidavit ballots. After election day, Trump led Harris by 114 votes in the county with 920 affidavits left to process. Trump also carried the state of Mississippi and tallied 312 electoral votes to win the presidency, compared to 226 for Harris. While Brian Shoup, department head and professor of political science at Mississippi State University, believes the red shifts in Midwestern states may be a larger indictment on a Democratic Party seen as "out of touch," he doesn't think the 2024 results portend a long-term shift in Oktibbeha County -- a generally blue county in a deep red state. "College towns almost always have that definite streak toward a blue 'tinge,'" Shoup told The Dispatch. He thinks voters' views on the economy -- issues like inflation and whether they felt they were better off than four years ago -- drove the electorate to the right in this election, and that clearly had some impact in Oktibbeha. "The biggest calculus is cheap gas, cheap groceries, and a general sense of law and order," Shoup said. |
| Mississippi expects only small growth in state budget | |
| Mississippi's budget is expected to grow more slowly next year than it has the past few years, reflecting economic trends with a cooling off of state sales tax collections. Top lawmakers met Thursday and set an estimate that the state will have $7.6 billion available to spend in its general fund during the year that begins July 1. That is less than a 1% increase over the current year's $7 billion. The general fund increased about 5% a year for each of the past two years and 8% for a year before that. Mississippi's sales tax collections were "essentially flat" for the first four months of the current budget year, state economist Corey Miller told members of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. He also said collections from corporate income taxes have decreased, while collections from the individual income tax and insurance premium taxes have increased. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is pushing lawmakers to phase out the state income tax. Speaking of expected $600 million state revenue increase for next year, Reeves said officials should "return that back to the taxpayers." Republican House Speaker Jason White, who also supports phasing out the income tax, responded: "You can rest assured, there are lots of crosshairs on that $600 million." |
| Slower state revenue growth expected in Mississippi | |
| The Joint Legislative Budget Committee met Thursday in Jackson as lawmakers begin the process of planning Mississippi's next state budget. The Magnolia State's year-to-date revenue collections for the first three months of FY 2025 were $46 million above estimates, yet when factoring in the October decline in collections, Mississippi's revenues remain above estimates by $18.5 million on the year. State Economist Corey Miller told the 14-member budget committee that the state is experiencing slower revenue growth than in recent years. Comparing the first four months of the current fiscal year to the same period in the prior year, sales tax collections are flat and individual income tax revenues are up. "Despite a reduction in the income tax rate in January of this year, individual income tax revenues are up 1.6 percent through the first four month of this fiscal year compared to the same period last year," Miller said. "They were up 4 percent above the current estimate as of October or a little over $30 million." Mississippi is currently in a phase-down of the income tax to a flat 4 percent, due to the 2022 tax cut that is set to be fully implemented by 2026. The JLBC will meet again on December 11 to publicly adopt and release the FY 2026 budget recommendation. |
| Gov. Tate Reeves urges lawmakers to use unspent state revenue for tax cuts | |
| Mississippi's legislative leaders believe two things will happen when lawmakers convene for their next session in January: They will attempt to cut state taxes in some form, and they will have almost the same amount of money to spend during the next fiscal year as they do for the current fiscal year. Members of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves agreed on Thursday morning to estimate that the state government will collect about $7.6 billion in tax revenue during the next fiscal year, a slight increase in revenue collections of $26.9 million from the current fiscal year. Reeves, who is strongly urging lawmakers to pass legislation to abolish the state income tax, pointed out that $600 million in tax revenue from the current fiscal year remains unspent, and that it could be used for tax cuts. "I would encourage you for the additional $600 million that we return that back to the taxpayers," Reeves said. The income tax accounts for about 30% of state general fund revenue. The Thursday meeting is typically a pro forma part of the state's budget writing process. The more important meeting will occur in early spring when the committee will adopt a final revenue estimate to determine how much money lawmakers can spend before they pass a budget and adjourn. |
| Jackson water 'just the canary in the coal mine' in Mississippi infrastructure grades | |
 | Even if you were to take Jackson's water woes out of the equation, drinking water and waste water throughout Mississippi are still in dire need of improvement. "Jackson is really just the canary in the coal mine," said Jennifer Sloan Ziegler, chair of the 2024 Report Card for Mississippi's Infrastructure. "The failures that are happening in Jackson are not just simply happening in Jackson. They are happening across the state. So, even if we were to take Jackson out of the equation, we would probably see the same grades (across the state). Maybe a little higher, but not much." Water was just one part of the equation as the Mississippi Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers released the 2024 Report Card for Mississippi's Infrastructure Thursday in front of the state capitol in Jackson. "Mississippians have witnessed the consequences of underinvestment and deferred maintenance in infrastructure systems, especially when it comes to our most valuable, life-sustaining resource, the water we all need to survive," Ziegler said. "We cannot continue to kick the proverbial can down the road, regardless whether it is water or roads or bridges." Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons said that while there needs to be improvement for roads and bridges, there needs to continue to be more investment from the Legislature. |
| Mississippi Senate study groups examine connection between childcare and the workforce | |
| Childcare access is a necessity if the state is going to increase its workforce. That's what the Mississippi Senate's Labor Force Participation and Women, Children, and Families study groups are exploring. "Unfortunately, childcare is still an issue in many parts of our state," said Sen. Nicole Boyd. Senators are hoping to gain a better understanding of possible solutions. "There's nothing more important than making sure we have a strong quality workforce," explained Scott Waller, Mississippi Economic Council President and CEO. "And if we have people who are not in it because of this issue, we need to be finding solutions." Accelerate Mississippi notes that moms often haven't been exposed to the opportunities that are available or there are barriers to jockeying for a higher-wage job. "There's a lot of opportunities in the labor force for single parents, they won't be able to access them if they have to quit their jobs to upskill," said Accelerate Mississippi Executive Director Courtney Taylor. "We don't want them to have to choose between work and school." |
| Reeves weighs in on Hyde-Smith potential appointment | |
 | Another cabinet position yet to be decided by President-elect Donald Trump is Secretary of Agriculture. Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith's name has been thrown around for the position. Governor Tate Reeves weighed in on that possibility Thursday. "Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is a great representative of the people of Mississippi," Reeves said. "She's been a strong supporter of President Trump, and she would do a fantastic job in whatever role the president might want to put her into. "I am very supportive of that and have made the people that I know in the Trump administration aware that I am a strong supporter of Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith doing whatever she wants to do. I love her as a United States Senator. If she has other aspirations, that's great." If Hyde-Smith was selected as Secretary of Agriculture, Reeves would need to appoint an interim senator in her place and then set a special election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of her term. |
| Trump's tariffs seen delivering a repeat blow to US farm exports | |
 | President-elect Donald Trump's pledge to levy hefty tariffs on imports is expected to result in retaliation that hits farmers hard, repeating events of his first term, when Washington spent tens of billions of dollars to ease the pain on the agriculture sector. Trump has proposed a blanket 10 percent to 20 percent tariff on all goods imports, a 60 percent or higher tariff on goods from China, and up to 100 percent on goods from Mexico. His tariff proposals come even as House Republicans seek to prohibit the mechanism Trump used to aid farmers in 2018 and 2019. "Why would a country not retaliate?" asked Brian Kuehl, executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, a nonprofit organization that advocates free trade. "Everybody's going to look out for their interest, and if you start hitting them with tariffs, they'll start hitting you back. That's what a trade war is." A trade war in the second Trump administration could again bring a steep drop in U.S. corn and soybean exports to China. The National Corn Growers Association and the American Soybean Association said in an October study that soybean exports could fall nearly 52 percent and corn exports about 84 percent if China responds in kind. The forecasts are against expectations for exports. Trump and lawmakers could also face a choice between watching U.S. farmers take the hit or using fiscal policy to soften the blow. Washington spent almost $30 billion to do so last time. |
| International Energy Agency predicts an oil surplus next year | |
| "Drill, baby, drill" was one of President-elect Donald Trump's mantras on the campaign trail. His promise: By expanding domestic energy production, especially oil and gas, he'd cut Americans' energy bills in half within a year. But even with an oil-friendly administration on the way, U.S. producers face a complicated market picture. On Thursday, the International Energy Agency forecast a oil supply surplus of over $1 million barrels per day next year. The basic story of oil this year is that the growth in demand for crude keeps falling short of expectations, said Mark Finley at Rice University. "And so, it looks like global oil demand is pretty sluggish," Finley said. "It's still growing, but not very aggressively." One of the main reasons is weakening demand from China. "Which is both a function of the rapid growth of electric cars, but also the overall weakness of their economy," Finley said. So, with weak demand and ample supply, you get lower prices. Brent crude right now is trading around $70 per barrel. "This creates challenges, financial challenges for the oil industry that really depends on high prices in order to make big profits," said Clark Williams-Derry, an analyst with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Lower prices mean oil companies aren't as eager to spend money to drill. |
| The last actions the Biden administration will take before Trump takes over the White House | |
| Biden administration officials are working against the clock doling out billions in grants and taking other steps to try to preserve at least some of the outgoing president's legacy before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. "Let's make every day count," President Joe Biden said in an address to the nation last week after Vice President Kamala Harris conceded defeat to Trump in the presidential race. Trump has pledged to rescind unspent funds in Biden's landmark climate and health care law and stop clean-energy development projects. "There's only one administration at a time," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters at a news conference Thursday. "That's true now, and it will also be true after January 20th. Our responsibility is to make good use of the funds that Congress has authorized for us and that we're responsible for assigning and disbursing throughout the last three years." But Trump will control more than the purse strings come January. His administration also can propose new regulations to undo some of what the Biden administration did through the rule-making process. |
| Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul to head Homeland Security Committee | |
 | Rand Paul has chosen to chair the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in the next Congress, asserting that the legislative body "must stand up once again for its constitutional role." A longtime critic of government overreach and a skeptic of certain national security measures, Paul's chairmanship is likely to bring a distinct libertarian-leaning perspective to the committee's work. One of Paul's obsessions -- investigating the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic and Dr. Anthony Fauci's response to it -- is certain to be central to the committee's work in the new year. Paul said Thursday his first committee hearing would examine reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy, a controversial measure by President-elect Donald Trump to require asylum seekers arriving at the southern border to wait in Mexico while their cases are processed by U.S. courts. Though Paul never formally endorsed Trump's reelection campaign, his policy alignment on immigration control could help the Kentucky senator get back in the president-elect's good graces. One of the first high-profile tasks Paul will steer is the confirmation hearing for Trump's nomination to head the Department of Homeland Security, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. |
| GOP senators: Gaetz nomination to head Justice in serious trouble | |
 | Republican senators are warning that former Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-Fla.) nomination to serve as President-elect Trump's attorney general is in serious trouble, even though Republicans will control 53 seats in the upper chamber next year. Gaetz will get a chance to make his case for why he should lead the Justice Department, but Republican senators warn he faces an "uphill" path to confirmation. In addition, Republican senators are supporting the call made Thursday by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) for the House Ethics Committee to release the findings of its investigation of Gaetz for alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. Two moderate Republican senators, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), have already expressed strong reservations about Gaetz's nomination to serve as attorney general. Four Republicans would need to vote against Gaetz to sink his nomination, and GOP members warn he is likely to encounter resistance from other members of their conference. "He's got an uphill climb," Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said when asked about Gaetz's nomination. |
| Lawmakers Demand Ethics Report on Gaetz, Trump's Attorney General Pick | |
 | Lawmakers in both parties on Thursday called on a congressional panel to release the results of an investigation into alleged misconduct by former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, demanding to see its report about sexual misconduct and other charges against President-elect Donald J. Trump's pick to be the attorney general. Mr. Gaetz abruptly resigned on Wednesday after Mr. Trump announced he was the pick to lead the Justice Department, shocking many members of Congress who see him as unqualified and unfit for the post. His rapid exit effectively ended the ethics panel's investigation into him two days before members had planned to vote on whether to release their long-awaited findings. Senator Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who chairs the Judiciary Committee, which would have jurisdiction over confirming an attorney general, on Thursday called on the House panel to preserve and share its conclusions. Representative Michael Guest, Republican of Mississippi and the chairman of the Ethics Committee, suggested in comments to reporters that he was not inclined to release the investigative findings now that Mr. Gaetz has resigned. "Once we lose jurisdiction, there would not be a report that would be issued," Mr. Guest said. That raised the possibility of a constitutional clash between the Senate, which is charged with vetting and confirming presidential nominees, and the House at the start of Mr. Trump's second term. |
| Trump taps RFK Jr. to run HHS, nominating vaccine skeptic for nation's top health role | |
| President-elect Trump has tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime environmental lawyer and vaccine skeptic, for the nation's top health care job, leading the Department of Health and Human Services. Trump announced the pick on the social media platform Truth Social, and said RFK Jr. will be charged with ending what he called the nation's chronic disease epidemic and reforming U.S. science and health agencies. "For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health," Trump wrote. The Senate will ultimately decide whether to confirm RFK Jr. to the role, though Trump has raised the prospect of sidestepping lawmakers. While Republicans hold a majority, many have so far withheld their opinions on his potential nomination and have said they will consider Trump's pick based on the person's qualifications for the role. Several health care advocacy groups stated that they opposed the nomination. "Nominating an anti-vaxxer like Kennedy to HHS is like putting a Flat Earther at the head of NASA," Peter G. Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said in a statement. CSPI is a consumer advocacy group that lobbies in part for better food policy. Consumer rights group Public Citizen also opposed the pick, stating that RFK Jr. "is a clear and present danger to the nation's health." |
| Hill Republicans rejoice over Burgum pick for Interior | |
 | President-elect Donald Trump has tapped North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for Interior secretary, he announced at a gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida Thursday night. "I won't tell you his name, might be something like Burgum, Burgum, ... he's gonna be announced tomorrow for a very big position," Trump said Thursday evening. "he's going to head the Department of Interior, and he's gonna be fantastic. Good Doug." A two-term governor of a Western oil-rich state with five tribal nations, Burgum is already receiving a warm reception from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who for four years have slammed President Joe Biden's energy policies. Democrats will be unhappy with his promises to ramp up fossil fuel production but could be less critical of him because of his experience. Republicans who sit on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee were quick to praise the nomination. Current ranking member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said of Burgum: "He recognizes how important our federal lands are for energy and mineral production, grazing and recreation. As North Dakota's governor, he's shown he can balance environmental stewardship with record energy development." If he's confirmed, Burgum, a businessman who became North Dakota governor in 2016 and had a short-lived campaign for the presidency in 2024, will control the country's public lands and wildlife conservation and have broad authority over oil and gas drilling leases. |
| The New Driving Force of Identity Politics Is Class, Not Race | |
 | New fault lines are emerging in American society based more on class than race. The shift helped deliver the White House to Donald Trump and could continue to alter the political landscape if more Americans identify themselves less in the context of race and gender and more as belonging to a certain economic class. "Race is not an issue for me," said Aaron Waters, a Black unionized construction worker in Chicago who voted for Trump after voting for President Biden and Barack Obama in past elections. "It's about what you can do for each and every one of us as a whole, as a U.S. citizen." Trump made gains with most demographic groups in this month's election. But one of the biggest swings was among voters of all races who don't have a four-year college degree. He won them by 13 percentage points this time versus 4 percentage points in 2020 -- a huge change in a group that accounted for more than half of the electorate. College-educated voters of all races also swung to Trump, but to a much smaller degree. Black and to a greater extent Latino Americans, meanwhile, ceded some of their longtime allegiance to Democrats. Trump gained with nonwhite voters of all education levels, but he made bigger gains with those who don't have degrees than with those who do. "This is the shock of the early 21st century," said Todd Shaw, associate professor of political science and African-American studies at the University of South Carolina. Shaw said for many minority voters, economic anxiety often outweighs other political considerations, especially in the wake of a global pandemic that hit many working-class voters hard. |
| Trump won more young voters, but many don't agree with him on issues: AP VoteCast | |
| Americans ages 18 to 29 swung toward President-elect Donald Trump in this year's election, but they came to his coalition with sharply different views and interests than older conservatives or most top Republican leaders. Trump won nearly half of voters in the age group, compared with about one-third in 2020, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. That means that although the youngest voters made up a relatively small share, about 15%, of his coalition, he was nearly as strong among this group as Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate. VoteCast found that Trump's younger voters were more motivated by the economy than by immigration, were broadly concerned about climate change, and wanted more government involvement in health care and canceling student loan debt. That could inform the course Trump sets for his second term and how Republicans looking ahead to the 2026 midterm election and the 2028 presidential race respond. The GOP traditionally has opposed broad action on climate change, health care or student loans. Trump, meanwhile, has promised to stage the largest deportation operation in U.S. history and impose sweeping tariffs, actions that mainstream economists warn could drive up prices and cost jobs. |
| 'Historic' drop in U.S. overdose deaths accelerates as fentanyl crisis eases | |
 | Street drug deaths in the U.S. are dropping at the fastest rate ever seen, according to a new report issued on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preliminary data shows roughly 97,000 fatal overdoses over a 12-month period. That's down roughly 14.5% from a year earlier. Public health officials say the drop translates into more than 16,000 lives saved and marks the lowest level of drug deaths in nearly four years. "The latest data show that our efforts are working," said Dr. Rahul Gupta, head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Every life saved means one less grieving family and community." In September, addiction experts around the U.S. began to report a sudden and apparently precipitous decline in fatal overdoses. Prior to 2023, drug deaths had spiraled upward, climbing at times by more than 30% per year. Deaths peaked at more than 111,000 in 2022, then declined slightly last year. Experts are now racing to understand why the trend shifted so rapidly. Some credit better addiction healthcare and the widespread use of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone. Researchers also point to less potent fentanyl being sold on the streets in some U.S. communities. High death rates in recent years may also mean fewer vulnerable people living with addiction. |
| MUW Career Services hosts Lunch and Learn event for students | |
| Mississippi University for Women is working to make connections from the classroom to the career field. The Career Services and Professional Development Center hosts a "Lunch and Learn" event with the College of Businesses and Professional Studies. Community leaders and staff could make connections with companies looking to hire "W" graduates or interns. Businesses also talked about trends they are seeing in the workforce and their needs. |
| Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine will close following settlement with UMMC in federal trade secrets lawsuit | |
| A settlement in a federal trade secrets case will force a Madison health care center that treats children with complex medical conditions to close by the end of the year and prohibit its founding doctor and CEO from practicing medicine in Mississippi ever again. The Oct. 18 agreement concludes a seven-year legal battle between the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine that began after pediatric hematologist Dr. Spencer Sullivan, the former director of UMMC's Children's Hemophilia Treatment Center, struck out to form the private, for-profit medical organization in 2016. Three doctors who practiced at the Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine will form a new private practice in Flowood next year, according to business filings and the clinic's website. The center served over 9,500 patients from every Mississippi county in 2022 and employed over 100 staff members during the 2023 fiscal year, according to a recent court filing. The clinic provides subspecialty medical care, including hematology, pediatric cardiology and pediatric rheumatology, and operates a clinical pharmacy and pediatric urgent care. |
| Jackson State University Voting Initiative Boosts On-Campus Student Participation at the Ballot Box | |
| Hundreds of students gathered inside the Jackson State University Student Union where a long line wrapped around the room leading to a table with Rotel dip, popcorn and party foods on Tuesday, Nov. 5. More students sat at round tables facing a giant screen tuned to CNN. An excited hum filled the air when the DJ paused the music for the host to speak. "It's still early," comedian Rita Brent told the students. "Get some chicken. We have time." Laughter erupted from the crowd before the DJ turned the music back on. "I think everybody's excited," First Lady LaToya Redd Thompson, who led efforts to increase voter participation at JSU this year, told the Mississippi Free Press during the watch party. "We started this morning with dorm storms, where several organizations came together and we went through the dorms. ... The excitement built with the Stroll to the Polls, and I think as the night goes on and the election results start coming in, hopefully, the excitement will continue to build." The day's events reflected First Lady Thompson's efforts to engage the student body in this year's election cycle. The practicing attorney and wife of the university president, Marcus Thompson, launched the JSU Rocks the Vote initiative earlier this year. Thompson partnered with campus organizations such as JSU Votes, the JSU Chapter of the NAACP and Students Demand Action to host several events leading up to the election. As part of JSU's Leadership and Legacy Speaker Series, it hosted a panel that discussed the importance of voting. |
| Auburn University researchers test novel Alzheimer's preventive | |
| New research from Auburn University shows promising results for a drug that may prevent Alzheimer's disease, after trials have slowed and reversed cognitive decline in mice. This comes during November, Alzheimer's Awareness Month, bringing hope for the millions affected by Alzheimer's. The demand for Alzheimer's preventatives is high, and Auburn University researchers Dr. Miranda Reed and Dr. Michael Grimlich have discovered a potential solution in a novel drug named troriluzole by studying mice models. As a Drug Discovery and Development professor in the Harrison College of Pharmacy and Director for the Center for Neuroscience Initiative, Reed studies "how learning and memory can go awry." With previous experience working with mouse models, Reed focuses on the mice's behavioral symptoms. Her research partner Grimlich, assistant biophysics professor, focuses on the mice's brains at the molecular level. Outside of his work with Reed, Grimlich works with comparative anatomy professor Dr. Wendy Hood on mitochondrial research and the College of Nursing on muscular research. Reed and Grimlich began their work on Alzheimer's preventives when Auburn University hired Grimlich in 2018. |
| LSU researchers develop handheld device to detect cancer cells during surgery | |
 | LSU researchers have invented a handheld device that can tell surgeons where cancerous cells end and healthy tissue begins. The device reduces the chances of tumors growing back and could save over a million people's lives per year, according to researchers at LSU. "This is a game changer for oncology surgery. Physicians can see the line between cancerous and healthy tissue in real time and base their surgical decisions on that data," said Jian Xu, who has a doctorate in electrical engineering and is an associate professor at LSU. SafeMargin is the invention of Xu; Jian Zhang, LSU computer science associate professor; and Michael Dunham and Andrew McWhorter, professors of otolaryngology at LSU Health New Orleans. Every year, around 9 million people worldwide undergo cancer surgery. A number of studies, including a 2019 paper published in the World Journal of Clinical Cases, show clean margins could increase overall survival rates by roughly 15%. "We expect SafeMargin to save 1.4 million lives annually if the device is used routinely during surgery," Xu said. |
| State Board of Regents approves awarding of medical degrees at UGA School of Medicine | |
 | The University System of Georgia Board of Regents on Tuesday approved a measure to allow the University of Georgia School of Medicine to grant a Doctor of Medicine degree, according to a release from UGA. The UGA School of Medicine was established in February and is located on the medical campus off Prince Avenue. "This is a historic day for both the School of Medicine and our state," Medical School Dean Shelley Nuss said in a statement released by UGA on Thursday. Nuss is the first dean for the medical school at UGA. She was appointed early this year after serving as dean of the Augusta University/UGA Medical Partnership. UGA will now be required to submit an application for accreditation to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education by Dec. 1, according to UGA. The Board of Regents' decision was also praised by UGA President Jere W. Morehead. "I recognize all the hard work that our faculty, staff and so many others have contributed to get us to his point, and I am excited for us to continue making progress on this vitally important endeavor," Morehead said in his statement. |
| Georgia public universities and colleges see enrollment rise by 6% | |
| All 26 of Georgia's public universities and colleges added students this fall in the strongest enrollment surge in years. Enrollment rose 6% statewide from fall 2023. That increase of nearly 20,000 students set a new record of nearly 365,000, surpassing last year's previous high of 344,000. During a Tuesday meeting in Atlanta, University System of Georgia officials told regents they believed the system had benefitted from the Georgia Match program that sends letters to high school seniors urging them to apply for admission. Also continuing to power the surge were the online master's degree programs offered by Georgia Tech. The Atlanta university saw enrollment grow by another 11% and is now Georgia's largest university, with more than 53,000 students. The University System of Georgia again saw its growth outstrip students nationwide. The National Student Clearinghouse reported last month that student enrollment nationwide grew by 3%. Growth continues to be unbalanced, with the system's largest schools generally growing faster than its smaller institutions. But the smaller schools have returned to growth after bleeding students during the pandemic. Enrollment is especially important at the smaller schools because the system distributes much of the money that lawmakers appropriate based on enrollment and smaller schools typically don't have big private donors or research contracts to cushion them. Thus, enrollment declines can lead to budget cuts. |
| Participant in University of Florida-China smuggling plot sentenced; more likely to be charged | |
 | A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a confessed participant to five years of probation in a plot that diverted millions of dollars' worth of biomedical drugs, toxins and research supplies from the University of Florida to China over seven years. During the courtroom hearing, the prosecutor in the case said others may face federal criminal charges, including a person identified in court filings only as a UF research employee who worked in the stockroom of one of the university's research labs. The prosecutor said someone overseas might also be charged. U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber sentenced Jonathan Rok Thyng, 48, to probation and 100 hours of community service. Thyng pleaded guilty in the case to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July. He faced up to five years in federal prison. Prosecutors recommended leniency for Thyng because he promised to cooperate with investigators. Prosecutors said the smuggling network, which was active from July 2016 until May 2023, was strictly financial. The plot had no implications on national security, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Marcet said. In the plot, the UF research employee and students ordered drugs and toxins from a major pharmaceutical company known as MilliporeSigma, according to court records. Conspirators used their UF affiliation to order small amounts of highly purified research chemicals. Then, court records showed, they were secretly shipped from UF to China, often disguised as "diluting agents." |
| Department of Energy leader speaks on AI, renewable energy at U. of Missouri | |
 | Faculty, students and community members packed into Monsanto Auditorium in the Bond Life Sciences Center to hear Harriet Kung, who works in the U.S. Department of Energy, speak about the challenges of energy transition, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Kung, who is the deputy director for science programs in the Office of Science at the DOE, spoke to the crowd Thursday morning as part of University of Missouri Chancellor Mun Choi's Distinguished Lecture Series. "This is not a simple challenge, and we're sitting at a very important time in human history to be able to advance our knowledge and hopefully the energy technologies that go with it," Kung said. Kung discussed the necessity of collaboration between the DOE and institutions like MU. "From a research point of view, we want to deepen our partnership with Mizzou," Kung said. "It requires Mizzou learning more about our offices, programs and opportunities, but also for our program staff to get better in touch with the talent here on site." When asked about what the reelection of President-elect Donald Trump means for the DOE, Kung said that the mission of the Office of Science is to continue to invest in the research of renewable energies that still have "seismic technology gaps." "For (the Office of Science), the answer is a simpler one, but for the whole department, we'll wait for President Trump to come and set the policy for the new administration," Kung said. |
| 'This is a good fit': Inside enrollment gains at historically Black colleges | |
 | When Anthony Davis became president of Livingstone College in October 2022, the historically Black school in Salisbury, North Carolina, had a freshman class of 220 students. Back then, it was common for only half of Livingstone's freshmen to return the next academic year. Davis planned to disrupt that trend. By connecting students with academic support centers and engaging them before they could consider leaving, the new president and his team raised the retention rate at the private HBCU from 50 percent to 78 percent. The freshman head count climbed the following year as Livingstone expanded its recruitment, and it soared to 441 this fall -- at a time when fewer high school graduates are heading to college. "Our strategy is working," Davis said. "We've been looking at how we recruit and retain students, being very intentional and we've seen great results." Enrollment at historically Black colleges and universities is recovering from the pandemic at a faster rate than much of the rest of higher education. Some HBCUs have reported as much as a 30 percent growth in this year's freshman class compared with prior years. The end of race-conscious admissions, record philanthropic gifts and the rise of HBCU graduate Vice President Kamala Harris has placed an enduring spotlight on the sector. |
| Education Department: Next FAFSA working well, may be widely available in 'coming days' | |
 | The next version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is working well and could be made widely available online to students "in the coming days," officials from the U.S. Department of Education said Thursday. The new timeline for its release, which is slightly earlier than the agency projected, means families itching to fill out the form, which applies to the 2025-26 school year, will be able to access it sooner. After several delays and glitches during the last enrollment cycle, federal officials amped up their efforts to fix the FAFSA, which students nationwide must complete to get federal help paying for college. To avoid another crisis, the Education Department has been slowly rolling out the newest iteration of the application, which gets refreshed before each school year. Since the beginning of October, more than 14,000 FAFSA forms have successfully been submitted, according to the agency. During the test run, the department focused on working with certain colleges and smaller groups of students, including applicants from mixed-status families and without permanent homes. On a call with reporters Thursday, Jeremy Singer, an executive from the College Board whom the Education Department recruited to help improve the FAFSA, said the agency's "systems have been fully tested and they are ready to go." |
| Trump Defense Secretary Pick Is a For-Profit College Advocate | |
 | ete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary, has been a vocal advocate for for-profit colleges, pushing back on regulations on the sector. Hegseth emerged as a strong supporter of for-profit colleges during the first Trump administration. Speaking at a Career Education Colleges and Universities event in 2019, Hegseth promised the lobbying group that he would push Trump to fight legislation to close a loophole in the 90-10 rule, which says that no more than 90 percent of a for-profit institution's revenue can come from federal aid. The loophole, which was closed in 2022, held that veterans' benefits -- including GI Bill stipends -- didn't count as federal aid, allowing for-profit colleges to enroll more students using federal loans, ProPublica reported. "The fact that profit is made only makes these schools better," Hegseth said in a 2019 speech. While it is unclear what Hegseth's support for the sector would mean if he is confirmed to the DOD role, many in the for-profit college world expect a second Trump administration to roll back Biden-era policies that targeted proprietary institutions, likely ushering in a less stringent regulatory environment. |
| Cassidy to Chair Senate HELP Committee, Expected to Prioritize Education | |
| Dr. Bill Cassidy will now officially lead the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee next year as the Republicans take control of the upper chamber following the election, the Louisiana Republican announced Thursday. The widely expected promotion for the committee's current ranking member was largely a formality and comes after the senior Republican on the panel, Kentucky senator Rand Paul, decided to chair the Homeland Security Committee. Cassidy took over as the ranking Republican on the HELP committee in 2023. Higher education has received little attention from current chair Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent, in the past two years. But Cassidy's record shows legislation concerning colleges and universities could likely be a priority for him. The senator has questioned the use of federal funding for campus diversity, equity and inclusion programs; been sharply critical of how colleges responded to protests over the Israel-Hamas war; and blasted President Biden's handling of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid as well as his attempts at student loan forgiveness. Most notably, Cassidy is a lead sponsor of the College Transparency Act -- legislation that would produce new data on program-level college student outcomes like graduate earnings and loan repayment. |
| Trump wants to end 'wokeness' in education. He has vowed to use federal money as leverage | |
| Donald Trump's vision for education revolves around a single goal: to rid America's schools of perceived " wokeness " and "left-wing indoctrination." The president-elect wants to keep transgender athletes out of girls' sports. He wants to forbid classroom lessons on gender identity and structural racism. He wants to abolish diversity and inclusion offices. Throughout his campaign, the Republican depicted schools as a political battleground to be won back from the left. Now that he's won the White House, he plans to use federal money as leverage to advance his vision of education across the nation. Trump's education plan pledges to cut funding for schools that defy him on a multitude of issues. Trump's opponents say his vision of America's schools is warped by politics -- that the type of liberal indoctrination he rails against is a fiction. They say his proposals will undermine public education and hurt the students who need schools' services the most. Colleges rely more heavily on federal money, especially the grants and loans the government gives students to pay for tuition. Trump's strongest tool to put schools' money on the line is his authority to enforce civil rights -- the Education Department has the power to cut federal funding to schools and colleges that fail to follow civil rights laws. |
| Trump Likely to End Title IX Trans Protections | |
| Just three months before the presidential election, President Biden's overhaul of the gender equity law known as Title IX went into effect, expanding protections for transgender students and changing how colleges respond to reports of sexual misconduct. But those changes, which are already on hold in 26 states, are likely on the chopping block once President-elect Donald Trump takes office early next year. Experts predict the president-elect's administration won't wait long before beginning the lengthy process of altering the Title IX regulations once again. It's likely that this administration's rule will mirror the regulations adopted during Trump's first term -- but some speculate this iteration will be even more conservative, especially where it comes to LGBTQ+ students, than the 2020 rule. Title IX didn't specifically come up much on the campaign trail, though Trump and many of his allies did attack transgender people -- and Vice President Kamala Harris's support for the LGBTQ+ community -- numerous times. Trump vowed, in his Madison Square Garden rally days before the election, to get "transgender insanity the hell out of our schools" and prevent people assigned male at birth from playing on women's sports teams. |
| National Sorority Leadership: Get your politics out of our sisterhood | |
| Mississippi Advocacy Group President/CEO Lesley A. Davis writes for the Magnolia Tribune: A recent article, "Sorry, Harvard. Everyone Wants to Go to College in the South Now," noted that the number of Northerners heading South for college increased 84% over the past 20 years. What has prompted that change? Students were searching for fun and school spirit and not, in one student's words, "a super political environment." The article also pointed to vibrant fraternity and sorority systems, like those often found in Southern states, as a draw for northern students. Unfortunately, the leadership of many national sororities have fallen prey to the same woke mind virus that is causing so many college students to head south. ... Many sororities' national organizations are chasing the latest radical political cause of the moment---while fraternities, in contrast, focus on brotherhood and building community. According to recent surveys, active sorority members think that their sorority should stay out of politics. And yet, sororities' national leadership seems consumed with making left-wing "position statements" regarding issues from trans rights to abortion. |
| Our View: Resources for city voters and potential candidates | |
| The Dispatch editorializes: It has long been our belief that the greatest public service a citizen can perform is to run for office in local elections. Every election year, we encourage citizens to make themselves available to serve. There is no shortage of competent, community-minded citizens in our communities, the kind of people we need to move our communities forward. Qualifying for 2025 municipal elections in the Golden Triangle begins on Jan. 1. We renew our call on citizens to run for these offices. It is a decision that should be carefully deliberated. The best candidates have a broad view of the issues and a commitment to being well-informed and capable of making these decisions. But knowing the issues is just one part of the process. For those who have never served in local government, the processes, demands and regulations that form the basic framework of local government can be confusing. That is why we commend the Mississippi State University Extension Service's Center for Government and Community Development for developing a series of seminars designed especially for candidates who have never served in local government. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State signs three recruits for class of 2025, again lands top in-state prospect | |
| Every year Chris Jans has been Mississippi State's head coach, the Bulldogs have landed the top recruit from the Magnolia State. That continued Wednesday when Jamarion Davis-Fleming, a 6-foot, 9-inch center from Canton and a consensus four-star recruit, signed to play for MSU over offers from Alabama and LSU. The Bulldogs also inked two four-star prospects from Texas in shooting guard King Grace and small forward Cameren Paul. Davis-Fleming is the younger brother of Javian Davis, who started his college career at Alabama and then spent the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons at MSU before playing his final year at UAB. "I feel really good about the young men and their families who have joined our basketball family," Jans said. "Our recruiting has gotten better and better since we've arrived. Certainly success has something to do with that, but at the same time, they're getting familiar with us." ... MSU (3-0) leaves Humphrey Coliseum for the first time this year Sunday to battle Utah (3-0) at the Landers Center in Southaven. It will be the Bulldogs' first game in Southaven since a 104-67 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 15, 2001. The Utes have rolled over Alcorn State, Central Arkansas and Queens to start the season, putting up 100, 98 and 96 points, respectively. "Early impressions are very impressive," Jans said. "They're playing great. They've had no adversity at all. They've breezed through their first three games and done it with some flair. They're breaking all kinds of records for their program for 3-point shooting. We thought we've had some big nights coming out of the gate, and it pales in comparison to what they've done." |
| Women's Golf: Julia Lopez Ramirez to Join Professional Ranks | |
| Julia Lopez Ramirez, the back-to-back SEC Individual Champion, will be turning professional to compete in the final round of the LPGA Q-Series. Over the span of her career in the Maroon and White, Lopez Ramirez has rewritten the record books at Mississippi State. She finishes her collegiate career with a scoring average of 70.63 in 105 total rounds, the lowest career scoring average in program history. She also set program records for the most career par or better rounds (71) and career round in the 60s (41). The Spaniard holds multiple single season records as well. She finished the 2023 and 2024 seasons with 70.10 and 70.33 scoring averages, which rank first and second in program history. Her freshman year season average of 71.30 ranks fourth among all single season averages and second among all freshman scoring averages. Lopez Ramirez became the first Bulldog to be named SEC Golfer of the Year, after earning the honor in back-to-back seasons after winning the individual title in 2023 and 2024. She was just the fourth golfer in the history of the conference to win the SEC Individual Championship in back-to-back seasons. |
| Greg Sankey makes firm statement when evaluating state of officiating in SEC | |
| Greg Sankey strives for the SEC to be the best conference in every aspect, including officiating. During an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show on Thursday, the SEC commissioner made a bold statement about SEC football's officiating. "It's above any other conference by comparison," Sankey said. "In fact, when we visit with our coaches and they go through some other circumstances, they come back effusive with praise. We've done research, we've taken surveys, we've sought feedback from within our campuses about our officiating program -- that doesn't mean everyone agrees with every call. Remember, a football game has 22 players on the field and eight officials. So by number, they are outnumbered. They have an incredible number of responsibilities, and I mean that. Responsibilities to fulfill in a short period of time. They do that very well." SEC officials have earned their pay lately. In the past few weeks, multiple SEC fanbases have thrown trash on the field when they disagreed with a call, forcing the game to be stopped. It's an ugly new trend that referees are being forced to adapt to. The SEC issues fines for this behavior and personal punishments for any individual caught participating. However, Sankey believes fans shouldn't behave that way simply due to common courtesy. |
| Greg Sankey expects CFP to treat 'iconic' SEC Championship Game 'as a reward,' not a penalty | |
| As things stand now, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is happy with how things are playing out. happy with how the College Football Playoff committee is treating his teams, happy that people are talking about SEC tiebreakers and happy that, in his view, it validates the importance of the SEC Championship Game. There has been concern that Playoff expansion will lessen the importance of conference championship games and severely hurt the teams that lose them. As this year's SEC game approaches, Sankey remains optimistic that won't be the case. Speaking Wednesday night on the SEC Network, Sankey pointed to past years when the loser of the SEC championship still made the four-team Playoff, such as when Georgia made it in 2021, albeit falling from the first seed to the third seed. "I would expect that the (selection) committee continues that form of thinking, that these championship games, that 13th data point, is more of a reward and a recognition for the work done," Sankey said. He reiterated that the championship game -- which makes the SEC a lot of money in attendance and TV ratings -- remains important. "The championship game itself is iconic," Sankey said. "I think it can remain iconic even in this changed environment because that SEC championship still has meaning, particularly for teams that uniquely are in the hunt right now. " |
| Hearing set in Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia's lawsuit against NCAA | |
| Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia picked up a win Thursday in his lawsuit against the NCAA. During a conference call with Pavia's attorneys and the NCAA, Judge William Campbell set a court date to hear Pavia's preliminary injunction on Dec. 4 at 1:30 p.m. CT in Nashville. The NCAA will have until Nov. 22 to respond to Pavia's motion for a preliminary injunction. In a lawsuit filed last week against the NCAA, the Vanderbilt quarterback argued that the governing body's redshirt rule involving junior college eligibility violates antitrust law. The complaint also argued that the NCAA's rules have forced athletes to miss out on NIL dollars. Earlier this week, Campbell denied Pavia's motion for a temporary restraining order in the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee. But the quarterback will now have his court date in under a month for his preliminary injunction, which if granted, would allow Pavia to return for the 2025-26 season. |
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