| Monday, February 24, 2025 |
| Theatre MSU debuts spring semester with 'Medea' and 'She Kills Monsters' | |
 | Mississippi State University's Theatre MSU opens its spring season with productions of "Medea" and "She Kills Monsters," showcasing the two most popular genres of theater -- tragedy and comedy. "Medea," running Feb. 26 through March 1, 7:30 p.m., and March 2, 2 p.m., is directed by senior Kylie Alyse Dowd of Clinton in her directorial debut. Dowd, a fine arts major, brings a fresh perspective to a bold reimagining of the Greek tragedy. "'Medea' is a gripping Greek tragedy by Euripides that delves into themes of love, betrayal and vengeance," Dowd said. "Set in a timeless and placeless context, the story follows Medea, a woman who has sacrificed her homeland and family for the love of her husband, Jason. When Jason abandons Medea for a younger, wealthier bride, Medea's world shatters." Closing out the spring semester, "She Kills Monsters" runs April 23 to 26, 7:30 p.m., and April 27, 2 p.m. Bringing Dungeons and Dragons to life through humor, the play follows Agnes Evans as she embarks on a journey of discovery after finding her late sister Tilly's D&D notebook. "They'll see some awesome puppets, some swords clashing, and some monsters get what's coming to them," said Jesse Wade, play director and an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Communication. |
| MSU hosts lecture for high school students interested in agriculture | |
 | Mississippi State University is hosting the Mississippi Youth Institute. It gives high school students more insight into the future of food security and careers in agriculture. MSU brought in industry experts to give high school students a look at some of the latest trends and career opportunities in the field of Agriculture. Organizers also hope they are shaping the next generation of leaders in fighting world hunger. MSU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences hosted its annual World Food Prize Mississippi Youth Institute. Students involved with the Youth Institute research and write essays exploring solutions to global food insecurity. They also take part in short discussions and group presentations and learn about careers in Agriculture. One thing they're learning is that the global problem of food insecurity is also a local one. "We have food insecure families here in the state of Mississippi but we also want to think about how the things we do here can impact other populations globally as well," Scott Willard said. "Our food web is interconnected whether you are in Mississippi or you are halfway around the world." |
| Local organizations come together to plant trees in Starkville | |
| Organizations come together to plant trees at the Partnership Middle School in Starkville. 225 trees will be planted on the side of the building. Mississippi State, campus organizations, the city of Starkville, Starkville Utilities, Tennessee Valley Authority, and others made the project happen. This is all part of an Arbor Day celebration. East Red Cedar, Arizona Cypress, and Carolina Sapphire are among the trees planted. A fun fact about Arbor Day in Mississippi is that it's celebrated earlier in February due to it being the ideal time to plant trees in the state. |
| Black History Month event to include documentary showing, panel discussion about Starkville school integration | |
| The Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library has booked a free showing and panel discussion Monday about the history of school integration for Black History Month. The documentary is "Mississippi Turning: The Pivotal Role of School Desegregation in a Southern Town" by Walt Geisen. Produced when Giesen was a sophomore at Starkville High School, it went on to place eighth nationally in Washington, D.C.'s National History Day film competition. The event has been organized by the Oktibbeha County Unity Park Committee, whose member Rex Buffington will join Geisen, Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn and local education Bob Fuller for the panel discussion afterward. It is open to the public and starts at 6 p.m., when it will begin with refreshments and fellowship. The movie showing will begin at roughly 6:30 p.m., moving on to the panel discussion once the 10-minute documentary has finished. |
| 'Needmore was Needmore. It was all of us. Not one of us.' | |
| Even though John "Bud" Milton Hall only had an elementary school education, he never let it stop him from taking care of his family or the Needmore community as an entrepreneur. Starting out selling barbecue sandwiches out of the back of his car, he eventually was able to open his own cafe, which all of his children grew up working in. Now, Hall's story is prominently featured in the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum's "Faces and Places of Needmore" exhibit -- honoring the lives that made up one of Starkville's earliest Black neighborhoods. Two of Hall's children, King Hall and Joanne Potts Hall, told The Dispatch his story Wednesday. "It was such a remarkable story when we reflected on what all dad did, with basically no or very little formal education," Potts said. "He was one of the few Black entrepreneurs in Starkville way back in the '40s, and really before then." |
| Starkville purchases blankets for EV fires | |
 | The Starkville Fire Department recently purchased special blankets to extinguish electric vehicle fires. EV fires are especially difficult to extinguish because the vehicle's battery pack is sealed and waterproof. The battery's chemicals can also continue to produce oxygen even when it's soaked in water. So it can take a lot of water to extinguish a blaze. So the fire department purchased two of the coverings. Firefighters can use a blanket up to five times before replacing it. "For anything to burn it has to have heat, it has to have fuel and it has to have oxygen," Training Chief Brian Arnett explained. "What we found with the blanket is we've found a way to exclude the oxygen and remove the oxygen from that triangle. We can't get water on it so the best way to at least temporarily slow that process is to cover it and exclude oxygen and that's what it's allowing us to do. It's just another way to manage that." The fire department plans to buy more blankets soon. |
| Filmmakers and movie lovers gather for 28th MAG film festival | |
| Anxious anticipation filled the air at UEC Starkville Theater Thursday night as festival organizers and volunteers hurried through rooms, distributing ballots to eager audience members. Meanwhile, laughter and clinking of pink champagne flutes echoed from the VIP room, where filmmakers and attendees mingled before making their way into Theater Room 3. As the lights dimmed and the crowd fell silent, the excitement was palpable. Applause filled the room as the screen flickered to life. The 28th annual Magnolia Independent Film Festival had officially begun. "We have filmmakers from all over the country who have come, and the glory in that is that we all speak a common language," first-year board president Thomas Easterling said. "When we fall into these moments, it's like getting to relive the things you love most about film." Although it has grown, Easterling said the heart of the festival has never changed. "What gives me joy is walking into the theater after a show has started and looking up at the people watching the movies," Easterling said. "It's like introducing a kid to something you've always loved. Being able to share in that magic is a wonderful thing." |
| Can Downtown Jackson return to former glory? New executive gives a roadmap to success | |
 | Liz Brister has been a proponent of Jackson in many ways over the years. These days, she is looking for ways to help create a renaissance for downtown, as she has taken over as president of Downtown Jackson Partners. She replaces John Gomez, who left the same position last May after 19 years with the organization. She comes into a job where Downtown Jackson has been stagnant for several years, but believes there is room for hope in the future. That hope may have some standing. Just this week, it was announced that New Jersey developer Kumar Bhavanasi, who owns 35 shopping developments throughout the nation, has purchased The Pinnacle Building and the old Deposit Guaranty Building in Downtown Jackson over the past five months, including the Pinnacle Building three weeks ago. Those and possibly more announcements to come have Brister brimming with belief in what can be for the area. "We have to look forward to what this can be because downtowns across the country are changing," she said. "It's a whole new definition of what downtown is and what it means to a community." |
| 2025 National Governors Association Winter Meeting | |
 | On Friday, President Donald Trump welcomed governors from across the country to Washington, D.C., for the 2025 National Governors Association Winter Meeting. It gave governors, like Mississippi's Tate Reeves, a chance to discuss many possible policies with President Trump's cabinet and ways federal and state governments can work together. "Having that direct line of communication to the President, his cabinet secretaries, his direct reports, is incredibly important to governors because many of the issues that are being discussed today are going to have real impacts on the states," Governor Reeves said. For the meeting, Governor Reeves said conversations started around the border. They then discussed education, which Reeves noted the strides Mississippi has made over the years in improving the education system. Other topics discussed included agriculture, federal spending, and federal government overreach. |
| Cuts to USAID hurt American agricultural research | |
| There's another casualty from the Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development: Funding for agriculture research at 17 labs at U.S. universities is now frozen. The labs are laying off workers, and some research is on hold. David Hughes got the stop work order from USAID at the end of January. Hughes is director of the USAID Innovation Lab on Current and Emerging Threats to Crops at Penn State and was helping farmers in Africa fight a caterpillar that eats corn. "And that can cause damages and losses to yield between 10% to 40% per year -- it depends," he said. "And we had scaled up an incredibly successful tool." The tool? A type of small, parasitic wasp that eats the caterpillars. Hughes' lab got a grant of up to $39 million from USAID and used part of the money to mass produce and release the caterpillar-killing wasps. But that money was frozen as part of a 90-day review period. Hughes' lab had to stop work in five African countries and laid off 40 to 50 local staffers. Hughes said it's good to try to root out waste at USAID and thinks too much money is spent on consultants --- but he doesn't want research funding cut. He said more money should go toward science, which can help American farmers. |
| Judge Lets Trump Administration Resume Wind-Down of USAID Operations | |
 | A judge on Friday allowed the Trump administration to resume its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, saying employees weren't facing harms so severe as to justify a halt on White House efforts to overhaul the agency. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols lifted a previous order that had blocked some of the administration's efforts to place staffers on administrative leave and recall nearly all of the agency's foreign aid workers posted abroad. The order rejected a bid for an injunction sought by two unions that represent employees of USAID, who sued over the rapid cuts in the early days of Trump's second term. Nichols, a Trump appointee, found "that the risk posed to USAID employees who are placed on administrative leave while stationed abroad -- if there is any -- is far more minimal than it initially appeared." The judge's 26-page ruling said the administration had made several commitments since the start of the litigation that eased his concerns about the safety and treatment of workers. |
| Putin Should Be Imprisoned 'If Not Executed,' Sen. Wicker Says, Defending Ukraine as Trump Administration Pulls Back | |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin "is a war criminal who should be in jail for the rest of his life, if not executed," says U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican. The comment comes at a time when the leader of his own party, President Donald Trump, is seeking a cozier relationship with the Russian dictator while alienating and harshly criticizing U.S. allies, including Ukraine. Wicker made the remark in a Feb. 18 interview with CNN's Manu Raju. Days earlier, the senator expressed "surprise" and said he was "disturbed" and "puzzled" after Trump-appointed U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that returning to Ukraine's pre-war borders was "unrealistic." During that interview, Wicker also rejected the idea that the Trump administration could negotiate an end to the war with Russia without Ukraine's leaders present. "I don't know what the scheme is," he said, saying Ukraine needs to be part of the negotiations for a "fair result." Wicker has emerged as one of the highest-ranking Republicans to speak forcefully in favor of supporting Ukraine. |
| How a U.S. President Pivoted Toward Russia | |
| When President Trump met Russia's Vladimir Putin for their first bilateral summit, in the Finnish capital of Helsinki in July 2018, the two men cloistered themselves for hours with no advisers present. Once they emerged to a packed news conference, Trump tossed a gift from the Russian president -- a soccer ball meant for Trump's son Barron -- to the front row where America's senior-most officials sat. Trump then stunned his team by saying he believed Putin, and not America's own intelligence services, about whether Russia interfered in the 2016 elections that brought him to power. At the time, the public outcry in Washington -- including by the Republican leadership in Congress and his own aides on Air Force One -- forced Trump to change course within 24 hours. Soon, new sanctions against Russia went into effect. Openly embracing Russia was still toxic at the time. Those guardrails -- in Congress or inside the administration -- barely exist today. "Ukraine is viewed as bad by the base of the party," said Marc Short, a longtime top adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence. "I don't think as much of the Republican Senate cares anymore," Short added, of standing up for Ukraine and countering Putin. |
| Firing of Joint Chiefs Chairman and Others Draws Criticism | |
 | Democrats and some former members of the military reacted with anger and sadness to the dismissal of Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arguing it was part of a political purge of military officers by President Trump. On Friday evening, Mr. Trump announced he would replace General Brown with a little-known retired Air Force three-star general, Dan Caine. Mr. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have promised to fire "woke" officers and instead promote officers steeped in a "warrior culture." Five other Pentagon officials were also fired that evening. While Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said he was confident Mr. Trump would choose a "qualified and capable successor," he offered no specific praise of General Caine, and said General Brown had served honorably. John R. Bolton, a national security adviser to Mr. Trump in his first term who himself became a target of the president's retribution, said the firing had been a mistake and would serve to politicize the American armed forces. "This is the retribution campaign at work," Mr. Bolton said in a telephone interview on Saturday. |
| House Republicans ready to roll the dice on budget blueprint | |
 | House Republican leaders are barreling ahead with a vote early next week on their all-in-one budget framework designed to knock out a huge swath of President Donald Trump's legislative priorities in one filibuster-proof basket. But they head into the vote on the fiscal 2025 budget resolution, currently expected Tuesday, on shaky ground, with resistance from various factions that make it difficult to see how they can adopt the reconciliation blueprint. They can lose just one GOP vote, assuming no Democrats support it and all members vote. The current strategy on House Republican leaders' part appears to be to sell it as a mere procedural vote, simply to unlock the ability to ram through a partisan package over Democrats' objections. Plus, Trump wants it. But Trump himself continues to send mixed messages. After the Senate adopted its competing budget plan early Friday morning, which would carve out defense, border and energy policies for quick action but leave tax cuts for later, Trump said he was open to it. "It gives you optionality," Trump said on Fox News' Brian Kilmeade radio show, adopting language used by Senate Majority Leader John Thune earlier in the week. |
| Trump and Musk aren't the first to make deep cuts. Clinton-era Reinventing Government saved billions | |
 | A new administration swept into Washington and announced plans to shake it up, using corporate know-how and new technology to streamline the federal bureaucracy. It offered millions of government employees buyouts and slashed costs to balance the budget. It might sound like the controversial cost-cutting push led by billionaire Elon Musk under the auspices of Republican President Donald Trump. But the biggest effort to overhaul the federal government in modern history actually was 30 years ago under a Democratic administration. It was then-President Bill Clinton's " Reinventing Government " initiative, under the control of his vice president, Al Gore. Musk himself has recently tried to associate himself with the Clinton effort. But the Reinventing Government project was nearly the opposite of the abrupt, chaotic Musk effort, say those who ran it or watched it unfold. It was authorized by bipartisan congressional legislation, worked slowly over several years to identify inefficiencies and involved federal workers in re-envisioning their jobs. "There was a tremendous effort put into understanding what should happen and what should change," said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, which seeks to improve the federal workforce. "What is happening now is actually taking us backwards." |
| After mass layoffs, some federal agencies are trying to bring employees back | |
 | Thousands of federal workers are losing their jobs as part of the Trump administration's efforts to drastically downsize the government. To add to the confusion, some employees have received termination notices only to have their firings reversed within days or even hours. This effort by the informal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) --- the cross-agency team tasked by President Trump to slash federal spending -- is not the first to try to downsize the federal government. Nick Bednar, an associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota who specializes in executive branch politics, says that what makes this moment different is how quickly and indiscriminately the layoffs are happening. A number of agencies appear to be trying to reinstate employees they just fired. That's been the case for dozens of workers at agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). "Part of the problem is that a lot of these political appointees don't necessarily know what these programs are or what they're designed to do," Bednar says. "Things break almost immediately when these employees leave, and so you have to call them back." |
| Republican senator urges Musk to show 'compassion' toward workers | |
 | Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) pushed back on Elon Musk's approach to downsizing the federal workforce on Sunday, saying the efforts of DOGE, Musk's initiative, need to include "compassion" for the workers. "If I could say one thing to Elon Musk it's: Please put a dose of compassion in this," Curtis said on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It's a false narrative to say we have to cut and be cruel to do it as well." Curtis' statements were a critique of Elon Musk's aggressive approach to reduce the federal government as leader of DOGE, which has included calling for the downsizing or termination of federal agencies and seeking access to sensitive government databases. In his latest move, federal employees received an email Saturday requesting an explanation for what they accomplished in their roles over the past week. In a post on X, Musk said a lack of response would be taken as a resignation. "It's not unusual in a corporate setting to have people report and explain what they're doing, especially if they're working from home," Curtis said, referring to the email. "But I will double down on the fact that we don't need to be so cold and hard, and let's put a little compassion and dignity in this as well." |
| Key federal agencies refuse to comply with Musk's latest demand | |
| Key U.S. agencies, including the FBI, State Department and the Pentagon, have instructed their employees not to comply with cost-cutting chief Elon Musk's demand that federal workers explain what they accomplished last week -- or risk losing their jobs. That resistance has intensified a pervasive sense of chaos and confusion, while highlighting a potential power struggle among President Donald Trump's allies, that is affecting federal employees across the country as a new workweek is about to begin. Musk's team sent an email to hundreds of thousands of federal employees on Saturday giving them roughly 48 hours to report five specific things they had accomplished last week. In a separate message on X, Musk said any employee who failed to respond by the deadline -- set in the email as 11:59 p.m. EST Monday -- would lose their job. Democrats and even some Republicans were critical of Musk's unusual directive, which came just hours after Trump encouraged him on social media to "get more aggressive." The president posted a meme on his social media network mocking federal employees. The Sunday post featured a cartoon character writing a list of accomplishments from the previous week led by, "Cried about Trump," "Cried about Elon," "Made it into the office for once," and "Read some emails." |
| The young techies behind DOGE are a lightning rod for criticism but also a youth magnet for the GOP | |
| To those concerned about billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk's access to sensitive government data, his tear-it-down band of young techies doing that work is an unregulated threat to privacy. The view on the right is much different. Voices influential in conservative politics describe the crew of engineers, most of whom are in their early 20s, as among the world's best minds sent to save the U.S. government from bureaucratic bloat. It comes at a moment when young progressives have criticized the Democratic Party for sidelining them and as the party's hold on younger voters is slipping, particularly among young men. Republicans are using the contrasting images as a marketing strategy. Charlie Kirk, founder of the group Turning Point, which has organized voter turnout efforts for Republicans, called them "young prodigies" and "all-stars" with IQs that "would melt the charts." Republicans' elevation of Musk's engineers is a reflection of how they were able to chip away at the younger demographic in last year's election. For Alex Dwyer, the 28-year-old chairman of the Kansas Federation of Young Republicans, watching the celebration of the young DOGE crew has been exciting after spending much of his adulthood feeling that young people were being overlooked in the workplace and in government. |
| Larry Ellison's Half-Billion-Dollar Quest to Change Farming Has Been a Bust | |
| In a row of six greenhouses on a remote stretch of the Hawaiian island of Lanai, Larry Ellison is trying to use his golden touch in tech to remake the way people around the world eat. The company behind his effort, Sensei Ag, is eight years in the making and has cost the world's fourth-richest person more than half a billion dollars -- far more than he spent buying the island itself. Early on, Ellison touted cutting-edge technology that would modernize agriculture, make a big impact for society and eventually help grow food in places such as Africa. The billionaire has told executives he sees the project as part of his legacy. So far, it's mostly been a bust. Little of the revolutionary tech the company has extolled -- sensors to monitor development, artificial intelligence to breed crop varieties and robots to harvest plants -- is being used, according to people familiar with Sensei. The 80-year-old Ellison and his Sensei Ag co-founder, celebrity doctor David Agus, envisioned the farm as an ambitious tech venture that would use new techniques for growing tastier, nutrient-rich crops. Far from feeding the world, its crops of lettuce and cherry tomatoes are only enough to supply the few groceries and restaurants on Lanai and at spots around Hawaii. |
| MUW, county and city leaders to discuss future of MSMS at Monday press conference | |
| A press conference set for Monday may provide some insight into the local fight to keep Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science at Mississippi University for Women. MUW President Nora Miller will hold a joint press conference with Mayor Keith Gaskin and Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Trip Hairston to discuss the importance of keeping MSMS at The W, according to a media advisory sent to The Dispatch. The conference is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at City Hall. The location of MSMS was called into question during the 2024 legislative session when a bill proposed relocating the school to Mississippi State University. Earlier this month, the State Board of Education restarted that conversation by asking the two universities to submit proposals to house and operate MSMS. Based on the proposals, which are due by Tuesday, the board will develop a recommendation to the Legislature about where the school should be located to ensure future growth. |
| Music by Women Festival returns to The W | |
| Mississippi University for Women will host the ninth annual Music by Women Festival March 6-8. Housed in The W's historic Poindexter Hall, the festival will feature 15 concerts featuring music, both new and historic, written by female composers. Concerts will begin at 10 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. all three days. In addition to W faculty and students, the performers come from institutions of higher education both domestically and internationally. Some institutions represented include Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Arkansas State University, Louisiana State University, The University of Montevallo, The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, The Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, Auburn University and Florida State University, to name a few. The festival is supported, in part, by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. |
| Faculty compete with students for parking spots | |
 | While there are 2,651 designated faculty-staff parking spots available, the University of Mississippi issued 3,155 faculty and staff parking passes for the 2024-2025 academic year, according to Director of Parking and Transportation Samuel Patterson. This means that 504 permit holders could be left without a place to park at any time. To ensure every parking spot is being utilized throughout the day, it is common for the university to sell a higher number of parking passes than spaces available. For every designated student parking space on campus, two student parking passes are sold. Jonathan Winburn, a political science professor, was unable to find parking in time for his 11 a.m. class after circling lots for 40 minutes. "There are a couple lots that are my 'secret lots' that usually have spots," Winburn said. "When I went to those, there were students circling trying to get spots, and traffic was so bad trying to get to other lots." After 40 minutes of looking for a spot, Winburn had to cancel his next class. He said that was the first time he had to do so and that parking has gotten worse over the last few years. |
| IHL approves new degree paths, USM's teacher residency program | |
| Six new degree paths and a center to assist with Mississippi's teacher shortage were created by the Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning during Thursday's meeting. The IHL Board also elected Dr. Steven Cunningham as its new vice president. Cunningham became part of the IHL Board in May 2018, representing the 2nd Supreme Court District. He was appointed by former Governor Phil Bryant. His term runs until May 2027. Cunningham is a board-certified diagnostic radiologist and current president of the Comprehensive Radiology Services PLLC in Hattiesburg. A native of Columbus, he has been a Hattiesburg resident for the past 11 years. ... The IHL Board also approved changes to two other USM degree paths for students struggling to complete their doctorate in nursing degree. The Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner degree and Master of Science in Nursing in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing will be housed under the College of Nursing and Health Professions, School of Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice. These degree paths will allow students seeking a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree in those areas to move to a master's degree capable of providing job placement if they find the path to the DNP degree to be out of reach for whatever reason. |
| Mississippi College president weighs in on incoming bicentennial, decision to change school's name | |
| As part of a historic bicentennial celebration, Mississippi College will be moving forward with changing its name to Mississippi Christian University in 2026. Dr. Blake Thompson, the school's president, recently sat down with us to share details on what will be a new era for the state's longest-standing institution of higher learning. "There will be a celebration, a birthday party we will have at some point, and we will have the actual name change take place, so we will commemorate that," Thompson said. According to Thompson, for decades, there have been persistent conversations about the transition from Mississippi College to Mississippi Christian University. The shift aims to better reflect the institution's Christian mission and emphasize its wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, which puts MC in the "university" category. "Mississippi Christian University makes all kinds of sense. We can keep the MC logo -- I'm very proud of that logo," Thompson expressed, "We will be known as Mississippi Christian most likely, but I love is that we get to keep the name 'Mississippi.' We have been rooted deeply in this state for 200 years, I do feel like we serve the state of Mississippi." |
| Meridian Community College holds ceremony for their 2025 Humanities Teacher of the Year | |
 | Meridian Community College held a ceremony Friday for their 2025 Humanities Teacher of the Year. This ceremony presents the teacher with their award, then allows them to give a presentation on a topic that means a lot to them. Amanda Thompson, MCC's 2025 Humanities teacher of the year, gave a presentation on the Holocaust, and the "Stories that Save Us." Thompson said it's important to reflect on the past and keep it in mind as we look ahead to the future. The Holocaust and World War 2 ended 80 years ago. That's so very long ago, and there's not many witnesses or people who lived through it left in the world, ″ said Thompson. "It's a way to remind ourselves that we don't know at all, and if we continue to turn from God, we'll forget our humanity. A nation that forgets God will forget its own humanity." This award is also funded in part by the Mississippi Humanities Council. |
| Pearl River Community College Forrest County campus buys 11 acres of land | |
 | The Forrest County campus of Pearl River Community College is growing. PRCC recently purchased 11 acres of land adjoining the school's current footprint in Forrest County. The school paid $130,000 for the property, which is situated on the east side of campus. Administrators are looking at how that new land can be used. "We've put our (Emergency Medical Technicians)/Paramedic program on that side of campus, and, so, we made need to put some resources in place for the students that we've added to that side of campus," said Jana Causey, PRCC Forrest County campus vice president. "So, we know we have the need and so, now we've got to develop a plan, so that we can decide exactly what is the best use of that property." Causey said with the new purchase, the Forrest County campus now has just more than 70 acres of land. |
| MGCCC Harrison County Campus showcases 21st century CTE programs for high school students to pursue | |
 | Friday morning, an invitation to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College gave students a chance to learn about 50 fields of study. A few months shy of high school graduation, hundreds of students spent the day exploring career options to study right here on the Coast. Nehemiah Barnett from Harrison Central High School will get his diploma in May. He plans to pursue mechanical engineering at MGCCC. "Right now, I'm in my second year of my engineering program; we do stuff like CAD, 3D printing, and all that stuff," Barnett said. "I feel like that's big and up and coming," Barnett said, referencing the rise of Career and Technical Studies. "Another way to do stuff instead of going to college and the typical stuff." Dr. Brad Bailey is the college's Associate Vice President of Enrollment Strategy and Communication. He says these are great careers with a rewarding salary to match. |
| Mississippi graduation rate continues to exceed national average | |
| The Mississippi Department of Education released the state's 2023-24 school-year graduation rate showing 89.2 percent of high schoolers finished with their diplomas while the state's dropout rate sits at 8.5 percent. Compared to the previous school year, Mississippi's dropout rate stayed the same while the graduation rate decreased slightly by 0.2 percentage points. Mississippi's graduation rate exceeded the latest national rate of 86.6 percent from 2021-22 reported by the National Center for Education Statistics Over the last decade, Mississippi's ratings have made tremendous improvements. In 2013, the state's graduation rate was 74.5 percent while the dropout rate was 13.9 percent. "With a graduation rate of 89.2%, Mississippi continues to surpass the national average and demonstrate the dedication and hard work of our school communities," said Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education, in a statement. "We are committed to providing the support and resources needed to help every student succeed. Our progress over the past decade is a testament to the resilience and determination of our students, teachers, and families." |
| U. of Alabama spends $75 million on student services, pickleball courts | |
 | The University of Alabama System board of trustees unanimously approved multiple construction items for the Tuscaloosa campus on Feb. 7. The projects include a new student service center, a training facility and a pickleball recreational expansion. The board approved construction by Harrison Construction of the new University of Alabama's Student Well-Being Hub. The 82,500-square foot space costs $59.9 million and is located on the Bryce campus south of Kilgore Lane. The board approved the architects for a 19,746 square-foot Reserve Officers Training Corps facility and student veterans center. Seay, Seay, & Litchfield Architects will build the $12.7 million center near McFarland Boulevard and Campus Drive. Undergraduate admissions will move from Houser Hall on Seventh Avenue to the Student Services Center at 751 Campus Drive. The university says 12,800 square feet of space on the second floor will be renovated to accommodate the admissions and scholarships teams. UA president Stuart Bell said this will allow student visitors to meet with recruiters and financial aid representatives. Due to high demand and long wait times, the board approved up to 10 new pickleball courts for the existing Parker-Haun Tennis facility at 550 Peter Bryce Boulevard. |
| How U.S. education changes could impact K-12 and higher education in Alabama | |
| While national leaders have pledged to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, Alabama education officials are monitoring developments. State Superintendent Eric Mackey earlier this month said abolishing the department is a possibility, if Congress wants to act. "These pervasive rumors about Congress getting involved and actually shutting down the Department of Education -- that takes 60 votes in the Senate and it takes the majority of the House," Mackey said to reporters after the Feb. 13 state board of education meeting. "And we just haven't heard that the Congress really wants to do that and completely reorganize the cabinet." Mackey has been following discussions about a possible reorganization of the department, including the possibility that some of its responsibilities currently could be shifted to other agencies. Nothing concrete has emerged. While not directly impacting funding to Alabama's K-12 schools, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is making sweeping changes, including temporarily freezing federal grants, laying off thousands of federal employees, canceling research contracts and ending long-running data collection programs. These shifts have raised concerns within Alabama's higher education community. Jim Purcell, director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, said the most immediate impact could be on research funding. "From what can be seen now, the biggest impact may be with contracts that our research universities have through the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Health," Purcell told Alabama Daily News. |
| LSU passes new free speech policy after new Louisiana law; some students raise concerns | |
 | LSU's Board of Supervisors on Friday approved a new, five-page policy establishing rules for free speech on campus -- a change that comes amid two high-profile controversies over what professors should be allowed to say in class. The university said the policy is necessary to comply with a law the Louisiana Legislature passed last year requiring higher education institutions to establish policies protecting free expression. But some students raised concerns that the policy was vague and limited student and faculty freedom of speech. LSU's Board of Supervisors implemented a new free speech policy on Feb. 21, 2025. Student Zane Sutor-Benfield, 20, said the policy weakened First Amendment protections, pointing to specific language changes in the policy. "LSU prides itself on upholding of free expression and believes that a culture of intense inquiry and informed argument generates lasting ideas," the university's policy passed in 2018 stated. The same sentence from the new policy says "LSU strives to ensure the fullest degree of protection for the political views and freedom of association of its students, faculty, staff, and invited guests." Sutor-Benfield argued those types of changes "build together to weaken free speech." |
| High winds toppled famous Iron Horse statue and UGA seeks an answer | |
 | High winds recently managed to blow over the 12-foot tall statue called the Iron Horse at its roadside location in Greene County. The statue, which became a landmark along Georgia Highway 15 for thousands of motorists over the years, was recently refurbished and reinstalled in December at the Iron Horse Plant Sciences Farm owned by the University of Georgia. But less than three months later it fell off its pedestal, pushed by the hand of nature. "We are aware that high winds toppled the Iron Horse Statue," UGA spokesman Greg Trevor said this week. "The conservator has assessed the sculpture and determined that damage is minimal. We are awaiting an explanation from the conservator on why the Iron Horse was not securely reinstalled." UGA is working to have the sculpture created in 1954 put back in place on its pedestal, according to Trevor. The location is about 25 miles south of Athens. |
| Texas A&M's GAN Lab proves there's more to manure than meets the eye | |
 | Over the last three decades, South Texas cattle producer Bob McCan has discovered more about his rangeland and pasture conditions from analyzing manure than any academic paper or ranch consultation could provide. McCan is one of many producers nationwide who rely on Texas A&M AgriLife Research's Grazingland Animal Nutrition Lab (GAN Lab), to transform manure analysis into actionable insights. By providing precise data on forage quality and livestock nutritional demands, the lab empowers producers to make informed decisions that improve efficiency, enhance land stewardship and reduce costs. "We're able to see the level of nutrition our cattle are getting throughout the year and tailor our supplemental programs -- whether that be vitamin and mineral packages or additional feeding," McCan said. "This helps us to better forecast management needs and optimize efficiency on the ranch." This ability to connect science to practical stewardship has been a cornerstone of the GAN Lab since its inception, said Doug Tolleson, director of the lab and AgriLife Research associate professor in the Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management in Sonora. |
| What if Trump, Musk cuts hit ORNL and Y-12? Oak Ridge leaders plan for 'existential crisis' | |
 | What would happen if the U.S. Department of Energy packed up and left Oak Ridge? That was the unthinkable thought experiment conducted in 2022 by Oak Ridge City Councilmember Sean Gleason, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Roane County Executive Wade Creswell. Gleason, a former U.S. Marine and the CEO and president of an Oak Ridge-based national security company, had watched the city of Huntsville work to diversify its workforce after a large Army base was placed on a list of sites for new missions following the end of the Cold War. Their 2022 discussions led to the creation of the Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation last year, which seeks to attract private nuclear companies to reduce the risk of federal spending cuts dealing a blow to the Secret City. Their timing couldn't have been better. The trio say they have no signs of imminent cuts to the budgets or collective workforce of more than 17,000 people across Oak Ridge National Laboratory, United Cleanup Oak Ridge and the Y-12 National Security Complex, but the possibility is real now that President Donald Trump has given billionaire Elon Musk license to slash federal spending. |
| Amid Federal Upheaval, a Pell Shortfall Looms | |
 | Amid all the chaos and upheaval for federal higher education policy, the Pell Grant program is running out of money. In January, the Congressional Budget Office projected a $2.7 billion budget shortfall for the program next fiscal year, its first shortfall in over a decade. By fiscal year 2026–27, the CBO projects that the program will be short $10 billion unless Congress puts more money toward the grants. The Pell Grant provides need-based federal financial aid for more than 30 percent of American college students. College access advocates have worried for years about the program's financial health and warn that without a funding increase, low-income students will lose essential funding that already fails to keep up with rising tuition costs and inflation. Because the Pell shortfall isn't in the official spending baseline yet, it won't need to be addressed by the March 14 deadline to pass a federal budget. But Rachel Fishman, director of the higher education program at the left-leaning think tank New America, said Congress will need to act sometime before Sept. 30, the start of fiscal year 2026. She added that if Congress doesn't make up for the funding gap, "the impact could be vast." |
| USDA suspends 1890 Scholars Program for HBCU students | |
| A federal scholarship aimed at boosting students from underserved and rural areas attending historically Black colleges and universities has been put on hold. The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended the 1890 Scholars Program, which provided recipients with full tuition and fees for students studying agriculture, food or natural resource sciences at one of 19 universities, known as the 1890 land grant institutions. It's not clear exactly when the program was suspended, but some members of Congress first issued statements criticizing the suspension of the program on Thursday. "The 1890 Scholars Program has been suspended pending further review," the Department of Agriculture said in a post on the program's website. A spokesperson for the department said Saturday in an email to The Associated Press that "every scholar -- over 300 -- regardless of matriculation date, was retained to finish their studies and complete their work with the Department." The spokesperson added that Secretary Brooke Rollins will review the scholarship program, its mission and its metrics to ensure taxpayer resources are used efficiently. The scholarship program dates to 1992, but 1890 in the title refers to the Second Morrill Act of 1890. |
| Judge Extends Pause on Trump Administration's Controversial Cap on NIH Funding | |
 | In a highly anticipated hearing, a federal judge on Friday extended a pause on the indirect-funding cap announced in early February by the National Institutes of Health. The initial pause, which came in the wake of three lawsuits opposing a new 15-percent cap on indirect costs, was set to expire Monday. It will now last until Judge Angel Kelley, of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, decides whether to issue an injunction. The stay provided a measure of relief to researchers who have mounted fierce objections to the cap, in the form of campus protests, posts on social media, letters to Congress, and, through supporters and other allies, in the courts. They say the funding cuts would have disastrous implications for university budgets, public health, and the American research enterprise. As Kelley, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, weighs whether to grant an injunction, academic science remains in limbo. |
| Scientists warn of long-term damage as Trump's orders slow research | |
 | Vaughn Cooper, a microbiologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was elated last October when his proposal to study the microbes that colonize catheters received an outstanding score from a panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health. Cooper and his collaborator, Chelsie Armbruster at the University of Buffalo, hoped to improve treatments for people, particularly the elderly, who develop urinary tract infections after prolonged catheter use. A high score from the expert panel meant their grant application was almost certain to be funded by NIH. But then Donald Trump returned to the White House, and following a rash of executive orders, Cooper is today in the same position as thousands of scientists across the country: stymied, uncertain, on hold. NIH advisers have been unable to meet and recommend funding for research grants like Cooper's because the Trump administration has blocked the agency's ability to announce meetings in the Federal Register, despite a judge's temporary ruling that ordered resumption of funding. Such Federal Register notices are required before these advisory councils can meet or reschedule. |
| Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump's Anti-DEI Orders | |
| A federal judge on Friday issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking much of the Trump administration's sweeping effort to stamp out diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and policies nationwide. U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson, a Biden nominee, found that two executive orders Trump issued on the first two days of his administration were likely unconstitutionally vague and appeared to violate free-speech protections. The administration, he said, must not pause, terminate, or change federal contracts or grants it considers equity-related while a lawsuit filed by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors, and others moves forward. Friday's opinion is likely to energize proponents of diversity initiatives who have struggled to mobilize resistance to Trump's aggressive efforts to dismantle DEI efforts nationwide. The injunction also temporarily blocks the Trump administration from requiring grantees and contractors to "certify" that they aren't in any way promoting DEI. |
| College student groups based on race, ethnicity could be in jeopardy under Trump | |
 | The future of college student groups based on race or ethnicity could be in jeopardy. As the Trump administration ramps up its efforts against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the Department of Education (DOE) is signaling that it will seek to expand the Supreme Court's ruling forbidding affirmative action in college admissions to all aspects of campus life, potentially going after organizations such as Black fraternities or honor societies, which are found at most schools. At her Senate confirmation hearing last week, Education Secretary-nominee Linda McMahon, who saw her nomination advance on Thursday, would not say if race-based groups -- such as Yale University's Black Student Alliance or the Latino Business Association at the University of California at Santa Barbara -- would be safe under her department. Proponents of abolishing student groups based on race say freedom of association applies on an individual level, such as Latino students seeking to gather on their own, but it is a different story when a school is sponsoring these sorts of clubs. |
| If Tate Reeves calls a tax cut special session, Senate has the option to do nothing | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: An illness is spreading through the Mississippi Capitol: special session fever. Speculation is rampant that Gov. Tate Reeves will call a special session if the Senate does not acquiesce to his and the House leadership's wishes to eliminate the state personal income tax. Reeves and House leaders are fond of claiming that the about 30% of general fund revenue lost by eliminating the income tax can be offset by growth in other state tax revenue. House leaders can produce fancy charts showing that the average annual 3% growth rate in state revenue collections can more than offset the revenue lost from a phase out of the income tax. What is lost in the fancy charts is that the historical 3% growth rate in state revenue includes growth in the personal income tax, which is the second largest source of state revenue. Any growth rate will entail much less revenue if it does not include a 3% growth in the income tax, which would be eliminated if the governor and House leaders have their way. This is important because historically speaking, as state revenue grows so does the cost of providing services, from pay to state employees, to health care costs, to transportation costs, to utility costs and so on. |
| Mild spats dominate state politics for now | |
 | Columnist Bill Crawford writes: As the dragon and his beast wreak havoc at the national and international levels, political spats in Mississippi seem mild. Interestingly, the ones making news are all Republican on Republican. Gov. Tate Reeves recently lashed out at Republican Sen. Jeremy England for passing an early voting bill through his committee. "Congratulations to Senator England," Reeves posted on Facebook. "He has earned his MVP award for the Mississippi Democratic Party." Sen. England responded, "I consider Governor Tate Reeves a friend. And as a friend, I would think he would know better than to try and bully me. I do not tolerate bullies." England also pointed out that the Republican National Committee supported early voting during the last election ... This occurred as State Auditor Shad White continued bashing Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, a potential opponent in the 2027 governor's race. ... Even Speaker Jason White seemed to take a shot at Hosemann and his "lackeys" over seeming inaction on the House's big tax cut proposal. ... Mild spats could escalate as Washington havoc inundates Mississippi and positions on tax cuts harden. |
SPORTS
| Baseball: Diamond Dawgs Complete Sweep Of Missouri State | |
| No. 18 Mississippi State grabbed its second-straight series of the season with a 6-4 win on Sunday afternoon. The Diamond Dawg offense was hot in the series finale with 12 hits on the day and each starter in the lineup having a hit. Gehrig Frei lit the match for the offense with a leadoff home run on the first pitch MSU saw in the bottom of the first. Gehrig ended the day 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Dylan Cupp had a pair of hits to finish the day 2-for-3 with an RBI while Ace Reese, Hunter Hines and Aaron Downs all homered. Stone Simmons earned the start on the mound, punching out five through four innings of work to improve to 2-0. Charlie Foster and Robert Fortenberry grabbed a combined 3 1/3 innings of relief work with three strikeouts. Chase Hungate earned his first save of the season with a ground out and a fly out to seal the win in the ninth. Mississippi State is back at Dudy Noble Field for a midweek matchup against Troy on Tuesday at 4 p.m. That contest will be broadcast on SEC Network+. |
| Women's Basketball: State Secures Senior Day Victory Against Texas A&M | |
| Senior Day was successful for the Mississippi State women's basketball squad, as they knocked off the Texas A&M Aggies, 81-55. The Bulldogs had only seven turnovers in the contest, which was their second-lowest turnover total this season and lowest of conference play. On top of senior day festivities, it was alumni weekend for the Bulldog program, which saw faces spanning from multiple decades return to Starkville. "We had a spirited practice yesterday where we had a huddle and brought all of our alumni in with us, and it turned into some words of inspiration," head coach Sam Purcell said. "It was special to win today for them and our seniors. We're extremely excited about this outcome but we're ready to get back to work." Although Sunday's matchup over Texas A&M was senior day, the Bulldogs have one remaining contest inside of Humphrey Coliseum as Mississippi State will play host to the No. 2 Texas Longhorns on Thursday night. Tipoff for the contest is set for 6:30 p.m. on SECN+. |
| Softball: Seven-Run Frame Lifts State To Comeback Victory | |
| No. 17 Mississippi State's day started on the wrong foot, but the Bulldogs battled back. After allowing the first five runs in their two games, dropping their opener to Jacksonville State, 3-0, and going down 2-0 to Miami (Ohio), the Bulldogs rallied. State scratched across its first run of the day in the bottom of the first against the Redhawks (3-10) to make it a 2-1 deficit. Miami plated four in the top of the second, but then the Bulldog bats woke up. State scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning with the biggest swing of the day a three-run homer from Kiarra Sells. MSU (13-2) would never trail again. Lexi Sosa added to the lead with a two-run homer in the third, and MSU had a 10-7 lead that would hold up over the final four frames. Morgan Stiles pushed one final run across in the sixth to result in an 11-7 final score. "I think there's still a lot of room to grow and continue to learn and get better. I really liked our bounce back today, though," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "After going down five runs early and we just stayed composed and found a way to bounce back and respond and just chip away. I thought it was a very mature response, especially coming off of that first game loss earlier. I like the response. I like the fight that we showed, and I think it shows something that we can continue we get deeper in the season." |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
