| Tuesday, April 22, 2025 |
| Education: MSU Bulldog Motorsports to host annual Formula SAE Showcase | |
 | Mississippi State's Bulldog Motorsports Formula SAE team is hosting its annual Formula SAE Showcase Day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the IDEELab in the Patterson Engineering Laboratories. The come-and-go event invites the community to get an up-close look at the team's student-built formula-style racecar and learn more about the engineering, manufacturing and business work that powers the program. Guests can chat with team members, watch driving demonstrations and participate in low-stakes go-kart racing. Isabelle Maisano, the business section lead for the Bulldog Motorsports FSAE team, said each year the showcase allows the team to show off their hard work to the community and allows them to talk about their work. Housed within the Michael W. Hall School of Mechanical Engineering, the Bulldog Motorsports FSAE team competes on an international level with universities from around the world at the yearly FSAE Michigan competition at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. The team recently achieved its highest ranking in program history, finishing 17th out of 120 in the 2024 competition. |
| University, Department of Public Safety Sign Forensics Agreement | |
 | Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety have formally agreed to work together on forensic investigations, including recovery of human remains, exhumations, surface scatter and burial recoveries, as well as identification of human skeletal remains. MSU President Mark E. Keenum joined Public Safety Commissioner Sean J. Tindell for a Memorandum of Agreement signing in Jackson last week. Keenum said the university's areas of expertise uniquely position MSU to support the Department of Public Safety's forensic science needs. "As the state's leading research university and land-grant institution, Mississippi State is called to serve the entire state," Keenum said. "MSU will be helping the State of Mississippi meet a critical need for forensic science, expertise, resources and personnel. This partnership is an example of how we can deploy the expertise and capacity we have at MSU to make a difference for our fellow Mississippians who have been affected by crime." |
| Mississippi father, stepmother arrested after 3-year-old was beaten to death and buried | |
| A Mississippi father and stepmother are behind bars after investigators discovered that a 3-year-old was beaten to death and buried nearly three months ago. On Thursday, law enforcement officials in Scott County began to assess a peculiar report after being notified by family members of the unidentified toddler that the child had not been seen in months. The child had not been reported missing and was believed to be living with Rodkis Fenderson, the father, in Lake. After investigating, authorities made the chilling discovery that the toddler had been slain. Fenderson is reported to have shown police where the 3-year-old's body was buried. The stepmother, Kierra Patrick, is accused of joining the father in giving family members conflicting stories about where the child was when asked prior to law enforcement's involvement in the case. Officials with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi State University Anthropology Department, and the Mississippi Crime Scene Unit recovered the child's body. |
| Community Profile: From childhood curiosity to fossil expert | |
| Before he was curating fossils at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, George Phillips was a boy searching for rocks on his family farm a couple miles east of Artesia. Phillips had no idea at the time that the land around him -- part of the Mississippi Black Belt -- had a unique geologic history. His own fascination was sparked by a farmhand who would go rockhounding on the land. "He'd go do that during his break time, around lunch and quitting time. He'd wander off into the field or into the creek beds, and then just go look for rocks," Phillips said. "I asked to go one day – I guess I was around 10 or 11 -- and that's how it started." He eventually connected with Jack Kaye, a former geology professor at Mississippi State University, who would become a mentor to Phillips. Kaye introduced Phillips to a wider network of fossil enthusiasts and professionals. While at Mississippi State University working on his bachelor's degree in biology and geology, Phillips found more like-minded fossil folks. Returning to Columbus this week for a special lecture, Phillips will be focusing on a different geologic marvel of Lowndes County. Starting at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, he will present "The Geologic History of Plymouth Bluff" at the Plymouth Bluff Environmental Center. |
| Intervention courts give alternate path for guilty pleas, rehabilitation | |
| Michelle Easterling is the first to admit that being a judge isn't an easy job. Just two and a half years into her role as one of three judges in the 16th Circuit Court, the work has already started to take its toll, Easterling told the Starkville Rotary Club on Monday. But she compensates for that by remembering to focus on the good parts as well. "I received an email that said, 'I hope it's ok that I'm reaching out to you, but I just wanted to say thank you for giving me another chance. ... I'm going to stay sober and hopefully be able to start helping the community. Thank you for this opportunity for a different life,'" Easterling said. "Whenever I have a really bad day and hear some people who really didn't agree with what I said, which is generally half (of them), I go back and read things like that." Easterling maintained a legal practice for 25 years and served as Clay County's prosecutor for a decade prior to taking the district's Clay County seat in the 2023 election. Presiding over Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties, she hears civil and criminal appeals from lower courts in addition to felonies and any civil cases surpassing $200,000. "They're all tough. Each case stands on its own merit," she said. But Easterling said the area has a couple factors that make the job easier. |
| Dolphin found dead on Coast. Damage to body has scientists concerned | |
 | The call came Sunday: A dolphin was dead on the beach in Bay St. Louis. Staff at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies found it covered in freshwater lesions, said Moby Solangi, the organization's director. That was troubling. Dolphins are at the top of the food chain. "When they start dying," Solangi said, "that's a cause of alarm." The bottlenose dolphin was male, about a year old and had likely been dead several days, Solangi said. Staff recovered its body and were conducting a necropsy, or animal autopsy, on Monday. Stranded dolphins are not unusual in Mississippi, especially in spring and summer when mothers come to shallow water to give birth. Solangi said nearly 20 dolphins have already washed up on beaches this year. But he said freshwater lesions on the dolphin in Bay St. Louis suggest salinity levels could be sinking in the western Mississippi Sound. Too much freshwater can be dangerous for dolphins. The toll became especially clear in 2019 when the the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Bonnet Carré Spillway, a flood control structure in New Orleans. The opening sent tons of freshwater from the Mississippi River into the Mississippi Sound and killed creatures across the food chain. The spillway could open again this year because major river flooding is expected through June. Leaders have said if the spillway opens, it probably would not stay open for long. |
| Low crawfish prices taking the pressure off big events | |
 | Crawfish: it's on everyone's minds this time of year. Where can I get a few pounds, and how much is it going to cost? "It's supply and demand," said Elvin Lefebvre, owner of Triangle Seafood in Hattiesburg. "As the catch is down, the prices go up. Now, fortunately, with the weather we've been having, this heat, the prices are coming down." Triangle Seafood is expecting to drop its crawfish price to $2.49 a pound for large crawfish on Tuesday, but Triangle isn't the only place in the Pine Belt overflowing with mudbugs. "We're doing 6,000 pounds of crawfish," said Andrea Saffle, Co-chair of the Downtown Crawfish Jam Planning Committee. Organizers say thanks to the market and Mother Nature, their crawfish bill isn't boiling through their budget this year. In Laurel, the highly anticipated Community Bank Crawfest is reporting similar findings. "Last year prices were extremely high from the drought and other conditions," said Eric Surrett, Vice President at Community Bank. "This year, they have been highly favorable. We're able to use those dollars that are less than last year to give to the charities that we give to and to boost up what they do over at Laurel Main Street." |
| Ergon Marine & Industrial Supply expands fleet to enhance service on Mississippi River | |
| Ergon Marine & Industrial Supply Inc. (EMIS) has taken delivery of a new crew boat, M/V Big Valley 325. This addition expands the company's total number of crew boats to three and increases its capacity to serve marine operators navigating the Mississippi River, EMIS officials said. The 47-foot-long, 12 ½-foot-wide vessel, powered by twin 300 HP outboard engines, enhances Ergon's speed and efficiency in transporting crew members to vessels and delivering fuel and supplies to customers. "This expansion is part of our commitment to provide reliable, round-the-clock service to commercial vessels along the Mississippi," EMIS VP of Marine Operations Chris Maxwell said. "The addition of this new vessel also allows us to support fleeting operations at our Memphis location." Ergon is a group of privately held companies that operate under three primary business segments: Energy & Specialty Solutions, Pavement & Coating Resources, and Integrated Services & Logistics, of which EMIS is a part. |
| Nissan: Trump tariffs are an opportunity to leverage Canton plant | |
 | Nissan's Canton, Mississippi manufacturing facility could be at the forefront of a new American plan to take advantage of whatever tariffs come down from President Donald Trump. Last week at the New York Auto Show, Vinay Shahani, Nissan USA's head of sales and marketing, went out of his way to hold up the Madison County, Mississippi plant as an example of where a new American strategy could begin. "We have an opportunity, I think, with this tariff thing," Shahani said in an interview with Motor1 at the New York Auto Show. "We're very fortunate to have a robust industrial footprint in the United States, at Smyrna [Tennessee]... and in Canton, Mississippi, and I think the opportunity to really push and really leverage some of these models that we build in the United States." Originally, the announcement of potential tariffs on imported passenger vehicles, light trucks and some auto parts had forced Nissan North America to adjust operations at its Canton, MS plant as well as its Smyrna plant. How the new economics in the auto market will impact the Toyota plant in Blue Springs near Tupelo is yet to be seen. |
| Big Oil Is Offshoring Its Prized Engineering Jobs to India | |
 | Competition for engineering and geologist jobs in the oil-and-gas sector was already fierce -- and that was before President Trump's tariff blitz sparked fears about a global recession that sent oil prices tumbling. Chevron, BP and other oil companies are offshoring more specialized white-collar positions and related work to lower-cost labor pools in countries such as India, while cutting thousands of jobs elsewhere. The shift, alongside a string of mergers and cost-cutting, has thinned the companies' ranks of skilled U.S. workers. It has also disrupted the industry's pecking order, which for decades has been topped by specialized engineers whose positions were more insulated during oil busts. The new positions aren't only traditional back-office jobs that U.S. companies have offshored for years. Chevron intends to hire engineers, geologists and environmental scientists in India as part of a $1 billion investment to develop an engineering and innovation hub near Bellandur, a suburb of Bengaluru, a spokesman said. Hiring for skilled posts in the U.S., meanwhile, has slowed to a pace typically associated with an oil downturn, recruiters say. The slowdown is creating gaps in the résumés of experienced oil workers, forcing some to take pay cuts in new roles and dissuading recent college graduates from joining the industry. Connor Cabaniss, a senior petroleum engineering student at the University of Texas, said he and some of his classmates have expanded their job searches across the oil-and-gas value chain because postelection uncertainty has led many oil-and-gas companies to slow their hiring. |
| Mayor of Mississippi's capital city fights for third term despite federal bribery indictment | |
 | The mayor of Mississippi's capital city, who's under indictment on federal bribery and conspiracy charges, is fighting to keep his job. In a matchup Jackson voters have seen before, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, seeking a third term, faces state Sen. John Horhn in a Democratic primary runoff on Tuesday. "People are ready for something different," Horhn said. "They are ready for change; they're ready for leadership; they're ready for better streets; they're ready for less crime; they're ready for more opportunities." Lumumba defeated Horhn in the 2017 Democratic primary outright, earning 55% of the vote. This time around, Lumumba's vote share dropped to 17% in an April 1 primary. Horhn secured 48%, short of a majority needed to avoid a runoff. Horhn benefited from the endorsement of Mississippi U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security, noted Eric R. Schmidt, an assistant professor of government and politics at Millsaps College. "What's different is that he came very close to winning the Democratic Party nomination outright; and what's different as well is the cloud that the criminal indictment against the current mayor has cast over the race," Schmidt said. |
| Sen. Roger Wicker co-authors federal bill aimed at increasing specialist doctors in rural areas | |
| U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), along with a counterpart D.C. lawmaker across the aisle, introduced a bill to increase the number of specialist doctors and other medical professionals in rural communities. Sens. Wicker and Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.) co-introduced the bipartisan "Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care (SPARC) Act." The measure would create a student loan repayment program for specialist physicians and other specialist medical professionals practicing medicine in rural areas of the U.S. "The entire nation is dealing with a physician shortage, and rural communities in Mississippi have been particularly affected. Congress can help provide a solution," Wicker said. "The SPARC Act would offer targeted incentives to medical professionals who choose to work in underserved towns and cities. I believe this bill will encourage providers to bring their services to areas that need them most." Mississippi's patient-to-physician ratio is the lowest in America -- 1,875:1 -- with specialist medical professionals being even rarer in the state's most underserved areas. "The SPARC Act would be an effective tool to encourage more skilled physicians to establish specialty-medicine practices in rural Mississippi communities," University of Mississippi Medical Center Dean of the School Dr. LouAnn Woodward said. |
| Trump's attacks on Fed's Powell ramp up GOP's economic fears | |
 | President Trump's ramped-up attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell have Washington Republicans bracing for a confrontation that could make the turmoil in the financial markets much worse and put the Fed's independence and credibility in jeopardy. Republican aides and strategists say GOP lawmakers are highly anxious about Trump's tariff strategy and fear that he will send more waves through the financial markets by threatening to interfere in the central bank's domain of setting monetary policy. The stock markets sold off sharply, and volatility spiked up Monday after Trump blasted Powell, whom he appointed as Fed chair in 2018, as a "major loser" and demanded he cut interest rates "NOW." A senior GOP aide said Republican senators "care a heck of a lot" about the Fed's independence and predicted that GOP lawmakers will step in to defend Powell next week when they return to Washington from a two-week recess. "Republicans on the [Senate] Banking Committee and even the [House] Financial Services Committee have a lot of faith in Powell and think it would be ill-advised to undermine his economic agenda by dismissing Powell or prematurely cutting rates," the source said. "Powell's got good relationships with the Hill," the aide added, noting that Powell, who was appointed by Trump and is a Republican, can "call in favors" with key GOP chairs in Congress. |
| Trump Is Laying the Groundwork to Blame Powell for Any Downturn | |
| President Trump is signaling that he will blame the Federal Reserve for any economic weakness that results from his trade war if the central bank doesn't cut interest rates soon. In the process, he might also be seeking to delegitimize the historically independent institution in a way that could undermine its effectiveness. In a social-media post on Monday, Trump repeated last week's demand that the Fed reduce interest rates now. "There is virtually no inflation," he said, blasting Fed Chair Jerome Powell as "Mr. Too Late" and "a major loser." He also accused the central bank of lowering interest rates last fall to influence the 2024 election. "Powell has always been 'To [sic] Late,' except when it came to the Election period when he lowered in order to help Sleepy Joe Biden, later Kamala, get elected," he wrote. His Truth Social post developed one of Trump's longstanding beliefs about the Fed: that it should be more responsive to what the president wants. His statement and those of other advisers allege that the institution, far from being above Beltway politics, has already become politicized. Many Wall Street economists see the Fed's decision to cut rates then and hold rates steady for now as the logical response to actual and expected economic developments, not politics. Some analysts said the president's attacks on the Fed simply represent an attempt to scapegoat the central bank for impending economic weakness. "It's tempting to want somebody else to ride to the rescue, or at least have someone else to blame," said former Sen. Phil Gramm, a Texas Republican. |
| As controversies pile up, Trump allies increasingly turn on one another | |
| The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump's first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty. The latest turmoil threatens to engulf the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out top advisers and faces fresh controversy over sharing sensitive information about airstrikes in Yemen outside of classified channels. A former Pentagon spokesperson who was ousted last week wrote in Politico that Trump should fire Hegseth for presiding over a "full-blown meltdown." The interpersonal drama is not -- at least yet -- a dominant plot line of Trump's return to the White House. But its reemergence after a period of relative discipline in his ranks reflects a turbulent management style that has been suppressed or papered over, not reformed. Trump has always had a high tolerance for chaos, shunning traditional policy deliberations to entertain divergent opinions and viewing unpredictability as a negotiating tool. He's spent years fostering a competitive atmosphere among his staff members, who are often chosen for their devotion and penchant for aggression. But now the increasing strife underscores the risks for more turmoil in the months ahead, as Trump presses forward with a dramatic overhaul of the federal bureaucracy, international trade, foreign policy and more. |
| Supreme Court appears to reject conservative argument over Obamacare provision | |
 | A majority of the Supreme Court appeared inclined Monday to reject a conservative challenge to Obamacare, leaving in place the federal government's authority to require insurers to cover everything from depression screenings to HIV prevention drugs at no cost to patients. And, in an odd twist, it was the Trump administration defending the health law that the president has spent more than a decade excoriating. Over an hour and a half of in-the-weeds arguments, the justices seemed to favor the administration's position -- that Obamacare's coverage mandates are constitutional because the task force that recommends them is made up of members who can be ignored or fired at will by the health secretary. But a favorable ruling will not necessarily be an unqualified win for Obamacare advocates, since it would still leave the current administration with significant sway over those requirements going forward. The high court's decision, expected by June, could also jeopardize or even erase many of the preventive care requirements set since Obamacare's inception -- allowing insurance companies to charge co-pays for tens of millions of people. |
| Supreme Court again faces question of Trump immigration move | |
 | The Supreme Court could soon say more about the legal process for migrants whom the government decides to remove from the country expeditiously under a centuries-old wartime law, in one of several legal challenges happening in federal courts. The justices early Saturday put a pause on the Trump administration's efforts to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members from a Texas facility, after the American Civil Liberties Union filed an emergency application that said the government's "lightning-fast timeline" did not giving the migrants "a realistic opportunity to contest their removal." Justices issued the administrative stay without any accompanying formal opinion, directing the Trump administration "not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court." The case returns the issue to the Supreme Court just two weeks after the justices issued a ruling in a separate case that allowed the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 under President Donald Trump's proclamation. That ruling also required the government to give migrants a chance to contest their detention at the court with jurisdiction over where they are held. The ACLU on Monday told the justices in a filing that the U.S. government failed to provide individuals threatened with deportation the sufficient time to content the claims against them. |
| Super Bowl Champion A.J. Brown named Ole Miss Commencement speaker | |
| Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver and former Ole Miss Rebel A.J. Brown will go from catching touchdowns in the Super Bowl to delivering words of encouragement and inspiration at the University of Mississippi's 172nd annual Commencement on May 10. Brown, who won the NFL championship with the Eagles, will deliver his speech at Convocation, set for 9 a.m. in the Grove. "It is an honor to welcome A.J. Brown back to campus as our 2025 Commencement speaker," Chancellor Glenn Boyce said. "He is the epitome of excellence, determination and service -- all characteristics that our graduates will need as they embark on the next steps in their own journeys." Before becoming a Rebel, the Starkville native excelled in baseball and football at Starkville High School, earning him several state and national accolades. Brown said he hopes UM students hear his message of faith, perseverance and authenticity. "Don't be afraid to bet on yourself and don't forget to enjoy the journey," he said. |
| UMMC Hand Center earns accreditation as the first ever Center of Excellence in hand surgery | |
| The Jabaley-Songcharoen Center for Hand, Upper Extremity and Nerve Surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center has officially been named a Center of Excellence in Surgery of the Hand by the Surgical Review Corportation, becoming the first in the world to earn this newly established designation for hand surgery centers. The Center's journey began in fall 2023 when Dr. Marc Walker, the Center's director and only pediatric hand surgeon in Mississippi, contacted SRC to be a third-party evaluator of the Center. After a rigorous review of the training requirements for board-certified hand surgeons and the case volume and variety typically presenting to hand centers around the country, UMMC would not only help shape the criteria for Center of Excellence status, but it would also undergo an intense external evaluation of its own operations to prove that it could meet them. "It was a thorough review -- not just of the Hand Center and all its moving parts, but of the institution as a whole," Walker said. The result is a standard-setting model for excellence in hand care. |
| Trump to deliver commencement address at U. of Alabama | |
| In a late night post to Truth Social, President Donald Trump announced that he has "agreed to do the Commencement Address at two really GREAT places, the University of Alabama and, WEST POINT." Commencement ceremonies will be held on May 2, 3, and 4 this year according to the university's website. University of Alabama alum and Alabama Senator Katie Britt described the news as "a tremendous honor for my alma mater" and a "historic occasion for graduates and their families" in a post to X Tuesday morning. Trump has visited the University of Alabama several times before, most recently to attend a football game between the University of Alabama and University of Georgia in September. He also came to Tuscaloosa to attend football games several times during his first term. As of right now, it appears likely that University of Alabama engineering student Alireza Doroudi will still be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a result of the Trump administration's heavy-handed crackdown on international students when the president comes to campus. In a statement to the media, Doroudi's lawyer stated that "the government has provided no evidence in the record that Mr. Doroudi poses any national security threat" and argued his client was being presumed guilty until proven innocent. |
| Students organize new ceremony after U. of Kentucky cancels Black, LGBTQ+ graduation events | |
 | A University of Kentucky fraternity will host its own inclusive graduation after UK confirmed last week it will cancel several programs that celebrate underrepresented graduates. Once he realized the university would start cutting programs that celebrate minority students, Kristopher Washington told his fraternity brothers it was time to step up and fill the gap. The historically Black fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, will host a "Senior Salute" after UK scrapped graduation ceremonies for Black, LGTBQ+ and first-generation college students. "I knew (UK was) going to choose their financial well-being over the happiness of the students. As sad as that sounds, the school is a business at the end of the day," said Washington, a member of the fraternity set to graduate next month. UK canceled the Harambee Unity Graduation Celebration that honors Black students, the first-generation student pinning ceremony and the Office of LGBTQ+ Resources' Lavender Graduation. The cancellations come as President Trump and Republican lawmakers across the U.S. are pushing to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in government, education and business. "Senior salute is not just for Black students," Washington said. "It's for anybody with any cultural background that has overcome any challenges that just wants to feel community and have their achievements recognized." |
| Texas A&M VP: Small modular nuclear reactors at RELLIS would produce 1 gigawatt of power | |
 | The four small modular nuclear reactors proposed for construction at the Texas A&M RELLIS campus would produce 1 gigawatt of electricity and be small enough to fit on a trailer. "This is not your grandfather's nuclear. These are not the big things that you see," Joe Elabd, Texas A&M University System vice president of research, told the Brazos Valley Council of Governments at a meeting Monday. "These are called small modular nuclear reactors. They're much smaller," he said. "There are many, many companies involved that have received a lot of venture capital funding. Some of them have gone public, and the goal is to provide clean, very sustainable, significant amounts of electricity." Elabd said the four companies -- Kairos Power, Natura Resources, Terrestrial Energy and Aalo Atomics -- were selected last year after the university put out a request for information. "In May, we received an incredible response," he said. "I was kind of surprised at that. And then later last summer we issued an RFP (request for proposals), and we down selected from the proposals. We received a lot of amazing proposals, and we down selected at the end of last year to four." Elabd said the RELLIS site will be a proving ground for new energy technologies, with electricity production being the end goal. |
| U. of Missouri will ramp up police presence in downtown Columbia | |
 | More police will patrol downtown during "critical times" in response to recent gunfire incidents, the University of Missouri announced Monday. The MU Police Department and the Columbia Police Department will collaborate to add more patrols downtown. The goal is to increase police visibility, improve response time and bolster collaboration between police departments, according to a letter signed by MU President Mun Choi and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Angela King Taylor. Previously, MU police only patrolled properties owned, leased or controlled by the University of Missouri, in addition to city streets running through or adjacent to campus, according to MU's 2024 Annual Fire Safety and Security report. The department also patrols privately-owned locations closely affiliated with the university, including MU-affiliated Greek houses, St. Thomas More Newman Center, Richmond Place Apartments, Evans Scholars House and Children's House Montessori. Now, MU police will also patrol downtown areas during "critical times." The ramped-up patrol is in response to gunfire incidents in and around downtown. Since March 1, Columbia police have responded to at least five incidents involving gunfire in and around downtown Columbia -- some within blocks of the MU campus. |
| Trump administration to resume collections on student loan borrowers in default | |
 | After a five-year hiatus, the U.S. Department of Education says it will begin resuming collections of defaulted student loans on May 5. Of the more than 42.7 million student loan borrowers in the U.S., who owe a collective $1.6 trillion, the department says that more than 5 million have not made a payment in the past year. That number is expected to grow as an additional 4 million borrowers are approaching default status. "American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies," U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. The department said it will begin notifying borrowers who are in default via email over the next two weeks, urging them to make a payment or to enroll in a repayment plan, and referring them to a government website providing information on how to do so. Then, on May 5, the department will begin referring borrowers who remain in default to a collections program run by the Treasury Department. |
| Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over Threats to Cut Funding | |
 | Harvard, the world's wealthiest university, sued the Trump administration on Monday, fighting back against its threats to slash billions of dollars from the school's research funding as part of a crusade against the nation's top colleges. The lawsuit signaled a major escalation of the ongoing fight between higher education and President Trump, who has vowed to "reclaim" elite universities. The administration has cast its campaign as a fight against antisemitism, but has also targeted programs and teaching related to racial diversity and gender issues. Earlier this month, it sent Harvard a list of demands that included auditing professors for plagiarism, reporting to the federal government any international students accused of misconduct, and appointing an outside overseer to make sure that academic departments were "viewpoint diverse." Alan M. Garber, Harvard's president, accused the government in a statement on Monday of trying to wield "unprecedented and improper control." Dr. Garber said the consequences of the government's actions would be "severe and long lasting." On campus, students reacted ecstatically to Dr. Garber's email announcing the lawsuit. |
| US academic leaders unite against Trump's higher education policies | |
| Over 170 university, college and scholarly society presidents published a joint statement on Tuesday opposing the Trump administration's treatment of higher education institutions, coming together to speak out after Harvard University said the administration was threatening its independence. The statement, signed by presidents from such institutions as Princeton, Brown, Harvard, the University of Hawaii and Connecticut State Community College, criticized what it described as "the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education." "We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight," the statement said. "However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses." The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the statement. Tuesday's joint statement is the latest show of resistance from U.S. higher education leaders as the Trump administration seeks to leverage its financial heft to overhaul academia. Since his January inauguration, Republican President Donald Trump has cracked down on top U.S. universities, saying they mishandled last year's pro-Palestinian protests and allowed antisemitism to fester on campus. |
| Hundreds of scholars say U.S. is swiftly heading toward authoritarianism | |
| A survey of more than 500 political scientists finds that the vast majority think the United States is moving swiftly from liberal democracy toward some form of authoritarianism. In the benchmark survey, known as Bright Line Watch, U.S.-based professors rate the performance of American democracy on a scale from zero (complete dictatorship) to 100 (perfect democracy). After President Trump's election in November, scholars gave American democracy a rating of 67. Several weeks into Trump's second term, that figure plummeted to 55. "That's a precipitous drop," says John Carey, a professor of government at Dartmouth and co-director of Bright Line Watch. "There's certainly consensus: We're moving in the wrong direction." Kim Lane Scheppele, a Princeton sociologist who has spent years tracking Hungary, is also deeply concerned: "We are on a very fast slide into what's called competitive authoritarianism." When these scholars use the term "authoritarianism," they aren't talking about a system like China's, a one-party state with no meaningful elections. Instead, they are referring to something called "competitive authoritarianism," the kind scholars say they see in countries such as Hungary and Turkey. |
| The Trump Administration Has Canceled Millions in NSF Grants | |
 | The National Science Foundation on Friday canceled millions of dollars in grants that "are not aligned with agency priorities," broadening the scope of research targeted by the Trump administration on ideological grounds. Among the projects on the chopping block are those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and misinformation and disinformation, according to an agency FAQ page. The NSF also froze all new grants last week in conjunction with the arrival of Department of Government Efficiency employees at its offices, Nature reported. Exactly how many grants were cut is unknown. A post on X from DOGE praised NSF for axing "402 wasteful DEI grants ($233M in savings), including $1M for 'Antiracist Teacher Leadership for Statewide Transformation.'" (An analysis by The New York Times found that the group has inflated its previous estimates of cost savings.) Termination notices were sent on Friday evening; a copy of one such letter shared with The Chronicle said that the decision was made "to protect the interests of the government" and that "this is the final agency decision and not subject to appeal." The NSF declined to answer questions about how cancellation decisions were made, and by whom. Critics of Friday's cuts argue that they contravene a congressional directive that the NSF broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering. That mandate was first outlined in the 1980 Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act and has since been reinforced in the agency's grant-review criteria. |
| National Science Foundation Sets New Priorities | |
 | The National Science Foundation is changing its priorities and cutting hundreds of grants in order to get in line with the Trump administration's crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion. The agency, which focuses on nonmedical sciences and engineering, has spent decades trying to attract more women and racial minorities to STEM professions and to improve scientific media literacy. But in a statement released Friday, the NSF said those efforts are no longer consistent with its mission. "Research projects with more narrow impact limited to subgroups of people based on protected class or characteristics do not effectuate NSF priorities," the agency's director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, wrote. An attached FAQ document also noted that the NSF "will not support research with the goal of combating 'misinformation,' 'disinformation,' and 'malinformation,'" as it would "unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen." All awards that "are not aligned" with NSF's mission on either front have been terminated, the FAQ explained. Neither Panchanathan's statement nor the FAQ specified how many grants will be cut or the sum of their value. "The U.S. is no longer going to be a leader in the scientific enterprise," Sarah Spreitzer, vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education, said. "And it's going to take us generations to kind of address." |
SPORTS
| Baseball: MSU Renews Rivalry With Rebels In Governor's Cup | |
| Mississippi State returns to Trustmark Park on Tuesday for its annual non-conference game against No. 23 Ole Miss known as the Governor's Cup. The showdown between the instate rivals is slated for a 6 p.m. start on SEC Network+. The Diamond Dawgs have claimed the past two Governor's Cup games and lead 11-5 since the midweek series moved to the former home of the Mississippi Braves in 2007. MSU also holds a 24-19 advantage since the Mayor's Trophy/Governor's Cup series started in 1980. Last year, the Bulldogs prevailed 5-1 thanks to a four-run eighth inning. Hunter Hines went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and an RBI in that victory. State leads the overall series against Ole Miss 267-213-5 and have claimed the past two contests. The Bulldogs defeated the Rebels 2-1 at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama the last time the two teams took the diamond together. Mississippi State (24-16) has slated junior right-hander Noah Sullivan to make his sixth start on the mound in the past seven midweek games. Sullivan has a 1.50 earned run average with nine strikeouts and two walks in 12 innings this season but has not factored into a decision. Ole Miss (28-12) counters with freshman righty Cade Townsend, who will be making his 11th appearance and fourth start. Townsend sports a 1-0 record and a 7.13 ERA, 27 strikeouts and 13 walks through 17 2/3 innings of work. |
| Neil Price brings energy, professionalism to Mississippi State baseball radio booth | |
| "Cowboys, Western movies, karaoke singers -- no holds barred in an 11-run game." Those were the words of Mississippi State baseball play-by-play radio announcer Neil Price following a brief side conversation in the top of the fourth inning Tuesday night, as the Bulldogs had raced out to a huge lead over Southern. But while Price and his broadcast partner, former longtime MSU head coach Ron Polk, like to have fun on the air, they know when to keep things serious and professional as well. Price is a familiar voice to Bulldogs fans, as he has called football and men's basketball games on the radio since 2017. But those fans were used to an even more familiar voice on their radio feeds every baseball season. Jim Ellis retired in December after 46 years calling MSU baseball games, and Price was announced as his replacement in late January. "If I could be half the person (Ellis) is by the time that my life is over with, I will have been a success. He is one of the genuinely good people that I have ever met in my life," Price said. "I've known him going back to 2005 when I got into the SEC doing Kentucky baseball games. He was one of the first people at another school who introduced himself." |
| 2025-26 Mississippi duck hunting seasons set, early teal days cut almost in half | |
| The Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks adopted seasons and bag limits in its April meeting on Friday, April 18. If you're a duck hunter, it all looks good except for the early teal season which suffered a serious cut. "It's fairly status quo as far as seasons," Houston Havens, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Waterfowl Program coordinator, said of the upcoming migratory bird seasons. "There is a shortened teal season this year. "This is based on blue-winged teal breeding populations. So, they were recently below the threshold for having a 16-day season." Some duck populations have seen recent increases. Based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2024 Waterfowl Population Status, American wigeon numbers jumped 55% over 2023 numbers and were 12% over the long-term average. Green-winged teal numbers in 2024 were 20% above 2023 numbers and 38% above the long-term average. Blue-winged teal have experienced a decline, though. According to the report, blue-winged teal numbers dropped 12% from 2023 to 2024 and were 10% below the LTA. Havens said the decrease has been attributed to dry conditions during nesting season. |
| Women's flag football grows on college campuses, from startup clubs to varsity teams with NFL boost | |
| The flyers started appearing around the Augustana University campus earlier this year, followed by the all-student email blast. A club team was forming for women's flag football, with room for all comers. Kiley Coyne, an assistant director of admission for the music department who just happens to play on a women's tackle football team in her spare time, eagerly added coaching to her duties at the school of 2,000 undergraduates in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. "I remember saying, 'I just need 10.' If we can have an offense and a defense, let's go," Coyne said. "Now we have 23 people who've gone out for it." With the sport's inclusion in the Summer Olympics lineup for Los Angeles in 2028 serving as the most recent bump, flag football participation by girls has continued to spike across the country. The NFL has been a staunch supporter. "I think one of the beauties of flag football is how accessible it is," said Stephanie Kwok, the league's vice president of flag football. "It's adding to the opportunities for girls to play sports." The college level is the natural place for the next surge of growth. Augustana is one of seven NCAA schools fielding a club team this spring in a league launched with $140,000 and logistical support from the Minnesota Vikings. With five institutions in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin, a schedule was arranged for each team to assemble for multiple games at the same site on three Saturdays this month, including a championship tournament this weekend. |
| NCAA passes series of rules that sets table for schools to pay players directly | |
| The NCAA passed rules Monday that would upend decades of precedent by allowing colleges to pay their athletes per terms of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement expected to go into effect this summer. The nine proposals passed by the NCAA board were largely expected but still mark a defining day in the history of college sports. An athlete's ability to be paid directly by his or her university is on track to be enshrined in a rulebook that has forbidden that kind of relationship for decades. For the NCAA rules to officially go into effect, the changes prescribed by the House settlement still have to be granted final approval by a federal judge, whose hearing earlier this month led to questions about potential tweaks before the new guidelines are supposed to go into play on July 1. The changes will eliminate around 150 rules and alter many others in the NCAA's sprawling rulebook. They essentially codify measures set up by the settlement. The board also approved a requirement for athletes to be enrolled full-time and meeting requirements toward their degree to receive the benefits. |
| When will the College Football Playoff's future be settled? This week, leaders resume old battles | |
| Two weeks ago, the commissioners of the Power 4 conferences criss-crossed Washington D.C., meeting with lawmakers and doing joint TV interviews, working as a unit to get congressional help on leading college sports. This week, they'll be in a more familiar place: a hotel conference room with the other six Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners, clashing over the future of the College Football Playoff and, in some ways, the future of their leagues. The annual review meeting will be 2025's fourth in-person gathering of CFP leaders, but it is always the most all-encompassing, spread across three days in suburban Dallas with bowl and ESPN executives in attendance. Plenty of logistical business will be addressed, but the intertwined questions that dominated the past 12 months and hang over the postseason's future will take center stage once again: This year's seeding: Will the leaders change the 2025 CFP bracket structure to a straight-seeding model that seeds teams in order of their CFP selection committee ranking? Governance: Will every league (and Notre Dame) finish and sign the longform agreement that formally gives near-autonomous control of the CFP format to the Big Ten and SEC beginning in 2026? The next CFP format: Will the Big Ten (with perhaps the SEC in support) force through a 14- or 16-team model that gives as many as four automatic bids each to themselves? |
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