| Tuesday, December 3, 2024 |
| Education: College of Veterinary Medicine at MSU expands clinical facilities, establishes Center for Rural Veterinary Practice | |
 | Mississippi State's College of Veterinary Medicine is expanding clinical facilities to keep the Magnolia State at the forefront of excellence in animal care, as it also establishes the Center for Rural Veterinary Practice to address the shortage of veterinary services in Mississippi and throughout rural America. The university's existing teaching hospitals were built in the 1970s, and MSU President Mark E. Keenum said updated facilities with state-of-the-art features will ensure CVM delivers world-class veterinary teaching and service for decades into the future. "Mississippi State is well known for meeting needs and providing solutions, and the College of Veterinary Medicine is a perfect example of how we are fulfilling our mission to serve the entire state of Mississippi. Our CVM faculty, staff and students provide vital care for our beloved pets. They also play essential roles in Mississippi's highly successful agriculture economy by supporting large animal producers, our rural communities and industry," Keenum said. "We are addressing real needs in our state and nation with an enhanced focus on rural veterinary practice. Our CVM students get an exceptional education, and we also want to support them with ongoing professional development and business management training as they move forward in their veterinary careers," he said. "We are grateful for the Legislature's investments in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the work we are doing to meet these critical statewide needs." |
| Break down the farm budget for 2025 | |
 | "Is this crop making money or losing money?" One question rests at the root of all farm-level financial decisions. And yet, answering the complexities of that single question, year after year, will challenge most farm operators over a lifetime. As farms close out a 'good riddance' year of high inputs, mode of action challenges, weather obstacles and low prices, there's a lot to look back on the inform decisions for the coming season. "What a hard year teaches you is how resilient your business is and how you're able to adapt to changes," said Brian Mills, Mississippi State University ag economist. "It also teaches farmers the importance of making sure they have all of their financial information and an understanding of where there might be trouble areas and how they can improve." Unfortunately, a bad year, Mills said, is the kind that teaches the most lessons. For farms looking to make effective changes to their bottom line without cutting necessary costs or quality, there are five strategies to carry over into the new year. |
| MSU receives $1.2M grant to promote AI competency among high school students | |
 | The work of a Mississippi State interdisciplinary research team to increase AI competency among area high school students will receive a boost from a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The three-year grant project will offer innovative, hands-on machine learning experiences to high school computer science teachers and students. The program focuses on underrepresented populations in STEM and rural areas across the state. The team is led by Principal Investigator Yan Sun, associate professor in MSU's Department of Industrial Technology, Instructional Design, and Community College Leadership in the College of Education. Sun is joined by Project Coordinator Lisa Thomas from the same department and Department of Computer Science and Engineering Assistant Professors Jingdao Chen and Zhiqian Chen in the Bagley College of Engineering. "AI is driving our nation's economic development and reshaping future jobs and the workforce," Sun said. "K-12 education is facing the challenge of developing students' AI competency. Our project will utilize image classification and computer vision to provide meaningful learning contexts for both high school students and teachers' professional development." |
| LINK: $10M Candlewood Suites hotel hinges on incentives | |
| A developer is looking to build a Candlewood Suites off Highway 12 in Starkville but is asking for $1 million in tax rebates from the city and county to make it happen. While aldermen approved a notice of intent in November for the city's portion, Oktibbeha County supervisors Monday opted to take the matter "under advisement" while they look closer at the numbers. Supervisors plan to revisit the issue during a recess meeting Dec. 10, and aldermen will consider finalizing the agreement Dec. 17. That timeline should keep the developer at the table, Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins told the board of supervisors Monday. "They want to get this done by the end of the year," Higgins said. The 85-room hotel would take about $10 million to build, Higgins said. It would sit on a vacant lot between Academy Sports and Hollywood Premier Cinema. If built, it would knock a dent in what the LINK estimates is a 300-room shortage in Starkville's hotel capacity. That is most notable on Mississippi State University football game days, Higgins said, but those are far from the only days hotels are full. "I was at MSU last year, and we met with a prospect and they said they could not get rooms in Starkville and had to stay in Columbus," he told the supervisors. "... Guys, it was spring break. But that year, they had a landscape architecture convention. ... That's stuff you don't think about." Higgins said Candlewood's location seeks to capitalize on proximity to Cornerstone Park, the city's new baseball and softball complex on the west side of town that hosts tournaments through most of the year. |
| Investing in tennis courts, job skills and local businesses | |
| The easiest place to invest is your own backyard. At least, that's part of Stacey Parvin's philosophy as the executive director of Starkville Community Foundation. "Our lives are all connected, and when we can invest in our community, we all win," Parvin said to the Starkville Rotary Club Monday at Hilton Garden Inn. For roughly 20 years, Parvin said, the foundation was known as Starkville Oktibbeha Achieving Results (SOAR). But in April 2023, the nonprofit switched its name to further reflect its goal: raising funds for projects and programs throughout Oktibbeha County. One of the big projects Starkville Community Foundation contributed to in the past year, Parvin said, was resurfacing the community tennis courts at Starkville High School. The city, school district and Starkville Community Foundation each funded one-third of the renovation, which cost more than $90,000. Starkville Community Foundation also helped to fund the September relaunch of Helping Hands of Oktibbeha County, a partnership with Starkville Strong and Trinity Presbyterian Church, Parvin said. The groups raised more than $66,000 in two years to go toward restarting the program, she said. Each week, clients meet with Helping Hands volunteers to receive help with job skills and personal development, along with some financial support toward a utility bill or rent. Since the program restarted, Parvin said, volunteers have helped more than 40 families with resume development, job searches and other tools for their future successes. |
| Umble Coffee Co to host its first Christmas Bazaar in Starkville | |
 | Umble Coffee Co in Starkville is hosting its inaugural Christmas Bazaar on December 7th from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. In a small town like Starkville, small businesses have to work together to help each other out. That's why over a dozen vendors ranging from jewelry, pottery, woodworking, and arts and crafts will be selling their goods at the bazaar. The bazaar will be in the parking lot, and around the back of the coffee shop on Saturday, December 7th from 8 a.m. until noon. Dabney Edwards, the assistant manager of Umble Coffee, said cultivating a community in Starkville is her favorite part of the job. "Our motto at Umble Coffee is specialty coffee rooted in southern hospitality, and part of southern hospitality is community," Edwards said. "So we really want to cultivate a community here in our backyard and just have everybody out around the Starkville area come and enjoy the special time together." |
| Downtown Meridian Sip & Shop set for Thursday | |
 | Meridian and Lauderdale County residents will have a chance to tackle their holiday shopping while enjoying a variety of wine Thursday at Downtown Meridian's Sip & Shop event. Matt Schanrock, director of Meridian Main Street and Downtown Meridian, said this will be the second holiday Sip & Shop the organization has put on, with the first being held last December. During the event, which will run from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, participants will have an opportunity to shop at downtown businesses, take advantage of special discounts and enjoy a fun evening. Tickets to the event, which cost $20, are plastic wine glasses, Schanrock explained, and shoppers will be able to take their glasses to participating businesses to enjoy wine samples while taking advantage of a special 20% off savings. Each business will have a different wine for shoppers to sample, he said, and some may have treats of their own. "Every location has a different flavor and brand," he said. Downtown businesses taking part in the Sip & Shop event include Belle G, Crooked Letter, DC Guitar, DOSHA, Hallie Ward Interiors, I Just Have to Have It, Loeb's, Meridian Underground Music, Over The Moon, Queen City Cigar, Robin's Next, Shloop and Threefoot Blooms. |
| 8th annual ERDC Under the Lights coming this week | |
| Excitement is lighting up the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg as plans come together for the 8th annual ERDC Under Lights holiday drive-thru event. "Mark your calendars for December 5-6 from 6 until 8 p.m. when visitors will experience a celebration of community and holiday spirit," event organizers said. "Entry will be through Gate 3, located just south of the ERDC Main Gate at 3909 Halls Ferry Road." "We are thrilled for another opportunity to showcase the spirit of the season by bringing the community together," said Sara Robinson, chief of the ERDC's Protocol, Visitors and Events Office. "We are so thankful for those who participate in our event each year. We hope that this year will be even more successful than last." The route will be adorned with holiday displays, leading visitors past the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, the ERDC Headquarters Building, Environmental Laboratory, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory and the Information Technology Laboratory, among many other landmarks on the historic research station. As one of the most diverse engineering and scientific research organizations in the world, ERDC helps solve the nation's most challenging problems in civil and military engineering, geospatial sciences, water resources and environmental sciences for the Army, Department of Defense, civilian agencies and the public. |
| Land for Cinco megasite could be secure by March | |
| Lowndes County is one step closer to establishing the region's fifth megasite. Lowndes County Industrial Development Authority plans to exercise its option to purchase the property for the Cinco site by the end of the year, Golden Triangle Development LINK Chief Operating Officer Meryl Fisackerly told supervisors during a Monday meeting. Supervisors approved a resolution to reauthorize up to $30 million in general obligation bonds to go toward purchasing and developing the site. "That is a step in the right direction as far as getting that done," Board President Trip Hairston told The Dispatch after the meeting. "Moving one step closer to having the Cinco megasite done is one step closer to having more economic development here." The Golden Triangle already has four megasites that are home to Steel Dynamics, Aluminum Dynamics and Paccar in Lowndes County and Yokohama Tire in Clay County. |
| What new technology means for energy efficiency with Mississippi Amazon data centers | |
 | When it was announced earlier this year that two new Amazon Web Services hyperscale data centers in Madison County had gained approval, the worry from some was the increased power usage on the Entergy Corporation grid. Entergy Mississippi CEO Haley Fisackerly said at the time that while he cannot say exactly how much the increase in power usage for his company will be, it will be "significant." Fisackerly has said that much of the energy mix will come from green energy. But much of the work that led to the AWS announcement was made in the years before the announcement. One industry expert told the Clarion Ledger that the demand on Entergy will increase by as much as one third "when the switch is flipped on." On Monday, however, Amazon Web Services announced new components for its data centers that are designed to support AI innovation and reduce the demand on energy needs. This includes innovations in power, cooling, and hardware design -- all creating a more energy-efficient data center that will spur customer innovation. These new capabilities will be implemented globally in AWS's new data centers, including Mississippi, and many components are already being deployed in existing AWS data centers. |
| Yazoo pumps project proponents optimistic after new federal backing | |
| It's been 83 years since the federal government authorized a project to protect the south Delta area of Mississippi from flooding, though the approved pumps to reallocate floodwater in the Yazoo Backwater Area into the Mississippi River never came to fruition. Now, after decades of heated battles, proponents of the pumps project are one step closer to having their wish come true. On Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued its final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Yazoo Backwater Study Area. This comes more than five years after a major flood overwhelmed close to 500,000 acres of land, wrecking agricultural areas, destroying hundreds of homes, causing more than $800 million in damages, and adding increased risk to human health. In its latest EIS, the Corps pronounced its backing of a plan that contains a combination of structural, operational, nonstructural, environmental enhancement, and mitigation components. Perpetual flooding in the south Delta has yielded a detrimental blow to Mississippi's agriculture industry and small businesses alike. According to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture, the agriculture sector employs 17% of the state's workforce and is a nearly $9 billion industry. The Yazoo Backwater Study Area, in particular, is within the top 10% of the U.S. agriculture production for catfish, rice, corn, and soybeans. |
| Families, advocates call on changes to Mississippi Education Scholarship Account program | |
| Special needs families have the option of an education scholarship in Mississippi. However, some say it's not working as it should. Now, there's a push to make changes during the 2025 legislative session. Kimberly Robinson's autistic son MJ started out in public school but it wasn't the best fit for his needs. They've made the tough financial decision to move him to a private school. "It's very expensive because it's a school geared to helping special needs kids, and with the tuition, we have to decide between the tuition or therapies," said Robinson. However, they've been stuck on the waitlist for the state's education scholarship account for the last two years. "This is my taxpayer dollars, and I should be able to, if it's available for me to put somewhere else at a private school to help my child have a good life, a good education, then that's what I want," she described. The program has had critics from the start, saying those dollars are going to schools that don't have public oversight and are not subject to state academic standards. They still have concerns about any expansion of the program. |
| Construction Industry Braces for One-Two Punch: Tariffs and Deportations | |
 | Two decades ago, the booming suburb of McKinney on the northeastern edge of Dallas was a small town accessed by only a two-lane highway. Now, 200,000 people fill its sprawling subdivisions, with new construction everywhere. McKinney, like the country's other fastest-growing cities, is a town built by imported labor and home to an industry hooked on imported steel and lumber. That leaves the construction industry particularly vulnerable to President-elect Donald Trump's vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, and his threats to introduce new tariffs on Mexico and Canada. "We will absolutely have a labor shortage," said George Fuller, a longtime Texas developer who is also mayor of McKinney. "Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, these industries depend on immigrant labor." The McKinney mayor, who describes himself as a Reagan Republican, said he would prefer all workers to be documented and would like to see more materials produced in the U.S. But he said he thought a heavy-handed approach of deportations and tariffs would be a painful way to advance those goals. In Texas, California, New Jersey and the District of Columbia, immigrants make up more than half of construction trade workers, according to Riordan Frost, a senior research analyst at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Undocumented workers make up an estimated 13% of the construction industry -- more than twice that of the overall workforce, according to a recent estimate from Pew Research Center. |
| The Hunter Biden pardon gives Donald Trump powerful new political cover | |
 | In his sweeping pardon of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden did not just protect his son. He also handed President-elect Donald Trump a template to shield his own allies and stretch the pardon power even further. Legal experts say Trump now has fresh precedent -- and political cover -- to issue expansive pardons absolving his allies not only of specific offenses, but even any undetermined crimes they may have committed. With the singular exception of Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon, no modern American president had ever issued such a broad grant of clemency until Joe Biden's "full and unconditional" pardon of his son on Sunday night. The younger Biden is now effectively cleared of legal consequences for any federal law he might have broken over a nearly 11-year period. Those terms are so unusual -- and the process leading to it was so secretive -- that the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney, which typically advises the president on clemency issues, was taken by surprise, according to a person who was granted anonymity to disclose the details. In the final days of Trump's first term, at least one close ally -- former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) -- requested a similarly sweeping pardon, according to congressional testimony. But top White House aides made clear it was a nonstarter. Now that Joe Biden has crossed the Rubicon, legal experts and former Trump associates say it will be harder to restrain Trump next time. He now has a readymade rationale to follow suit when he returns to office. |
| House Republicans can still investigate Bidens after Hunter pardon | |
 | A pardon from President Joe Biden appears to put an end to ongoing criminal cases against his son Hunter, but Congress under full Republican control still could further investigate the younger Biden or other members of the president's family in the new year. House Republicans fixated on Hunter Biden this Congress, with allegations against the younger Biden making up key parts of the Republican impeachment inquiry against President Biden. For months, House Republicans sought to link the business dealings of the president's son with his father as part of the inquiry into alleged influence peddling from the younger Biden years before his father became president. But the inquiry never materialized enough evidence to convince House Republicans to hold a floor vote on articles of impeachment. President Biden's announcement Sunday was a bold reversal of public assurances from his administration that he would not issue a pardon for his son. In it, he said the charges against Hunter "came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election." House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, alluded to a broader investigation as he criticized the pardon, though he and other Republicans did not specifically mention continuing that work in the new year. "Democrats said there was nothing to our impeachment inquiry," Jordan posted on social media. "If that's the case, why did Joe Biden just issue Hunter Biden a pardon for the very things we were inquiring about?" |
| Trump says he'll attend Notre Dame Cathedral reopening celebration in Paris this weekend | |
| President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election. The cathedral is set to reopen Saturday after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating fire in 2019 that engulfed and nearly destroyed the soaring Paris landmark. The ceremonies being held Saturday and Sunday will be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend. Trump announced that he will be among them in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening. "It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago," he wrote. "President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!" Trump was president in 2019 when a massive fire engulfed Notre Dame, collapsing its spire and threatening to destroy one of the world's greatest architectural treasures, known for its mesmerizing stained glass. Trump watched the inferno in horror, along with the rest of the world. "So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris," he wrote on what was then named Twitter. |
| Trump Wants to Shake Up Health Care. Many Americans Don't Mind. | |
 | As a nature-loving physical therapist in Boulder, Colo., Colin O'Banion shops at farmers markets, grows organic squash in his backyard and thought he could never vote for Donald J. Trump. But during the pandemic, he said, he and his wife became social outcasts when they refused Covid-19 vaccines for themselves and their three sons. Tuning in to alternative health podcasts, he became convinced that the country's public health establishment was corrupt, and that the only antidote was the upheaval being promised by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he teamed up with Mr. Trump. "That's what brought me on board," Mr. O'Banion, 49, said, still sounding surprised that he had voted for Mr. Trump, now the president-elect. "We have a real epidemic going on with metabolic disease, diabetes, obesity. How is it possible we have so much money and the most unhealthy people?" Scientists and public health experts have expressed alarm that Mr. Trump wants to give over the country's health agencies to people like Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Mehmet Oz, who have spread misinformation about vaccines and Covid treatments and vowed to gut the government agencies that regulate food and medicines. But to people like Mr. O'Banion, rejecting norms is exactly the point. Trust in scientists and medical experts has eroded since the pandemic, and voters galvanized by Mr. Kennedy's pledge to "Make America Healthy Again" as head of the Department of Health and Human Services said that he had given voice to their frustrations with the whole system -- from vaccines and Covid rules to hospitals and health insurance. |
| 'Crunchy Moms' Found a Hero in RFK Jr. | |
| When Tess Smith was 18 and pregnant with her first child, she started weighing the pros and cons of pretty much everything: Should she use disposable diapers or cloth ones? Should she breast-feed or buy formula? Should she vaccinate her baby boy, or not? Should she use fluoride-free toothpaste? And what about seed oils? Smith, who lives near Houston, was suddenly becoming a "crunchy mom." Once reserved for granola-loving hippies, the term has been embraced by a range of women who are pursuing a more natural way of life. That could mean avoiding chemical cleaning products, cutting down on single-use plastics and opting for organic and unprocessed foods. For some, the lifestyle extends to health and medical decisions, such as protesting water fluoridation and choosing not to vaccinate their children. Many of these women, who cut across partisan lines, say they've found a champion in Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the medical skeptic who is poised to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Trust in health institutions decreased throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Some parents, frustrated by vaccine mandates and school closures, began turning to self-styled experts for guidance on how to care for their children. Kennedy has spread discredited theories about vaccines and fluoride that run counter to guidance of the agencies he may soon helm. For instance, he has said that vaccines cause autism, a theory that scientists have conclusively refuted. |
| Supreme Court to weigh key transgender care case: What's at stake for minors | |
 | The Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider states' ability to prevent transgender adolescents from using puberty blockers and hormone therapy, a major culture war flashpoint that comes to the high court after President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on ending what he called "left-wing gender insanity." How the conservative court decides the transgender rights case out of Tennessee could affect not just access to specific medical treatments across much of the country, but could also impact ongoing legal challenges to other rules targeting transgender people, such as those restricting bathroom use and sports competition. Enacted in 2022, Tennessee's law bans doctors from giving puberty blockers or hormone therapy to a minor seeking treatment for gender dysphoria, the psychological distress a person may experience when their assigned sex and gender identity don't match. Tennessee's law also prohibits surgery for transgender adolescents, but a lower court tossed out a challenge to that provision. The state says it has a "compelling interest in encouraging minors to appreciate their sex" and in prohibiting procedures "that might encourage minors to become disdainful of their sex." Since Arkansas first passed a ban in 2021, 26 states have enacted some form of limitation on gender-affirming care. |
| 'Brain rot' is Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year | |
 | Oxford's 2024 Word of the Year is more than a century old, but that doesn't mean it's not incredibly relevant in 2024. The winner, announced on Monday by the University of Oxford, was "brain rot" -- a term that describes the overconsumption of material or content to the point that it deteriorates one's mental state. (As in, how sludgy you feel after bingeing an entire Netflix show after -- or while -- doomscrolling.) According to Oxford, the word was first used in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau's book "Walden." But in 2024, the term is finding a new meaning as people are surrounded by scrolling their phones, notifications and memes. The word, according to Oxford, has seen a 230 percent increase in usage between 2023 and 2024. But who decides what is the word of the year? Many dictionary organizations have issued their pronouncements this month, and multiple have honored words originating on and popularized by social media and our changing language, experts said. "'Brain rot' speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time," said Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, in a statement. "It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology." |
| Modern Gentlemen bring festive harmonies to The W | |
| Musical group Modern Gentlemen returns for the Leslie Farrell Threadgill Lecture and Artist Series on the campus of Mississippi University for Women. The special holiday show will take place at 8 p.m. Dec. 7 in Kossen Auditorium in Poindexter Hall. "We are honored to have the Leslie Farrell Threadgill Lecture and Artist Series endowment which has brought transformative arts and educational opportunities to our campus and the community. The generosity of the Threadgill family continues to enrich lives and we are excited to welcome back the Modern Gentleman to The W to share in the joy and spirit of the holiday season," said Andrea Stevens, director of Development & Alumni Relations. The Leslie Farrell Threadgill Lecture and Artist Series Endowment, held by the Mississippi University for Women Foundation, was established in 1997 by the Threadgill family to honor Mississippi University for Women alumna Leslie Farrell Threadgill. The endowment supports programs to promote family and cultural influences, to advance the artistic and intellectual environment of the university, and to strengthen the cultural bond between the university and the public. |
| Ole Miss Business makes career trek to the Music City | |
| The University of Mississippi School of Business Administration is taking 30 students on a career trek to Nashville to meet potential employers and connect with alumni in the area. The trip will take place Feb. 19-21 and the students will have the opportunity to meet with companies such as Oracle, Nissan, Dell Technologies, Insight Global, and Frazier & Deeter. "This year, we are visiting industry-leading organizations that already executed a mutually beneficial valuable partnership with the Ole Miss School of Business," said Tyler Meisenheimer, business connect program director. "Students will receive a first-class introduction to sales, marketing, technology, and finance opportunities." In the last five years, the UM School of Business has provided students with the opportunity to travel to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and Atlanta. Over 150 students have found jobs and internships through the program. |
| U. of Southern Mississippi to hold fall graduation ceremonies | |
 | Students are readying to cross the stage for the University of Southern Mississippi's (USM) fall graduation. Southern Miss will conduct its fall 2024 commencement exercises on Thursday, Dec. 12, and Friday, Dec. 13, at the Bernard Reed Green Coliseum on the Hattiesburg campus. More than 1,250 students are candidates for degrees this semester. |
| Officials look to strengthen cybersecurity workforce in Mississippi | |
 | As technology continues to advance, experts said that pushing innovation, filling job vacancies and protective American values must happen in order to stay ahead. Harry Coker, Jr., the White House National Cyber Director, met with students and administrators at Hinds Community College in Raymond on Monday. "Cybersecurity is not an issue that any one entity can challenge and can address adequately. The federal government cannot solve it by itself. But what we saw here in the Jackson area is what's in the Ecosystem Toolkit. It's collaborating, not competing, but complementing and collaborating," he said. During the event, the Ecosystem Toolkit was unveiled. It's a collaborative effort between Hinds Community College, Tougaloo College and Jackson State University. Leaders said introducing the digital world to K-12 students can help fill the gap, as well. "Actually, I'm the only person in our delegation who voted to have internet access to every home in the state of Mississippi. And I only represent 25% of the state. But I know how valuable that is to every community," said U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). |
| 'He's cooked': Law professor offers take on Jackson bribery case | |
| Weeks after a federal indictment against three local elected leaders was unsealed, a Mississippi College School of Law professor says one of those leaders could beat the charges, while another one likely is "cooked." Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and Ward Six Councilman Aaron Banks were recently indicted for their roles in an alleged bribery scheme to bring a convention center hotel to downtown Jackson. The indictment was handed down in late October and unsealed on November 7. All three pleaded not guilty in federal court. We reached out to Law Professor Matt Steffey to discuss the case. He expects the trio to eventually accept plea deals, adding Owens likely would have the toughest time with a jury. "He's cooked. If half the stuff they say is true, he's cooked," he said. "He's not going to be acquitted. I just don't see it." According to court documents, Owens helped facilitate some $80,000 in bribe payments from out-of-state developers to city leaders in exchange for their support for a multimillion-dollar development. The developers were confidential human sources with the FBI posing as a group called "Facility Solutions Team." Steffey says the three likely won't serve that much time and suspects they are already working on plea deals behind the scenes. |
| Teens can't get off their phones. Here's what some schools are doing about it | |
 | Last October, Claire Pauley and her husband Mitchell Rutherford learned they were expecting their first child. However, Rutherford kept forgetting about his wife's pregnancy. There was something else on his mind. "I mean, when I went to school, I would forget that we were pregnant and I would come home and I wouldn't remember until my wife would say something about it," Rutherford said. "I'd come home and just collapse on the floor. I was suicidal at times." He was a high school biology teacher in Tucson, Ariz. and his students' near-constant smartphone use was taking a toll on his well-being. So when summer rolled around after his eleventh year in the classroom -- he quit. "I came to realize that the phone addiction that the students were struggling with was causing severe mental health problems for me, preventing me from being a good husband," Rutherford said. Some states are trying to legislate against pervasive phone use in schools. Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana have statewide restrictions -- and states like California, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Virginia have policies requiring districts or schools to create policies banning phones, according to findings from EducationWeek. During the 2023-2024 academic year, Rutherford says his students were significantly more disengaged. He felt like he wasn't making a difference. |
| Meet the U. of Alabama veteran who guarded two presidents on Marine One | |
 | Amanda Milam's realm of responsibility at the University of Alabama is a little bit larger in terms of the number of people she serves than it was when she was a United States Marine charged with responsibility only for the occupants of a single helicopter. When that occupant is the president of the United States and members of his family, the numbers are less important than the persons being guarded. Milam served as a guard on Marine One, the presidential helicopter, for four years, a time spanning the end of George W. Bush's presidency and part of the first term of Barack Obama's presidency. She began the assignment in January 2008 and served until February 2011. Milam, who retired in 2018 after a 20-year Marine career, works as program manager for the veterans' health clinic at the University of Alabama. Her job at UA is to ensure veterans who are students, faculty and staff can get all the medical help they need. Milam came to the University of Alabama in 2019. She helps veterans get signed up for VA health care, helps them make disability claims and makes sure they are using all their education benefits. Milam said her department works to help veterans make the transition from military life to civilian life and get into school. |
| 'Part of our region's soul': How U. of Kentucky group aims to preserve art, culture after disasters | |
 | After the 2021 tornadoes in Western Kentucky and 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky, the state's arts and humanities community began to explore ways to save pieces of culture after a disaster. The Kentucky Heritage Emergency Response Network was formally launched in September, bringing together national, state and local organizations and artists who will help restore art and cultural objects in the aftermath of a disaster. The goal: Connect artists and organizations to resources in case of a natural disaster, or other event causing damage, to quickly move into action and save art and cultural pieces that would otherwise be lost. The network received a $25,000 grant from the Performance Arts Readiness project through the Mellon Foundation. It's free for artists and organizations to become members of the network -- known as KHERN -- that adds them to the network in case of emergency situations. Leah Hamilton, the lead administrator of the response network and an assistant professor of arts administration at the University of Kentucky, said the increase in climate and weather disasters makes the creation of the network important at this time. The rescue network also offers training for individuals and cultural organizations on disaster preparedness and how to begin clean-up following a disaster, said Ruth Bryan, university archivist for UK Libraries Special Collections. |
| U. of Florida researchers working to revolutionize osteoarthritis treatments | |
 | Equipped with a cutting-edge nanoparticle imaging technology, federal funds and a quest to quash pain, researchers at the University of Florida are working to revolutionize osteoarthritis treatments. Central to the research is the Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) technology, a scanner with unparalleled precision in tracking nanoparticles in the body. With intravenously administered nanoparticles, the team uses the scanner to track how well the particles -- with potential as diagnostic and therapeutic agents -- reach inflamed joints. "Osteoarthritis is a debilitating and degenerative joint disease with no current cure or effective long-term therapy," said Blanka Sharma, an associate professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering and co-lead on the project. "Our research seeks to overcome the significant challenges in delivering therapeutics directly to the site of disease, which has hindered the success of many promising treatments." Funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health's Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, this research is a partnership between UF's biomedical and chemical engineering departments. |
| Texas A&M Innovation unveils 12 innovations to look for in coming years | |
 | Texas A&M Innovation revealed 12 innovations it believes are poised to reshape the future and transform industry during the Innovation Forward Conference at Texas A&M University last month. The list known as the "Future 12" was compiled with input from a survey of 6,000 former students holding senior leadership positions within their organizations. It was then validated through interviews with experts at Texas A&M before being handed over to industry leaders for their input. The Association of Former Students also supported the initiative. The 12 innovations are artificial intelligence (AI) for drug development; predictive analytics shaping the future of farming; AI-powered medical imaging; miniaturized quantum chips; hypersonic flight; next generation artificial hearts; solid-state batteries; swarm drone technology; environmentally friendly plastics; advanced cybersecurity for secure AI systems; modular power solutions for smart energy grids; and automating the future of manufacturing. "Future 12 as a beacon for what's possible," Pete O'Neil, A&M System's chief innovation officer, said in a statement. "These innovations highlight amazing new products and technologies that are on the brink of delivering benefits for all of us." "I am a huge fan of being part of an educational system that isn't scared of big ideas, that isn't scared of big dollar signs, in fact it embraces that," A&M President Mark A. Welsh III said. "Our university benefits greatly from that." |
| U. of Missouri researchers discover new insights into bubonic plague transmission | |
 | University of Missouri researchers discovered that the bubonic plague can sometimes be transmitted to a flea's offspring. Deborah Anderson and Brenda Beernsten, both professors in veterinarian pathobiology, assessed the likely risk of the bubonic plague being spread. Based on their research, Anderson said the plague poses a risk not only to humans but also to the ecosystem of an area. For example, black-footed ferrets, an endangered species in the U.S., rely primarily on prairie dogs for food. Prairie dog populations can be wiped out by the bubonic plague, making it harder for ferrets to survive. Anderson said scientists have observed that the plague can reemerge in the same area even after decades of dormancy. "Nowadays we have great technology to trace the history of the strains that are causing the outbreaks and they can now confirm that is the same strain," Anderson said. Their research could help explain why the same strain of the plague reappears after years of inactivity, Anderson said. |
| Report: Supporting Fraternity Members' Mental Health | |
 | Social fraternities are a traditional fixture on college campuses, and the organizations can positively impact members -- encouraging community service and offering social and career benefits -- but they can also promote heavy drinking, sexual assault and hazing. A recently published report from the Jed Foundation (JED) identifies the mental health benefits of membership for fraternity men and how some of the negative associations around fraternity life -- including alcohol and substance use and higher rates of sexual assault -- can be harmful to members and the general campus community. The report offers eight recommendations to improve the health and wellness of fraternity members, including creating access to resources, leveraging alumni connections, developing a crisis-management plan and reducing shame around help-seeking. A JED survey of college students who attend a college with sorority and fraternity organizations found students who participate in Greek organizations are more likely to see the social and well-being benefits of fraternity and sorority membership, compared to their nonmember peers. However, 66 percent of nonmembers agree that their school's social life is at least somewhat dependent on fraternity and sorority life. "Not surprisingly, the dominant association with fraternities -- and the area in which there were a variety of concerning reports -- revolves around fraternity parties and other social events," researchers wrote. |
| Amid FAFSA Crisis, Enrollment of 18-Year-Old Freshmen Fell Sharply This Fall | |
 | Enrollment of 18-year-old freshmen declined by 5 percent this fall compared with last year, according to new analysis from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC). That drop marked a reversal from last fall, when the number of incoming 18-year-olds -- a proxy for students enrolling right after high school -- increased by 3 percent. Those numbers come from an analysis commissioned by the National College Attainment Network, known as NCAN, which sought a clearer picture of enrollment outcomes for recent high-school graduates following a tumultuous admissions and financial-aid cycle. Though the full impact of the calamitous rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is difficult to pin down, the new data provide a snapshot of a sharp one-year drop-off among a crucial subgroup of students hit especially hard by the federal-aid crisis. As of mid-November, an estimated 53.8 percent of the high school class of 2024 had completed a FAFSA, down from 60.3 percent at the same point last year, according to NCAN's FAFSA Tracker. FAFSA completions among this year's graduates were down 8.7 percent compared with last year's cohort. Nationally, the number of 18-year-old freshmen declined in 46 states, with an average drop of 7.1 percent compared with fall 2023. |
| U.S. women are outpacing men in college completion, including in every major racial and ethnic group | |
| Women between the ages of 25 and 34 continue to be more likely than men in the same age group to have a bachelor's degree. The gender gap in bachelor's degree completion appears in every major racial or ethnic group, though the size of the gap varies widely. In 1995, young men and women were equally likely to hold a bachelor's degree (25% each). Since then, there has been a growing gap between men and women in college completion. Today, 47% of U.S. women ages 25 to 34 have a bachelor's degree, compared with 37% of men. The share of young women with a bachelor's degree has increased by 22 percentage points since 1995, from 25% to 47%. Over the same period, men have seen a smaller increase (12 points, from 25% to 37%). A 2021 Pew Research Center survey asked Americans without a bachelor's degree why they chose not to seek one -- and found some gender differences in the responses. For example, men without a bachelor's degree were more likely than women to say they just didn't want to get one. In turn, women without a bachelor's degree were more likely than men to say they couldn't afford a four-year degree. |
| Higher Ed Unionization Boomed Under Biden. Will That Change Under Trump? | |
| Higher education unionization surged under the Biden administration. Roughly 38 percent of graduate student workers are now unionized, as are more than a quarter of faculty, according to an August report from an organization that studies higher education labor trends. That National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions study noted that the ranks of union-represented grad workers especially grew in the past few years, increasing by 64,000 between 2021 and 2023. That was nearly triple the uptick over the previous eight years. And, according to National Labor Relations Board data released in October, the number of new undergraduate student unions representing housing and dining facility workers outpaced grad worker teaching and research assistant union formation since April 2023. But Donald Trump's election and Republicans' recapture of control of Congress could cast a pall over higher ed labor's progress -- or even undo it. After all, Trump's NLRB appointees during his first term proposed yanking student workers' right to unionize at private institutions. And the unionization push by student athletes at Dartmouth University and elsewhere could face greater headwinds during Trump's second term. |
SPORTS
| Community Profile: Kat Wallace puts 'two cheeks' into new role with MSU athletics | |
| Kat Wallace's mother coined the phrase the former Mississippi State softball player still uses as a daily guide. As a starter at Brookhaven High School, Wallace would get discouraged when things did not go her way at the plate and in the field. So her mother would tell her to lean into everything she did with "two cheeks" -- in other words, with all her effort and all her energy. "Give it both cheeks basically means don't half-do anything. Give it all you've got," Wallace said. "Once that started coming around in softball, it transferred into all areas of my life, whether that was academics and taking care of my business in the classroom. Whatever I was doing, everything, I was going to give it two cheeks." Wallace had the motto stitched onto her glove once she came to MSU, and later had the phrase trademarked, purchasing sweatshirts for her teammates and coaches. It helped her go from a community college standout to a manager and later a player for the Bulldogs, and now to her current role as an administrative operations fellow for the MSU athletic department, where she reports to Athletic Director Zac Selmon. After graduation, Wallace -- whose undergraduate degree is in mathematics -- had planned to get a job teaching math and coaching high school softball. But she had interned with the business office for the athletic department and the Bulldog Club, which opened her eyes to the prospect of remaining involved with athletics at her alma mater. |
| Mississippi State receives $3 million gift for athletics program | |
| Mississippi State Athletics received a $3 million gift from a family of long-time supporters of the university's athletics program. This significant contribution from the family who wishes to remain anonymous will support the department's State Excellence Fund, continuing the momentum of elevating the Bulldogs into the future of collegiate athletics. "Mississippi State has always held a special place in our hearts. We're excited to invest in the athletic department's mission of building the best program in the country while providing incredible resources for its student-athletes. We believe in Mississippi State and Zac's vision to move our athletics programs forward in this evolving landscape of college sports, the family said. The State Excellence Fund is dedicated to enhancing student-athlete resources and providing athletic benefits in a highly competitive environment. "We are so grateful for the outstanding generosity and investment from this family of Bulldog supporters and that they share our vision for success. This gift is another incredible step forward for Mississippi State Athletics and our student-athletes, and it is a powerful testament to our exciting future ahead," said Director of Athletics Zac Selmon. |
| College playoff bracket offers last dress rehearsal and one more chance to see where the SEC stands | |
| For the College Football Playoff, it's one last dress rehearsal. It's also one last chance to see just how much the selection committee loves the Southeastern Conference. The best gauge when the second-to-last rankings come out Tuesday night will be whether Miami, which suffered its second loss of the season over the weekend, is placed behind any or all three SEC teams with three losses -- Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina -- all of which are coming off wins. After a 42-38 loss to Syracuse that cost Miami a spot in the ACC title game, coach Mario Cristobal emphasized the nature of his team's two losses -- both by less than one touchdown -- and said "that makes us one of the better teams in the country." He wasn't the only one lobbying to make the 12-team field, which is eight teams larger than it has been. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin went to social media and emptied out the stats book, pointing out a flurry of numbers that he says favor the Rebels over the other SEC teams (without mentioning Miami at all). Not surprisingly, Shane Beamer of South Carolina and Kalen DeBoer of Alabama were pushing for their teams, too. Part of any argument on the behalf of the SEC leans on its teams simply playing tougher schedules because of the opponents in their own conference. That argument has one hole. Texas, which has only one loss and has been the highest ranked SEC team since Nov. 12, owns the 32nd toughest strength of schedule -- the worst among all 16 SEC teams (but still 22 spots higher than Miami). |
| The Billionaire, His Mystery Wife and College Football's Wildest Recruiting Saga | |
| When the University of Michigan football team's boosters announced on Nov. 21 that they had flipped the No. 1 high school quarterback in the country from Louisiana State to Ann Arbor, it sent shock waves through the sport. The on-field implications were only a part of the surprise. Just as stunning was how the Wolverines had pulled it off: with the help of a surprise donation from the world's fourth-richest man, tech billionaire Larry Ellison. The strangest part was that Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle, had no known connection to the school. But in recent days, it has emerged that Ellison does have a close, previously unknown link to Michigan after all. Out of nowhere, a statement from a Michigan booster group known as the Champions Circle singled out Ellison and Jolin, whom the group identified as his wife, as key players in the school's pursuit of Bryce Underwood, the top-rated high-school quarterback in the country. That statement appeared to reveal that Ellison, who divorced his fourth wife more than a decade ago, had remarried. Jolin, meanwhile, had almost no online presence. Now, a Wall Street Journal investigation has found that Jolin is a 33-year-old also known as Keren Zhu, according to two people familiar with the couple and several public records. And most importantly, she happens to be a Michigan alum. |
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