| Friday, February 7, 2025 |
| Career Horizons Center at MSU aids Mississippians with long COVID get and keep jobs | |
 | Following the first major waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mississippi was among the states with the highest rates of long COVID cases, a condition that has been proven to make everyday life, including holding down a job, significantly more difficult. A new center, called the Career Horizons Center, housed on the Mississippi State University campus aims to aid working Mississippians suffering from long COVID symptoms get and keep jobs. Long COVID can be a complicated condition to diagnose. According to Executive Director of the Mississippi Institute on Disabilities Kasee Stratton-Gadke, long COVID does have a diagnostic code, but physicians often use upward of 16 different diagnostic codes relating to long COVID symptoms, of which there are over 300. Long COVID is classified as an emerging disability, which means there is still a lot of research needed to fully understand the condition. What is known is long COVID can lead to job loss. The Career Horizons Center's primary role is helping Mississippians between the ages of 16 and 70 years old suffering from long COVID rejoin or remain in the workforce. Only 25 such centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration exist throughout the United States, and the new Career Horizons Center at Mississippi State University will be one of 12 housed on a university campus. |
| Mississippi State scientist makes 'hopping' discovery with 16 new grasshopper species | |
 | An assistant professor at Mississippi State University recently made a "hopping" discovery that's now "jumping" all around science circles. JoVonn Hill, director of Mississippi State's Entomological Museum and assistant professor at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, documented in a recent research article that he and his team explored thorny scrubs in U.S. and Mexican deserts. While doing so, they found 16 grasshopper species never documented before. "It's important to keep exploring our biodiversity, especially from a conservation standpoint, before we lose it," Hill said, per a news release from the university. Hill hypothesized that the new species of grasshopper likely diversified during the Pleistocene Epoch, also known as the Ice Age. He noted that in the Rocky Mountains, species of this subfamily in alpine grasslands likely became isolated as glaciers receded and their habitats shifted to higher elevations. Hill suspects the desert species his team discovered underwent a similar process of isolation and speciation. |
| A hopping treasure trove: Scientist discovers 16 new grasshopper species | |
| A Mississippi State University scientist has discovered a hopping treasure trove -- 16 new species of grasshoppers living in the thorny scrubs of U.S. and Mexican deserts. Prior to JoVonn Hill's finding, only three species of Agroecotettix were known. Hill, director of MSU's Mississippi Entomological Museum, said the careful examination of our environment remains critical. Hill, an assistant professor in MSU's Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said this grasshopper genus likely diversified during the Pleistocene Epoch, also known as the Ice Age. This project complements two others. In one, Hill and mentor Daniel Otte, a senior curator at the Academy of Natural Sciences, are coauthoring "The North American Grasshoppers, Volume III." The second project, in partnership with Lacey Knowles at the University of Michigan, examines the factors driving Melanoplinae diversity across North America and Mexico by sampling over 600 species. "I loved catching grasshoppers as a kid, and I still get to do it now -- discovering new things, uncovering their history and understanding how they're related," the MSU researcher said. "Sharing this fascinating piece of American natural heritage makes it all worthwhile." |
| Scientist discovers 16 new grasshopper species, champions desert biodiversity | |
| A Mississippi State University scientist has discovered a hopping treasure trove -- 16 new species of grasshoppers living in the thorny scrubs of U.S. and Mexican deserts. Prior to JoVonn Hill's finding, only three species of Agroecotettix were known. Hill, director of MSU's Mississippi Entomological Museum, said the careful examination of our environment remains critical. "It is important to keep exploring our biodiversity, especially from a conservation standpoint, before we lose it," Hill said. Collaborators include Vilas Brown, Brady Dunaway, Ray Fisher, Mallory Grady, Alexandra Hendon, Jennifer Seltzer, Jacqueline Seltzer-Hill, Rowan Seltzer-Hill and Matthew Thorn. Funding partners include the NSF, Texas Ecolab, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and MAFES. |
| Cicada Brood XIV to emerge this spring. Will they be singing in Mississippi? | |
 | Millions of cicadas from Brood XIV are expected to emerge this spring after spending 17 years underground. Will we hear them in Mississippi? The short answer is no, but you'll likely hear plenty of others singing this summer and even more in coming years. "We should not expect to see Brood XIV in Mississippi," said Santos Portugal, Mississippi State University assistant extension professor of urban entomology. "This is a 17-year brood and will likely occur north of our state." Mississippi doesn't have 17-year cicadas, which are classified as periodical, but it has many others. There are three broods of 13-year cicadas in the U.S. and Mississippi has all three of them. One of them is Brood XIX which made national headlines last year because its emergence coincided with Brood XIII, a 17-year brood. It was the first time the two emerged at the same time in over 200 years. Mississippi is also home to more than 20 species of annual cicadas. "Annual cicadas, also known as dog-day cicadas, are pretty ubiquitous in Mississippi and most should expect to see or hear them every year," Portugal said. "They tend to emerge later into the summer as compared to the periodical cicadas and are very different in appearance. |
| Loblolly Bakery brings king cake pop-up to Meridian | |
 | Robert St. John spent lots of time crafting what he considers to be the perfect king cake. Now, he travels all over, delivering them to eager customers across Mississippi. Thursday he held a king cake pop-up at Cater's Market in Meridian. "Well, I think everybody loves king cakes. My personal favorite is cream cheese. And everything Robert St. John does is wonderful. And when we found out he was coming to do a pop-up here, I think Meridian just got excited. I think he's bringing 150 king cakes, and I bet he sells out very quickly," said customer Abby Calhoun. And, he did indeed sell out quickly. It only took 50 minutes to clear out the van stuffed with 150 king cakes. "Robert is just such a Mississippi food institution. He's done so many restaurants. He actually had one here at one point. Everybody loves to go to Hattiesburg and eat in his restaurants. He's a foodie," said Jamie Cater, owner of Cater's Market. |
| A surge in reading may be due to social media | |
| Reading may no longer be a dying activity, and we may be able to thank social media for that. According to some people, social media would result in the end of reading or at least reading a tangible book. However, John Evans, owner of Lemuria Book Store in Jackson, says that he has seen a lot of fluctuation over the years in the number of people reading and buying books. "There was a real uptick 12, 13 years ago when there began to be a saturation of the e-reader, and all the e-books and stuff online," said Evans "And that was kind of burning out because the experience is so shallow." Now, social media, specifically platforms like TikTok, could be the reason people are picking up a book again. Bookseller Sarah Gregg with Lemuria says that trends like book hauls and book talks are especially drawing the younger generations to read. "So I think that helps a lot and I do think that social media is a big aspect for me at least," said Gregg. "I get most of my book recommendations from social media and the different kind of communities I'm a part of on that." Aidan Thomas, also a bookseller at Lemuria, says that he enjoys simply sitting in a bookstore for the atmosphere. "Just getting lost in this bookstore and just wandering around with no real, you know, direction or you know, any real kind of thought about what you want to read next or what have you," said Thomas. |
| A look at the 60th Annual Dixie National Livestock Show & Rodeo | |
| For the 60th year, one of Mississippi's most beloved events begins today. Saddle up, cowboys and cowgirls. The Dixie National Livestock Show and Rodeo is here. If you're new to the area, you may not be aware that the Dixie National is a big deal for both Jackson and the state. It's been called "The Greatest Show on Dirt," for a good reason. It's the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi River, and people come from around the country to compete. The Mississippi Coliseum arena is where some of the most exciting spectacles will be held through February 16. Spectators will see all the familiar rodeo events, including calf roping and bull riding, complete with requisite rodeo clowns. To complement the rodeo, the week will be filled with many ancillary events, from parades to trade shows to concerts. Livestock sales will take place during the week, including the much-anticipated Sale of Junior Champions. The event allows young livestock competitors to show off their skills and to vie for scholarships. Animals at the sale include pigs, sheep, cattle, and goats. At the 2024 Dixie National, youth competitors in 4-H and Future Farmers of America exhibited 2,084 animals. Of those, 53 were sold for a total of $484,010. The committee awarded 39 scholarships totaling $61,500. |
| High egg prices impacting Mississippi businesses | |
 | If you go grocery shopping, you know egg prices have gone up, and there doesn't seem to be much relief in sight. Restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and producers in Mississippi are also feeling the strain. Since December 2024, the price of a dozen Grade A eggs was well above $4.00. Eggs cost just over $2.50 at the start of 2024. Farms across the United States are dealing with bird flu outbreaks, as well as rising production and energy prices. Now, restaurants and bakeries are taking a hit. "It has dramatically increased our purchasing price whenever we buy in bulk. It went up probably $40 to $60 a case more. And so, we're just having to eat that cost because we have not increased prices at all," said Ebony Jones, manager at Campbell's Bakery. Restaurants serving breakfast have also been hit hard. Some menus are 90% egg-related dishes. "I would say when we when it was coming, coming on, we kind of looked elsewhere to make cuts with prices and things like that. So, because we need eggs, we've kind of stuck to our part before," said Mackenzie Coleman, the manager at Elvie's. |
| Mississippi farm industry leaders fear future amid potential international trade war | |
| Republican President Donald Trump's tariffs on Mexico and Canada and the consequences that would have come with them have been averted for the time being, but that does not mean the looming prospect of a global trade war with the U.S. at the center has not invoked fear in Mississippi's largest industry. Agriculture produces roughly $9 billion annually in Mississippi, making for around a fifth of the state's total economy. On a national scale, the impact farmers have hovers in the trillions with many rural areas not only in Mississippi but also in other states flooded with worries about how current and future tariffs may affect the industry. Mike McCormick is the longtime president of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, a general farm organization that often serves as the voice between the agriculture sector and Washington. He said the industry is the first in line to suffer from the brunt of any tense trade negotiations happening between the U.S. and its critical trading partners. While McCormick remains vigilant when it comes to tariffs, he believes a more pressing issue may be stateside. According to him, a crisis has ensued with farmers not only being at the "mercy of the market" but lenders increasingly turning down farmers or tightening lending criteria. Both Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith have promised to do what they can on their respective levels of government to help the industry. |
| Gutting USAID threatens billions of dollars for U.S. farms, businesses | |
 | The Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, which officials have said is intended to rein in wasteful spending, has left American workers in limbo and threatens billions of dollars the agency spends on American businesses and organizations, global development experts and industry representatives told The Washington Post. USAID oversees projects such as food aid, disaster relief and health programs in over 100 countries with a staff of more than 10,000 and a budget of around $40 billion. Billions of those dollars flowed back into the American economy until President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on foreign-aid spending last month. Now U.S. businesses that sold goods and services to USAID are in limbo. That includes American farms, which supply about 41 percent of the food aid that the agency, working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sends around the world each year, according to a 2021 report by the Congressional Research Service. In 2020, the U.S. government bought $2.1 billion in food aid from American farmers. Besides farmers, researchers whose work is funded by USAID have been furloughed. Representatives of major farm industry groups said they hoped American food aid programs would continue. "USAID plays a critical role in reducing hunger around the world while sourcing markets for the surplus foods America's farmers and ranchers grow," Dave Salmonsen, senior director of government affairs at the American Farm Bureau Federation, said in a statement. |
| For federally dependent Mississippi, Trump's grant freeze could halt $11 billion | |
| The federal grant spending freeze, announced in January then rescinded by President Donald Trump and blocked by federal judges, could have catastrophic impact on federally dependent Mississippi, should it be re-enacted. Magnolia State agencies, according to a report by its legislative watchdog agency, spent $10.9 billion in federal grant assistance in fiscal year 2023, covering everything from agriculture to solving violent crime and helping veterans. Nearly every state agency, from the Governor's Office -- which received $11.6 million for the period -- on down spends federal grant money. For scale, the entire annual state general fund budget is about $7 billion. State Rep. Daryl Porter, D-Summit, requested the report from the legislative committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review and received the rundown on the fiscal impact of a freeze in federal funds. Mississippi received billions in U.S. Department of Agriculture aid, including $376.7 million for feeding school children, $70 million for Women, Infants and Children nutrition programs, nearly $2 million for inspecting meat and poultry, $5.9 million for soil and water conservation and $3 million for forestry assistance. Mississippi is perennially among the top most-federally-dependent states, with more than 40% of its annual budget coming from federal dollars. The state receives a nearly 3-to-1 return for every dollar in federal taxes it pays, and annual federal per-capita payments to the state are nearly $7,000. |
| House passes public to public school transfer bill, easing the process for students | |
| The Mississippi House of Representatives voted Thursday to pass a bill that makes public to public school transfers easier for students and their families. It would also establish a fund to ensure accepting school districts have adequate funding to educate the child. HB 1435, authored by State Rep. Jansen Owen (R), removes a school district's ability to veto a student's transfer to another public school, eliminating a step in the transfer process. Currently, both the sending and receiving school districts must approve a student transfer. Under the proposed legislation, only the receiving school district would be required to approve the transfer. "Under current law if I decide to send my child to another school and that school accepts my child, my school district is allowed to veto (that)," Owen described. Only the state portion of the student funding will follow the child to the transfer school. All local, or ad valorem tax funding associated with that student would stay within the sending district. |
| House passes bill to make switching public K-12 school districts easier | |
| The House on Thursday passed a bill to make it easier for K-12 students to transfer to other public schools outside their home districts, advancing a policy priority for House Speaker Jason White. House Bill 1435 passed the GOP-majority chamber 67-46, with partisan crossover supporting and opposing the legislation. Four Democrats joined the Republican majority to support the proposal, while 10 Republicans joined with the Democratic minority to oppose the bill. Most Republicans who opposed the measure either represent north Mississippi, a region that has historically invested in and protected public schools, or represent the suburban area of Rankin County. The bill now heads to the Senate, where the lieutenant governor will likely refer it to the Senate Education Committee for consideration. Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, on Monday, killed a similar proposal to the one the House passed and said he doesn't think such a proposal can currently pass the upper chamber. |
| Lawmakers want to ensure municipalities are receiving their proper sales tax allocations | |
| During Thursday's Senate Floor debate, Mississippi Senators approved the creation of a Sales Tax Diversion Study Commission to explore, evaluate, and develop recommendations for the proper allocation of tax funds between the state and its municipalities. State Senator David Parker (R), the author of SB 2582, said the goal is to "look at the problem and how to effectively get the money back to the cities." He added that there are businesses across Mississippi that have slipped through the cracks and are not paying their share of taxes, resulting in cities not collecting the 18.5 percent due to them from the 7 percent sales tax. If signed into law, the four-page bill would create a panel consisting of 11 members, including the Commissioner of Revenue, members of the Senate and House, the Executive Director of the Mississippi Municipal League, the State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business, and the Executive Director of the Mississippi Economic Council. The panel will also include a representative from a municipality with a population over 50,000 and a representative from a municipality with a population under 50,000. Both municipal members would be appointed by the Governor. |
| Court to determine if state can take back stadium property | |
| The state of Mississippi's demand for the city of Jackson to return Smith-Wills Stadium to its control is still tied up in court. The state leased the Smith-Wills Stadium property to Jackson in 1944. The city paid $50,000 for the property and agreed to use it specifically for "park purposes." Provisions of the deed state that if the property is not used for a park, it would revert to the state. In 2019, the city leased the stadium to Kusche Sports Group, LLC, formed by Tim Bennett. Kusche Sports Group subleased a section of the stadium to a cigar bar and part of the parking lot to the Veterans Administration. Last year, the Legislature passed a bill with a provision that directed the attorney general to sue to take back ownership of the property because it is no longer used for park purposes. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch filed a counterclaim against the city in Hinds County Chancery Court last year, and the city sued to stop the state from taking back possession of the property. When asked for an update about the lawsuit, MaryAsa Lee, communications director for the state Office of the Attorney General, communicated by email that she could not provide a comment about an active legal matter. |
| U.S. economy added just 143,000 jobs in January but unemployment rate fell to 4% | |
| Job creation was weaker than expected in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls rose by a seasonally adjusted 143,000 for the month, down from an upwardly revised 307,000 in December and below the 169,000 forecast from Dow Jones. The unemployment rate nudged lower to 4%. The report also featured significant benchmark revisions to the 2024 totals that saw substantial downward changes to the previous payrolls level. The revisions, which the BLS does each year, reduced the jobs count by 589,000 in the 12 months through March 2024. A preliminary adjustment back in August 2024 had indicated 818,000 fewer jobs. The level of those reporting at work, as computed in the household survey, soared by 2.23 million, the product of annual adjustments for population and immigration in the country. The household survey happens separately from the establishment survey used to tally total jobs. Job growth for January was concentrated in health care (44,000), retail (34,000) and government (32,000). The total gain for the month was slightly off the average 166,000 in 2024, the BLS said. Social assistance added 22,000 while mining-related industries lost 8,000. |
| House Republicans to work through weekend on budget package | |
 | House Republican leaders emerged late Thursday from a roughly three-hour meeting without an agreement on the contours of the massive budget reconciliation package they've been talking about for weeks. But they planned to work through the weekend ironing out details with a goal of marking up the blueprint needed for the filibuster-proof bill early next week. Speaker Mike Johnson said he'll be working Saturday and through Sunday's Super Bowl taking place in New Orleans -- in his and Majority Leader Steve Scalise's home state of Louisiana. President Donald Trump, who hosted House GOP leaders for several hours to discuss reconciliation earlier in the day, is slated to attend the game Sunday. "We are almost there," Johnson said. "A couple final details that we've got to work out." The late-night meeting in the speaker's office included lawmakers representing different viewpoints within the GOP conference. Earlier in the day, top Republicans met with Trump at the White House to try to work through remaining issues. The key sticking point going in was cost: Trump's priorities for the package, including permanent extensions of his 2017 tax cuts plus new tax breaks and spending, could push the price tag near $6 trillion. |
| GOP-led House panel to hold hearing on USAID | |
 | The GOP-led House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the U.S. Agency for International Development on Feb. 13, as the Trump administration moved to effectively shut down the agency and institute a mass foreign aid freeze. Committee Chair Brian Mast (R-Fl.) announced the hearing and the first Republican-chosen witnesses, who include William Steiger, the former chief of staff at USAID during the first Trump administration. During his time at the agency and as a public policy fellow for the Wilson Center, Steiger worked on outlining reforms to USAID and strategies for aid recipients to move to self-reliance. USAID staff on Thursday were reportedly reduced to about 300 employees from a workforce that had been estimated to be around 10,000. Democrats called for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who says he is now the acting head of USAID, to appear before the committee. The agency, which provides food, shelter and medicine to hundreds of millions of people around the world and is touted by supporters as a key tool of America's soft power, has come under scrutiny for reforms in previous administrations. But Democrats have seethed over the Trump administration's initial blanket foreign aid freeze and the sweeping cuts as outside the bounds of the power of the president. |
| Senate confirms Project 2025 architect Russell Vought to lead powerful White House budget office | |
 | The Senate confirmed Russell Vought as White House budget director on Thursday night, putting an official who has planned the zealous expansion of President Donald Trump's power into one of the most influential positions in the federal government. Vought was confirmed on a party-line vote of 53-47. With the Senate chamber full, Democrats repeatedly tried to speak as they cast their "no" votes to give their reasons for voting against Vought, but they were gaveled down by Sen. Ashley Moody, a Florida Republican who was presiding over the chamber. She cited Senate rules that ban debate during votes. The Thursday night vote came after Democrats had exhausted their only remaining tool to stonewall a nomination -- holding the Senate floor throughout the previous night and day with a series of speeches where they warned Vought was Trump's "most dangerous nominee." Vought's return to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which he also helmed during Trump's first term, puts him in a role that often goes under the public radar yet holds key power in implementing the president's goals. The OMB acts as a nerve center for the White House, developing its budget, policy priorities and agency rule-making. Vought has already played an influential role in Trump's effort to remake the federal government as one of the architects of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump's second term. |
| Congress and White House Head for Showdown Over Power of the Purse | |
 | Susan Collins was a Senate intern in 1974 when Congress, in response to President Richard M. Nixon's refusal to spend on projects he opposed, passed a sweeping budget law to bar presidents from overriding lawmakers when it came to doling out dollars. The resulting law, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act, is "very clear, and it re-emphasizes the power of the purse that Congress has under the Constitution," Ms. Collins, now a 72-year-old Republican senator from Maine and the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, said in an interview this week. She and her fellow appropriators in both parties will have a fight on their hands if they hope to retain supremacy in federal spending. The question of who has the final word is emerging as a central point of contention between members of Congress and the White House, a clash that is likely to escalate after the confirmation on Thursday of Russell T. Vought as the director of President Trump's Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Vought has flatly declared that he -- and Mr. Trump -- consider the budget act to be unconstitutional. Others on Capitol Hill, including some Republicans, vehemently dispute that idea. The disagreement is spurring the uproar over Mr. Trump's move to suspend trillions of dollars in federal spending. |
| Feds Halt the National Electric Vehicle Charging Program | |
 | The US Department of Transportation has ordered states to kill their implementation plans related to the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, according to a memo obtained by WIRED that was later made public. The decision appears to halt in its tracks a $5 billion program designed to fund state projects to install electric vehicle charging stations across the United States. Officials at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which manages the program, ordered state transportation directors to "decertify" the plans that all 50 states have used to outline where and how they will build their charging stations, and with what companies they'll contract to do so. States have followed those plans to build more than 30 charging stations across the US, with hundreds more on the way. Surveys show prospective car buyers cite the country's lagging electric vehicle charging infrastructure as a major reason they won't buy electric. The NEVI program, established by 2021's Infrastructure Law, was the government's answer to those concerns. It attempts to build chargers along thousands of miles of federal highway, with a focus on places that might not otherwise be able to financially support a charger. The order may be illegal. "There is no legal basis for funds that have been apportioned to states to build projects being 'decertified' based on policy," says Andrew Rogers, a former deputy administrator and chief counsel of the Federal Highway Administration. |
| Facing fire from DeSantis, agriculture says it doesn't rely on undocumented foreign workers | |
 | Florida's agriculture industry is quietly dismissing claims it depends on undocumented foreign workers in an attempt to steer clear of an intraparty battle among the state's Republicans over immigration. It's not working. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said farmers have an "affinity for cheap, illegal foreign labor" and he's promised to veto an immigration policy bill from the GOP-led Legislature that would establish the state's agriculture commissioner, Wilton Simpson, as Florida's chief immigration officer, rather than having that role sit under the governor's authority. Representatives of Florida's politically powerful agriculture industry, which has a $270 billion economic impact, privately say they hire foreign workers with temporary visas rather than those who remain in the country illegally. Officials and lobbyists who spoke to POLITICO on the matter said they largely don't want to speak on the record because they don't want to be drawn further into the feud. "This isn't about us," one Republican ag lobbyist said. "[We're] just keeping our head from between the dog and the fire hydrant." Immigrants -- both documented and undocumented -- play a large role in agriculture, but that represents a small portion of their overall employment in Florida. The state had more than 1 million unauthorized immigrants in 2022, according to the Pew Research Center. But agriculture is not among the top five categories for where they work. |
| Hattiesburg Clinic legal chief appointed to College Board | |
 | The Hattiesburg Clinic Professional Association's chief legal officer was name a trustee on the board that oversees Mississippi's public colleges. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves appointed Amy Arrington to fill the unexpired term of trustee Jeanne Luckey on the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. Luckey passed away this past November. Pending confirmation by the Mississippi Senate, Arrington will serve through May 7, 2027, as a trustee from the Second/Southern Supreme Court District. Prior to her career Hattiesburg Clinic, Arrington worked as assistant director for the University of Southern Mississippi's School of Health Professions, where she also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in health law, management and policy. Arrington earned her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, in managerial finance at the University of Mississippi, and her law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Mississippi School of Law. "We are grateful to Governor Reeves for this strong appointment to the IHL Board of Trustees, and look forward to the skill and work experience that Mrs. Arrington will bring in support of our state's public universities," said Mississippi Higher Education Commissioner Dr. Al Rankins Jr. |
| Mississippi Senate passes DEI ban, setting up negotiation with House | |
| The Mississippi Senate passed a bill Thursday that would eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs from the state's universities, a priority elevated by Republican President Donald Trump. Senate Republicans passed the bill with a party line 34-14 vote. The move comes a day after the House advanced a sweeping anti-DEI bill of its own. The move lays the groundwork for negotiations between the House and Senate. The measures passed by each chamber differ in who they would impact, what activities they would regulate and how they aim to reshape the inner workings of the state's education system. The Senate bill defines DEI as any effort to influence the composition of the faculty or student body with reference to "race, sex, color, or ethnicity, apart from ensuring colorblind and sex-neutral admissions and hiring in accordance with state and federal anti-discrimination laws." It would ban all campus training and programs deemed to violate that definition. The bill's prime sponsors, Tyler McCaughn, R-Newton and Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, have argued the proposed law will clean up inefficiencies in Mississisppi's higher education system and return the admissions and hiring process to a merit-based system. The House and Senate now have the ability to take up the other chamber's proposal as they potentially work toward a final bill. |
| Mississippi Senate follows in House's footsteps, passing bill to rid public colleges of DEI initiatives | |
| Just one day after the Mississippi House of Representatives passed legislation aiming to squash diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) campaigns in public education settings, the Senate followed in the footsteps of its cross-chamber counterpart. Senate Bill 2515, dubbed the "Requiring Efficiency for Our Colleges and Universities System (REFOCUS) Act," passed with only Republican support following a series of impassioned remarks by supporters and opponents alike. Multiple Democratic lawmakers, a majority of whom are Black, spoke out against the legislation. Sen. Bradford Blackmon, D-Canton, contended that abolishing certain inclusion initiatives could move the Magnolia State in the opposite direction of progress. Blackmon, the son of retired Rep. Ed Blackmon and former Sen. Barbara Blackmon, acknowledged that he was not directly harmed by discrimination in college but spoke on his father's encounters with prejudice in the state. "Mississippi's had a sordid history. James Meredith integrated Ole Miss and he has a statue on campus that has been consistently wrapped with a noose because of the history our state has. I'm just trying to figure out why we need to eliminate programs that help minorities feel welcome at our institutions of higher learning." Sen. Tyler McCaughn, one of the bill's sponsors, argued otherwise. |
| Senate votes to outlaw DEI in Mississippi universities, community colleges | |
| For more than an hour, a heated debate raged in the state Senate over eliminating DEI at Mississippi's public institutions of higher education. The bill, SB 2515, is twofold. It creates a task force to investigate why Mississippi has one of the lowest college graduate rates in the nation. The second and most controversial would eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs from the state's public universities and community colleges. "This bill is about leveling the playing field," said State Senator Tyler McCaughn (R), explaining the legislation before it passed by a vote of 24-14. Passions on both sides of the debate were on full display on Thursday. McCaughn defended the bill by saying it gives all Mississippians a chance to flourish at state-funded institutions of higher learning. However, many Democrats cited the state's segregated past in their opposition. State Senator John Horhn (D) said, "Having diversity and inclusion at the University of Mississippi isn't a bad thing," adding that until the mid-1970s, Mississippi would pay African Americans to attend out of state colleges, including Ivy League schools. "This bill is putting the new Mississippi to rest and bringing forth the old Mississippi," Horhn said. |
| MUW hosts annual healthcare career fair in Columbus | |
 | Mississippi University for Women hosts its annual healthcare career fair. MUW's Career Services and Professional Development Center welcomed employers and graduate schools from across the region. Director of Career Services and Professional Development Elise Wilson said they are proud to have the #1 nursing program in the state of Mississippi, and they want to offer as many opportunities as they can to help their students. "What I hope that students take away today is mainly to see the diversity of areas where they can work. Both geographically, different hospitals, and different clinics within the healthcare industry. And it kind of opens their eyes and begins that networking that is so important for us to find jobs in the professional field," said Wilson. 33 employers and schools were represented at the event. |
| Greater Belhaven Foundation lands $440,000 grant for trail connection project | |
| A grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) will go toward funding a much-needed sidewalk connecting one of Jackson's largest neighborhoods to the city's busiest medical district. The Greater Belhaven Foundation (GBF) will receive the $440,000 grant through the Transportation Alternatives Set Aside Program. The funding, along with a 20% match to be raised by GBF, will enable the construction of a multi-use trail along Peachtree Street. Each weekday, a logjam of students and staff from Jackson Public Schools (JPS), Belhaven University, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) piles up on the route. With no sidewalk on the western side of Peachtree, many must walk on the road, resulting in a daily public safety hazard -- one that leaders believe will be remedied by the new trail. The new trail will be built to enhance connectivity between the districts, creating a safer, more accessible route for Jacksonians. The efforts build on recent renovations along Riverside Drive, which added a 12-foot multi-use trail to improve pedestrian access to schools and workplaces. |
| Commission on Higher Education requests funding increases at budget hearing | |
| On Wednesday, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education presented its budget request for the 2025 legislative session at a joint legislative budget hearing. In addition to preparing budget recommendations on behalf of the state's public colleges and universities, ACHE is also responsible for administering financial aid in the state and conducting research on higher education and the workforce in order to inform education policy decisions. The commission's Executive Director, Dr. Jim Purcell, presented ACHE's budget request before the joint committee, detailing the various programs and initiatives which the commission hopes to fund. Purcell announced that ACHE will be requesting $77,859,213 from the Education Trust Fund for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. ACHE's budget request includes no increases for operations and management, however, it does include modest increases to "existing cost centers" and additional funding for six new program proposals. Among the new programs is a "Hunger Free Campus Initiative" which looks to support institutions of higher education in the state in providing food assistance to students in need. The program is inspired by initiatives at Auburn University and the University of Alabama which fundraise to tackle student hunger. In that vein, ACHE requested $200,000 from the ETF which student groups could then access through grant proposals to address hunger at other campuses in the state. |
| LSU president urges commitment to strong schools in event celebrating Black History Month | |
 | One of Louisiana's most prolific educators stressed the significance of mathematics, science and technology training as he spoke Thursday to dozens of local leaders inside a federal courtroom to honor Black excellence. LSU President William Tate IV addressed federal judges, aspiring high school students and dozens of East Baton Rouge's top judicial officials gathered in the U.S. District Courthouse in downtown Baton Rouge for the federal court's 30th annual Black History Month celebration. Tate was keynote speaker for the courthouse's milestone event. He touched on topics running the gamut from early American history to the link between inadequate school systems and crime in modern society. It was a glimpse into the outlook of one of the state's highest-ranking public educators, a man credited with vaulting LSU's enrollment and graduation rates to record highs in recent years. U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson walked attendees through the annual ceremony's rich tradition, saying it began not long after former President George H.W. Bush ordered in the early 1990s all executive branch federal agencies to celebrate Black history month. The theme of this year's ceremony was the "geography of opportunity," centered on an exchange of letters between mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Banneker and founding father Thomas Jefferson in the late 1700s. |
| Before winning a Super Bowl, Trey Smith worked one -- just like these 'Big Orange' students | |
 | As 10 students from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville work behind the scenes at the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans, gaining real-world perspective on how businesses big and small work together during major events, a UT alum who went through the same program will be competing for the Lombardi Trophy as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. You know the name. Trey Smith, a former Vols offensive lineman and sixth-round draft pick to the Chiefs, joined the UT Big Orange Combine initiative in 2020, gaining similar skills and experience during Super Bowl 54 in Miami. Business majors, sports majors and student athletes coordinate travel itineraries and learning opportunities through the Haslam College of Business, which organizes this rare opportunity to see how one of the biggest sporting events in the world operates. On Location will provide students with real hospitality experience. Networking with professionals is a big part of the weekend, and students get opportunities to interact with major media organizations, including during a tour of CBS Studios made possible through a UT alum connection. The hope is students walk away with a better understanding of what they want to do in their careers, understanding not everyone will be selected for a Pro Bowl or win two Super Bowl trophies like Smith, who will compete for his third Feb. 9. |
| Texas lawmakers may ban certain lessons at state colleges under expanded DEI crackdown | |
| This year, the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature is expected to pick up where it left off two years ago to address a perceived liberal bias at the state's public, four-year universities. Republican lawmakers plan to ensure universities are complying with a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programs and training passed last session. They are expected to file legislation that would limit the influence of professors on their campuses, many of whom they accuse of being "woke" activists. They have vowed to crack down on antisemitism in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, which will likely reignite discussions over free speech on campus. And they are proposing again to end in-state tuition for undocumented students. Legislation that could improve students' futures -- either by helping them pay for college or encouraging them to enter a high-demand field -- are also under consideration. Gov. Greg Abbott said in his state of the state speech on Sunday the Legislature should make post-secondary education more affordable, accessible -- and accountable. "College professors have increasingly pushed woke agendas," Abbott said. "They have too much influence over who is hired to educate our kids. We need legislation that prohibits professors from having any say over employment decisions." |
| U. of Missouri Indigenous Task Force calls for institutional support in report | |
 | An Indigenous Task Force appointed by the University of Missouri President Mun Choi in 2020 to investigate the state of Indigenous affairs at the university has released its report after more than four years of work, calling on the university to honor its responsibility to Native nations and create more institutional support for Indigenous issues. The task force's report, released publicly last month, calls for appointing a tribal liaison and an Indigenous advisory council, creating physical space for Indigenous personnel and initiatives, granting tuition waivers or in-state tuition for Indigenous students and providing resources for programs and research. The report comes after MU dismantled its Division of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity last summer and forced a Black student group to rename its fall welcome BBQ amid a state and national backlash against diversity initiatives. Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government. |
| Clemson axes spending to save bond rate for future growth | |
 | Clemson University passed a record-setting $2.1 billion budget in July 2024. Six months later, they are tightening their belt, spreading the word to faculty across the state that spending would be limited to mission-critical expenditures. An email shared with The Post and Courier said the university is not in a deficit and jobs are not at risk. However, hiring, travel and professional development all could be paused or cut for the next six months in a "spending slowdown" necessary to keep additional millions in university coffers to boost its bond rating. The mission-critical message landed on campus in various ways, with some assuming a hiring freeze and others worried about buying paper for printers. Each department will have a unique response as it's not a one-size-fits-all approach to hitting the budget goals, Vice President for Finance Rick Petillo told the Board of Trustees at its Feb. 6 meeting. Petillo reiterated to the board that Clemson University is financially strong. He told the board that projections on Dec. 31, 2024, showed expenditures were tracking 3 to 3.5 percent higher than revenues. He also told the trustees the "mission-critical" guidance had reigned in around $20 million so far. What Petillo didn't say was that's only one-third of the projected over-spending that needed to be cut by June. On the upper end of the percentage, the university needed to spend $73.5 million less than it was on track to spend. |
| UNC System cuts diversity-course requirement for graduation | |
| The University of North Carolina System is no longer requiring students to take courses focused on diversity, equity or inclusion as a condition of graduation, the system's top lawyer told chancellors of system universities in a memo. The move is a response to a Jan. 21 executive order issued by President Donald Trump that seeks to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion instruction from public schools. The order directs federal agencies to eliminate that instruction, collect data on it, evaluate it and make recommendations on what to do about it. While UNC System schools could still offer such courses, "all general education requirements and major-specific requirements mandating completion of course credits related to diversity, equity, and inclusion ... are suspended," Andrew Tripp, senior vice president and general counsel at the University of North Carolina System, wrote in the Feb. 5 memo. UNC schools received about $1.4 billion in federal research funding in the 2023-24 fiscal year -- about 62% of all university research funds and about 13% of the UNC budget. |
| USC names Beong-Soo Kim, its general counsel, interim president after Carol Folt steps down | |
 | USC announced Wednesday that Beong-Soo Kim, a former federal prosecutor and the university's general counsel, has been named its interim president and will take over after its current leader, Carol Folt, leaves her position at the end of June. In his role as general counsel, Kim has guided the university through crises including a $1-billion settlement in 2021 with alumnae victimized by campus gynecologist George Tyndall, in what was the largest sex abuse payout in higher education history. Last spring, he advised Folt as she grappled with turmoil over pro-Palestinian activism and canceled commencement events. He will take the helm at USC during a time of budget shortfalls, labor strife and uncertainty as President Trump threatens to punish campus protesters and reel in so-called elite, "Marxist" universities. During his time at USC, he has been on the front lines of responding to complex university issues, including USC's part in the Varsity Blues admissions scandal, reforms to the athletic department and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. He also provided counsel during the school's move to the Big Ten and dealt with the changing regulatory environment around student athletics. As USC enters a new era, Kim -- and the future permanent president -- faces growing challenges to the campus and higher education. |
| Washington State's new president marks a first for the university | |
| Washington State University's Board of Regents named a new president Thursday who will take over in April as the school's first female president, ushering in a "new era," according to a news release. Elizabeth Cantwell succeeds Kirk Schulz as the 12th president of the university. The Board of Regents unanimously selected Cantwell from a 260-candidate field. Cantwell has served as Utah State University's president since 2023. "This is an incredible moment to be a Coug," Cantwell wrote Thursday in a note to the WSU community. She said her daughter recently enrolled in the university as a graduate student. At Utah State University, WSU said Cantwell championed academic growth as student scholarships increased by 10% and new education buildings were constructed. Before joining Utah State, Cantwell oversaw a $825 million annual research portfolio at the University of Arizona. Schulz, who has been WSU's president since 2016, will remain with the university as a "senior advisor" until June to support the transition, according to the news release. In his nearly a decade tenure as president, Schulz delegated executive operations of the Pullman campus and shifted toward representing the university at state and federal levels and directing the university system. |
| Interns Impacted by Hiring Freeze Left 'In Limbo' | |
 | Kristin Comrie is set to graduate this semester with a master's in health informatics from a fully remote program that she balances with a full-time job. But the federal hiring freeze has thrown a wrench into her plans, prompting the Veterans Health Administration to cancel her unpaid internship, which she needed to fulfill a graduation requirement. It wasn't easy to find an opportunity that fit in with her job and schoolwork, but the VHA internship sounded ideal; she could work remotely, and the team at the VHA seemed happy to accommodate her busy schedule. Slated to start Feb. 10, she had just finished her background check and fingerprinting when she received notice that the internship had been canceled. "I got a generic email that they were rescinding the offer because of the federal hiring freeze," Comrie recalled. The news left her "scrambling" to find another internship that she could finish in time to graduate in May. Comrie isn't the only student to have had a federal employment opportunity abruptly rescinded. The hiring freeze appears to have forced federal agencies to cancel numerous internships; most prominently, thousands of legal internships and entry-level positions within the Department of Justice and beyond have been impacted. Law students, in particular, have found themselves struggling to find new opportunities |
| West Point shuts down clubs for women and students of color in response to Trump's DEI policies | |
| The U.S. Military Academy has disbanded a dozen West Point cadet clubs centered on ethnicity, gender, race and sexuality in response to the Trump administration's push to eliminate diversity programs throughout government. The famed military academy in New York issued a memo Tuesday shutting down groups including the Asian-Pacific Forum Club, Latin Cultural Club, National Society of Black Engineers Club and Society of Women Engineers Club in order to adhere to recent guidance from the Army and Defense Department. It also shut down the Corbin Forum, a decades-old leadership club for female cadets, and Spectrum, a gay-straight alliance. West Point graduate Geoffrey Easterling, who was a member of one of the now-disbanded clubs when he was at the academy, said the groups were open to all cadets and provided a way for students to interact with people from different cultures and build relationships with classmates. "It was just community. There wasn't any teaching of all these things people are worried about," he said. "You could find help with your homework from upperclassmen, get help to know the military." |
| Former Trump Education secretary calls for department to be shuttered as cutting spree looks for next target | |
| President Donald Trump and his allies -- including his former Education secretary -- have publicly zeroed in on the Education Department as a potential next target for his cutting spree, an action the president vowed to accomplish on the campaign trail and one Republicans have been calling for for decades. The Trump administration and its backers have suggested the department has evolved into a weapon wielded by progressives to enforce "woke" education policies and is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Trump has mused about allocating the department's funding to the states. On Thursday, the push got a notable endorsement from Betsy DeVos, Trump's secretary of Education in his first term, who wrote in an op-ed for The Free Press that the department should be scrapped entirely. "Nothing could be more important to our success as a nation than having well-educated citizens," DeVos wrote. "But don't be fooled by the name: the Department of Education has almost nothing to do with actually educating anyone." The renewed campaign to shutter the department is fueled, in part, by dissatisfaction with the country's most recent report card. The National Assessment of Educational Progress recently found that K-12 students are falling drastically behind in reading and only making minor improvements in math. |
| U.S. education policy is at a crossroads. This congressional hearing shows why | |
 | U.S. education policy is at a crossroads. The White House wants to close the U.S. Department of Education, and has placed dozens of employees on paid leave with little explanation. Its plan, which it confirmed to NPR, is to quickly shutter programs that are not protected by law and to call on Congress to do the rest. President Donald Trump and Republicans have also voiced a desire to use their congressional majorities to overhaul higher education and create a federal tax credit program that would help families nationwide pay for private schooling. Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to figure out how to stop him. Amid all this turmoil, on Wednesday, the House education committee -- its members charged with forging consensus on the nation's education policy -- held its first meeting of this new congressional term. At the convening, aptly titled "The State of American Education," some of the nation's biggest disagreements around education exploded into full view. "I'd like to first start with the elephant in the room," began the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia. "The irony is not lost on me that we're here to discuss the state of American education while the current administration is actively discussing how to dismantle the main federal agency responsible for ensuring a safe, quality education for all students." |
| Senate Schedules McMahon Confirmation Hearing, but Who's Leading Until Then? | |
| Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump's nominee for education secretary, will appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee next week -- a key step in her confirmation process. And though the former business mogul was originally expected to sail through the confirmation process, she'll likely have to answer questions at the hearing next Thursday about recent upheavals in the Education Department and the president's plan to get rid of the agency. In the last week, news broke that the Trump administration put dozens of department employees on paid leave and is planning an executive order to shut down the department, setting off alarm bells across the higher ed sphere. At the same time, Trump's attempts to freeze thousands of federal grants and push agency staff toward "deferred resignation" are caught up in court. Education advocacy groups say that halting the grants violates the constitutional principle of separation of powers and that cutting the number of unionized agency staff is not only illegal but also could hinder key operations like the federal student aid program. But while many of Trump's executive orders remain in limbo, department appointees who don't require confirmation are quickly moving behind the scenes to carry out Trump's education agenda. |
| Will the Other Two Branches Dare to Push Back Against Trump? | |
 | The noise coming out of the White House right now is loud -- earsplitting, really. President Trump announces sweeping tariffs one day and then calls them off two days later, entirely on his own. He orders agencies to stop spending congressionally appropriated funds. He declares that the U.S. will take over Gaza. His unelected and unvetted friend Elon Musk swoops into government agencies to decide whether he deems their programs efficient or not, and shuts down one agency entirely. Amid the clamor, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that what the country is witnessing is a classic Trumpian process: The president is testing the system to find the outer limits of his powers. It's unlikely he thinks he can get away with everything he is trying, but he also knows that one way to find out is to try. It is a strategy that he has deployed repeatedly in his business career, in both of his presidential campaigns, and in his first term as president. Now this approach is unfolding again, but on a grander scale than ever before. As it does, only two factors really matter in determining its outcome: At what point will Congress stand up for itself? And when and where will the nation's courts draw the line on the aggressive use of presidential power? For Trump, discovering the answers to these questions may be less a feature of the exercise than its whole point. |
SPORTS
| Bucks tell all in MSU Deer Lab study about the moon and deer movement | |
| The belief that the moon somehow affects deer behavior is widespread among hunters and has been around longer than anyone can remember. So, the Mississippi State University Deer Lab decided to test that theory. Years of data collected from mature bucks tracked by GPS collars were used to see if there was a correlation between deer behavior and the moon's position and phase was studied and the results likely aren't what many hunters want to believe. "The supposed effects of the moon; that has been going on for decades and decades and decades," said Bronson Strickland, extension wildlife specialist with the MSU Deer Lab. "People believe it, and they defend it." Strickland said among some 1,500 hunters who participated in a recent survey, more than 80% said the moon had some effect on deer behavior. Strickland said a study was done earlier to see if there was a relationship between the phase of the moon and deer movement and none was found. However, some hunters were skeptical and said the position of the moon is the driving force, not just the phase. "That is what prompted us to dig into it a little deeper," Strickland said. And dig deeper they did. |
| Coyotes, feral pigs pose problems for habitat | |
 | With winter finally in high gear and many hunting seasons winding down, land managers looking to improve their habitat need seek no farther than programs for hog removal and coyote control. Populations of wild pigs in every shape, size and color are quickly on the rise across Mississippi, and an aggressive control program undertaken one property at a time appears to be the only recourse. These opportunistic omnivores are hardy, effectively have no predators other than man, reproduce quickly and wreak havoc on any habitat they occupy, and officials with the Mississippi State University Extension Service say a permanent solution that gets rid of wild hogs anywhere once and for all is unlikely ever to be found, which means continuous population control is the way to go. According to studies and hunter surveys quoted in the extension service's content online, in any given group of wild hogs, between eight and 50 percent of the group's population will be removed through regular hunting methods in the course of a year, with a 20 percent removal rate being the norm in most areas. Considering the frequency and size of new litters of wild pigs, officials calculate a 60 percent removal rate to be the bare minimum simply to keep any group's population from expanding year to year, a tall order for regular hunting methods to fill. |
| Women's Basketball: Dawgs Pick Up 23-Point Victory Over Razorbacks | |
| Mississippi State got back in the win column on Thursday, as the Bulldogs took care of the Arkansas Razorbacks, 78-55. Five Bulldogs finished in double digits on the night. "First and foremost, it feels great to be back in the win column," head coach Sam Purcell said. "There's a pride factor in it, and I've said several times how I love this team. They have a spirit about them. They haven't folded and they want to get better. We saw glimpses of correction to previous game failures, and that is the biggest thing at this time of year." The Bulldogs got out to a hot start against the Razorbacks, as they opened the game on an 8-0 run. They finished the first with 28 points, which is the most State has scored in the first quarter during conference play. State would never look back in the contest, as they extended their lead to 49-30 at the half. "Starting the game swinging has been a huge emphasis this week in practice for us," Jerkaila Jordan said. "We worked on starting off hot and want to use this momentum we got from this game and take it one game at a time going into March." Next up for Mississippi State will be a top 25 opponent in the form of No. 22 Alabama on Sunday. |
| Adjustments apparent in MSU's win over Arkansas | |
| Mississippi State has had weaknesses exposed in the past several games. On Thursday night, the Bulldogs showed signs that corrections are being made. Mississippi State started strong, then got going late in the second quarter to beat Arkansas 78-55 at the Humphrey Coliseum. It was a much needed win for State (17-7, 4-6 SEC), who lost four of its last five games heading into Thursday. "I really love this team, and they have a spirit about them. They haven't folded, and they want to get better," Bulldogs coach Sam Purcell said. "And I thought a lot of the things that we've had failures in previous games, you saw glimpses of correction, and that's the biggest thing at this time of year." The complete scoring effort supports a notion that Purcell has believed all season; that Mississippi State's best basketball is still ahead of it as the team continues to gel. In recent weeks, that has involved players like the ones who eclipsed double digits on Thursday enjoying the fruits of their labor. "Those are kids who are in the gym who are having results, but it doesn't surprise me, because I've really challenged them to put the extra individual hours behind the scenes, and when they do that, that helps gel our team.....and allows better team performance." Mississippi State returns to action on Sunday, when it hosts No. 23 Alabama. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. on the SEC Network. |
| Mississippi State in need of another second-half turnaround in SEC play | |
 | In his first two seasons at Mississippi State, Chris Jans was a combined 5-13 in the first half of Southeastern Conference play. But both times, the Bulldogs played better down the stretch, going 11-7 in the back half of the SEC schedule between 2023 and 2024. This year, the SEC is as loaded as any conference has ever been in men's college basketball, but MSU (16-6, 4-5 SEC) again hit the halfway point of its 18-game conference slate on a sour note. The Bulldogs headed into their midweek bye on the heels of a 27-point home loss to Missouri, their most lopsided defeat in Starkville since 2013. "The experience can't teach it," Jans said Thursday. "It's obviously helpful in a number of different situations, and hopefully it will be in this one, from the coaching staff and some of the players who have been through it. Unfortunately, just because that was the case in years past, we went on mini-runs in the second half to put ourselves in position (to make the NCAA Tournament) doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen again. You can't just rely on that." Few teams have played better on their home floor than Georgia (16-7, 4-6), which is 13-1 at Stegeman Coliseum. That includes a 13-point win over Kentucky in early January, and UGA's only home loss was a two-point defeat against No. 1 Auburn. Georgia also has a neutral-site win over St. John's that has kept aging better in recent weeks. UGA could be a favorable matchup for MSU because Georgia attempts the fewest 3-pointers per game in the SEC. Georgia has had issues with ball security as well -- only LSU turns the ball over more often among SEC teams than head coach Mike White's Bulldogs. |
| Head coach Chris Jans talks Georgia, team sickness and regaining swagger | |
| Mississippi State got a rare mid-week break this week and on Saturday, the Bulldogs face a critical road game at Georgia. No. 22 Mississippi State is 16-6 overall and 4-5 in the SEC following a two-game losing streak and Georgia is 16-7 and 4-6. On Thursday, Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans met with the media to discuss the Georgia matchup among other topics. Q: How important was the break this week to get some guys healthy? Jans: Yeah it is that time of the year. I can't speak for all the coaches in the SEC but since the challenge changed from the Big 12 to the ACC, I know I like this format better. To have a seven-day stretch in the middle of the conference season, I would imagine most coaches and players look forward to it. Certainly, it hasn't been as enjoyable as maybe it could've been if we had played better in our two-game homestand going into it. But it's been welcomed for a number of reasons. As you mentioned, bumps and bruises at this point in the season. If you are 100 percent healthy and you feel tip-top, you are very, very fortunate. It's a long, grueling season and there's a lot of mileage that is put on all the players. It becomes a tired game at times. On top of that, I guess we've had the crud going through us a little bit in terms of the program, starting Saturday and Sunday and it has kind of bounced around a little bit. Fortunately, we've been able to manage that better than if we had a game to prepare for. |
| Those blue canes? What Georgia basketball's Blue Cain thinks of them and where fans leave them | |
 | Blue Cain appreciates those Georgia basketball fans waving blue canes at Bulldogs home games. However, the sophomore guard could do without some of the places he finds them as he makes his way around campus. Georgia students have shown their appreciation for Cain at home games and away from Stegeman Coliseum, he revealed. "They'll leave them on my car and on my front door and stuff," Cain said after nearly having a triple-double in Georgia's 81-62 win over LSU Wednesday night. "You never know when I'm going to walk out and see one." Yes, some fans have learned where Cain lives. And that he drives a Ford pick-up truck. "I don't know how I feel about that," he said. Cain says he usually gives the canes that he finds to his friends. "I probably have gotten about five or six," he said. Christopher Blue Cain -- the "Blue" is the middle name given to him because his father played golf for the Duke Blue Devils -- had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists Wednesday. Cain knew he was coming close to one on Wednesday by looking the stats on the scoreboard. "Man, he was really big," said guard De'Shayne Montgomery, who scored 12 points. "I looked at the scoreboard and he had 8, 8 and 8. I was like, 'He's got to get that triple double tonight.' He did some really good things today. |
| Diamond Dawgs Set for Seven National Broadcasts | |
| The Southeastern Conference and ESPN have announced the television coverage for the 2025 baseball season, with Mississippi State slated for at least seven appearances on the ESPN family of networks. The SEC schedule opens on March 14 when the Diamond Dawgs host the Texas Longhorns. The third game of the series against the Longhorns will be the Dawgs first time in front of a national audience as they will play at 1 p.m. on the SEC Network. Eleven days later, the Diamond Dawgs head to Baton Rouge, La. to face the Tigers of LSU. The series opener on Thursday night at 7 p.m. on the SEC Network. The next national broadcast will originate from Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium when the Diamond Dawgs host Florida in SEC action. All three games against the Gators will be aired on the ESPN family of networks. Friday night the Dawgs will face the Gators on SEC Network at 7 p.m. The final two games of the series will be seen on ESPN2. April 19 the Dawgs and Gators will square off at 7:30 p.m. for game two and the series will conclude at 1 p.m. on Sunday. When the Maroon and White host Kentucky on May 4, the final game of the series will be aired on National TV. The series finale will be seen on SEC Network with a first pitch of 12 p.m. MSU will close out its national broadcast schedule when they host Ole Miss. The series opener will aired on the SEC Network starting at 7:30 p.m. The final weekend of the regular season will feature a select number of wildcard matchups, with Mississippi State traveling to Missouri, May 15-17 (Thursday-Saturday) for its final three games of the regular season. |
| Softball: Bulldogs Open Season At NFCA Leadoff Classic | |
| Opening Day has arrived. No. 24/25 Mississippi State softball will begin its 2025 campaign in Clearwater, Florida, at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Feb. 7-9. It's a tough season-opening test for the Bulldogs who will face a slate that features four of five opponents ranked in at least one poll. The last time State played in the NFCA Leadoff Classic was the opening weekend of Samantha Ricketts' head coaching tenure in 2020 when MSU went 4-0 and won the event. The Bulldogs return a dozen players, including five starting position players and four pitchers. They are coming off a season that saw them climb as high as No. 11 in one poll, finish sixth in the SEC and return to the NCAA Tournament while setting school records for ranked wins (14) and run-rule victories (15). The Bulldogs will open their home slate at Nusz Park by hosting The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial presented by Newk's Eatery on Feb. 13-16. Mississippi State will welcome Southern Illinois, North Texas, Bradley and Georgia Tech to Starkville, and the Bulldogs are set to play five games over the four-day event. |
| Women's Tennis: Unbeaten Bulldogs Hosting Friday Doubleheader | |
| The doubleheader format has been kind to Mississippi State so far this season. Chris Hooshyar's Bulldogs are off to a 6-0 start following three doubleheader sweeps. MSU has two twin bills remaining before the start of conference play beginning with Memphis (1-5) and Alcorn State (3-5) on Friday inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion at noon and 4 p.m. respectively. Mississippi State leads overall series 20-8 overall against Memphis and is 11-0 in Starkville. The Bulldogs have also won 17 of the last 18 meetings. MSU is a perfect 9-0 against Alcorn State -- all at home -- and have seven shutouts over that span. This year marks the 51st season of women's tennis at Mississippi State after playing its inaugural season in 1975. The Bulldogs have won 495 matches all-time. Memphis assistant coach Daryl Greenan served as MSU's head coach from 2010-23. |
| SEC distributes average of almost $52.6 million to full-year members for 2023-24 fiscal year | |
| The Southeastern Conference distributed an average of almost $52.6 million to the 14 full-year members for the 2023-24 season in a slight increase from the previous year, according to its tax filing. The league announced its revenue figures and released its tax filing Thursday for the fiscal year that ended in August, which included Oklahoma and Texas joining the league in July to expand the SEC to 16 schools. The Sooners and Longhorns each received $27.5 million in what the league described in a news release as "transition payments," accounting for a mix of TV agreements and refundable application fees from a previous fiscal year. Overall, the league reported a slight dip in total revenue, going from about $852.6 million for the 2022-23 season to $839.7 million for 2023-24. Yet the league distributed more money to its full-year members, going from reporting about $718 million for 2022-23 to $790.7 million for 2023-24 when factoring in the partial amounts for Oklahoma and Texas. When looking at the most recent tax filings produced by other power conferences, the SEC's 2023-24 average would trail only the Big Ten, which reported total revenues of $845.6 million with an average payout of $58 million to full members for 2021-22, followed by $879.9 million and $60.3 million for 2022-23. |
| NCAA committee to consider coaches' proposal to combat 'unethical behavior' of fake injuries | |
| A proposed rule change intended to discourage players from faking injuries that prompt unwarranted timeouts will be considered when the NCAA Football Rules Committee meets this month. Feigning injuries, sometimes at the coach's instruction, has become a tactic defenses use to slow down tempo offenses or as a way for an offense to avoid a delay of game penalty or get an extra timeout. The American Football Coaches Association submitted a proposal that would require a player who goes down on the field and receives medical attention to sit out the rest of that possession. Currently, the player must go out for one play before re-entering. "The American Football Coaches Association is acutely concerned about this," AFCA executive director Craig Bohl said. "It goes against the grain of the betterment of our game and the ethics. We crafted this, we floated this, and it's been received well. I'm sure there'll be some pushback. Our point (to detractors) is give us something better if you don't like it." Injuries perceived to be feigned became such a hot topic in the Southeastern Conference last season that commissioner Greg Sankey put out a November memo admonishing teams. "As plainly as it can be stated: Stop any and all activity related to faking injuries to create time-outs," he wrote. The NCAA Football Rules Committee will meet the last week of February in Indianapolis, and the issue will be front and center. |
| Change to new Alabama basketball facility gets approved | |
 | The plans for the future Alabama basketball facility have been modified. The physical properties committee for the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees met Thursday in Birmingham and voted to authorize a modification to plans for the new basketball facility, which is in the process of being built next to Coleman Coliseum. The full board of trustees will meet Friday to officially approve the modification. The modification: a courtyard for the men's players, and a separate courtyard on the other side of the building for women's players. These will be used as gathering areas for players as well as for recruiting purposes. The additions will cost about $500,000, which will be paid from the Crimson Standard capital initiative. The project originally had a price tag of $58.67 million, with about $56.95 million for the upgrades. With the additions of the courtyards, the overall price tag will increase to $59.18 million. The new basketball facility is expected to be completed by 2026. |
| After Trump's Order, the NCAA Bars Transgender Women From Competing in Women's Sports | |
 | College athletes who were male at birth may practice but no longer compete on women's sports teams at colleges governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the organization announced Thursday. The new rules were approved one day after President Trump signed an executive order pushing the Department of Education to rescind funding from educational programs that allow transgender women to compete in women's sports. Before Thursday, the NCAA took a sport-by-sport approach, deferring to sport-specific governing bodies, but the reality was complicated by differing state laws and pending court battles around the gender-equity law known as Title IX. In a statement Wednesday, the NCAA's president, Charlie Baker, said that President Trump's order "provides a clear, national standard." Baker said at a congressional hearing late last year that fewer than 10 out of more than 500,000 athletes on NCAA teams were transgender. And yet some of those few instances have attracted controversy. Lia Thomas, a transgender woman who competed for the University of Pennsylvania's women's swimming team, became a face of the debate when she took first place in an event at the 2022 NCAA Women's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships. Then, last year, several opposing teams scheduled to play the San Jose State University women's volleyball team opted to forfeit instead, in apparent protest of the presence of a transgender player on San Jose State's roster. The Department of Education announced Thursday that it is now investigating the two colleges "for suspected Title IX violations." |
| The revamped Superdome is set to host its 8th Super Bowl after half a century of memorable moments | |
| NFL coach Sean Payton remains a fan of the nearly 50-year-old Superdome, where he paced the home sideline for 15 seasons. "I challenge any venue to age like this one has," Payton, now with the Denver Broncos, said while visiting New Orleans for Super Bowl-related festivities this week. On Sunday, the hulking, 70,000-seat, triple-decker stadium -- an unmistakable figure in the New Orleans skyline with its champagne-colored metallic sheen and hourglass shape -- will host a Super Bowl for the eighth time. Payton surmised the Superdome has housed more special moments in sports history than perhaps any stadium in existence now, "and hopefully more this weekend." Nearly $1 billion has been spent on repairs and upgrades to the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina tore a hole in the roof while the stadium was sheltering thousands of New Orleans residents from the storm on Aug. 29, 2005. About $600 million has been spent to upgrade the dome since it last hosted a Super Bowl in 2013, according to Doug Thornton, an executive vice president for ASM Global, a company which manages sports and entertainment venues around the world, including the state-owned Superdome. Interior ramps were removed and replaced with soaring escalators and modern interior design features that give spacious areas just inside several main entrances the look like modern, upscale hotel lobbies. Fans "want to be able to walk and talk" during games," Thornton said. "Particularly the younger generations that come to the games, they want to hang out with their friends." |
| New Orleans Needs an Economic Win. It's Betting on the Super Bowl. | |
| Welcome banners are temporarily covering broken windows on a blighted skyscraper and vacant lots downtown. The hosts of this weekend's Super Bowl are looking for a more lasting fix. Long plagued by natural disasters, infrastructure issues and high crime, New Orleans' economy has fallen behind that of other major southern cities such as Houston and Atlanta that it once eclipsed. No other U.S. metro area with at least 500,000 people saw a bigger population decline between 2020 and 2023. And a deadly New Year's vehicle-ramming attack that terrified visitors on Bourbon Street showed the risks of the city's heavy reliance on tourism. Federal authorities are beefing up security for the high-profile game. At the same time, local officials are trying to use this weekend to show that New Orleans offers more than a crowded bar. "We have embraced the party in the front, and neglected the business in the back part of the mullet," said Susan Bonnett Bourgeois, secretary of Louisiana's economic development department. "Our laissez-faire attitude got us into the position of having to fight to get it all back." New Orleans' economy has struggled on and off since the oil bust of the 1980s drove away many of its largest employers. The city's population of 364,136 as of 2023 remains well below where it stood when Hurricane Katrina struck two decades ago. |
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