| Wednesday, April 23, 2025 |
| Mississippi State University adds services for students with disabilities | |
 | The ACCESS program at Mississippi State University is joining the College of Education's Institute on Disabilities -- a move that increases services, resources, facility space, and more to aid students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. ACCESS has been ensuring college-age students with disabilities receive a quality higher education experience for more than 15 years, successfully immersing them in academic classes, social activities, employment preparation, and independent living. With the transition to the new department, the ACCESS program is further complemented through the institute's many units, which include the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic, and Career Horizons Center. Some of the specific features of these centers include assistive technology like adapted driving, dyslexia and reading strategies, and even exposure to creative expression through art. "Our goal is to continue to bring the necessary resources, expertise, and programming to ensure our students receive high-quality vocational training and independent living skills," Mississippi Institute on Disabilities executive director Kasee Stratton-Gadke said. "The students are among the largest population of untapped, potential employees in the state, and this opportunity will improve their futures." |
| City may miss budget due to sales tax slump | |
 | Sales tax collections in Starkville are up nearly 10% compared to this time last year. Meanwhile, year-to-date collections in Columbus and West Point are down slightly. So far this fiscal year, Starkville has collected $5,815,093 in sales tax revenue, marking a 9.92% increase from this time last year ($5,290,119). Columbus has collected $6,634,778.90 so far this fiscal year, compared to $6,654,353.51 this time last year. This marks a 0.29% decrease in year-to-date collections. West Point has also seen a decline of 2.42% in YTD collections with $2,419,281.44 collected this fiscal year, compared to this time last year ($2,479,385.52). The fiscal year for Starkville and Columbus begins Oct. 1. West Point's fiscal year begins July 1, meaning it has only two months of collections left for this budget cycle. Starkville received $782,759 this month from sales tax diversions, compared to $703,668 in April 2024, marking an 11.23% increase. Currently, Starkville's sales tax is on pace to exceed the city's projections in its fiscal year budget of $9.73 million by about $243,730. The city also saw an increase in its restaurant sales tax diversions, which assist in funding for economic development and tourism, and its hotel sales tax diversions, which fund the Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as parks. This month, Columbus collected $884,100.20 in sales tax diversions, compared to last year’s $916,940.46, a 3.58% drop. Currently, the city is on pace to miss its $11,800,000 budget projection for sales tax revenue by $426,093. |
| The MAX to host conversation about groundbreaking photographers with screening and book signing | |
 | The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience will host The Beautiful Mysterious World of Color Photography, a conversation between photographer Maude Schuyler Clay and Ralph Eubanks beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Schuyler Clay and Eubanks will be discussing the photography of MAX Hall of Fame members William Eggleston and William Ferris, and the ways that their legacies are inspiring new generations of Mississippi creatives. Until Eggleston's landmark 1976 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, color photography was not considered art. A Mississippian–and his gaze–changed that, earning him the moniker "The Father of Color Photography," and a place in The MAX Hall of Fame for shaping the genre and the generations who have followed in his footsteps. Eggleston's longtime friend and fellow MAX Hall of Fame member, folklorist William Ferris, began collecting Eggleston's photographs in 1962; that collection has been featured in the book, "The Beautiful Mysterious: The Extraordinary Gaze of William Eggleston." The Beautiful Mysterious World of Color Photography is presented in conjunction with The MAX's current exhibition, "Thank You, Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South"–a selection of 25 photographs by Kate Medley from her award-winning book of the same title. |
| New Amazon dock operations facility to bring 1,000 jobs to Marshall County | |
| On the heels of a $10 billion investment announcement in central Mississippi, Amazon is bringing another large-scale investment to the state. It was announced by the Mississippi Development Authority on Tuesday that the retail giant will locate its inbound cross-dock operations in Marshall County, a project that officials say will create 1,000 jobs in the area. The 930,000-square-foot facility, which will be located in Chickasaw Trails Industrial Park, will receive and consolidate products from Amazon vendors. The products will then be shipped to surrounding fulfillment centers within its network. "Amazon's global presence is undeniable, and the company's continued investment in Mississippi speaks volumes about our ability to quickly and effectively meet the needs of its massive consumer base," Gov. Tate Reeves said. "I know this project will reap benefits for Marshall County, its residents, and the surrounding region well into the future -- through Amazon itself and other industry leaders that are taking note of our incredible economic momentum." |
| $60 million Madison entertainment district ready to break ground | |
 | A local development group on Tuesday, April 22, announced intentions to build a $60 million arts and entertainment district for Madison with groundbreaking expected by the early summer. Chad Phillips, a Madison native and partner-executive director for Bellamare Development, said The Gallery is a place created with the community, for the community that will help spur other economic development. Phillips and Bellamare made the announcement official at a press conference at the new City Hall in Madison on Tuesday, April 22. Located off Galleria Parkway on 17 acres visible from I-55 North, The Gallery is a privately funded, mixed-use destination that will include entertainment, dining, retail and office space in a designed community space. At the heart of the project is Spinners, a 120,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor family entertainment center featuring bowling, skating and other games. While there is another Spinners location in Florence, Phillips told the Clarion Ledger the new location is much different and larger in scale. The development is being designed and engineered by Mississippi-based partners, including WBA Architecture and MP Design Group. |
| Unofficial results show Bailey, Elliott winners in House special elections | |
| Voters in two House Districts chose new state representatives in Tuesday's special election runoffs. Unofficial results show Perry Bailey and Gregory Elliott won the House District 23 and 82 contests, respectively. Bailey appears to have defeated Colby Bollinger by just over 30 votes, winning the House District 23 seat with 51 percent of the vote. Affidavit ballots are still being counted. Bailey is a farmer and businessman. He held the House District 23 seat as a Republican for just over a year following the resignation of former State Rep. Jim Beckett (R) in 2022. Bailey then lost his re-election bid to Andy Stepp in 2023. Stepp died suddenly in December. In the House District 82 race, Elliott topped Joseph Norwood, winning 65 percent of the vote. Elliott is known in the Lauderdale County area for his community service. He previously served on the Meridian Civil Service Commission. Elliott will now fill the unexpired term of former State Rep. Charles Young, Jr. (D), who also died suddenly in December. |
| Horhn defeats incumbent Lumumba in Jackson Democratic mayoral runoff | |
| State Sen. John Horhn secured the Democratic nomination and is heavily favored to become Jackson's next mayor. Horhn, a 30-year veteran in the Mississippi Senate, finally found victory in his fourth run for mayor and it comes at a turbulent time. The city is locked in a tense standoff with the state, one he hopes to ease using relationships built in the Senate. If he wins June's general election -- and no Democrat has lost in decades -- Horhn faces the tough task of rebuilding trust with the city's shrinking population while taking on Jackson's well-publicized road, water and persistent crime issues. After polls closed Tuesday night, Horhn received 74.75%, or 18,493 total votes in the Democratic runoff election. He decisively defeated incumbent Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba by more than 12,000 votes. Lumumba received only 25.25% of the vote, or 6,246 votes as of 10:30 p.m. with all 80 precincts reporting. Lumumba only slightly earned more votes than he did in the April 1 primary, when he recorded 4,124. The 2025 race was a far cry from the 2021 primary contest that saw Lumumba handily win with nearly 70% of the vote. "We are going to be the embodiment, I believe, of change in Jackson," Horhn told his supporters later Tuesday night. |
| US Treasury secretary says trade war with China is not 'sustainable' | |
 | U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Tuesday speech that the ongoing tariffs showdown against China is unsustainable and he expects a "de-escalation" in the trade war between the world's two largest economies. But in a private speech in Washington for JPMorgan Chase, Bessent also cautioned that talks between the United States and China had yet to formally start. U.S. President Donald Trump placed import taxes of 145% on China, which has countered with 125% tariffs on U.S. goods. Trump has placed tariffs on several dozen countries, causing the stock market to stumble and interest rates to increase on U.S. debt as investors worry about slower economic growth and higher inflationary pressures. Details of the speech were confirmed by two people familiar with the remarks who insisted on anonymity to discuss them. "I do say China is going to be a slog in terms of the negotiations," Bessent said according to a transcript obtained by The Associated Press. "Neither side thinks the status quo is sustainable." |
| Dow rallies more than 700 points after Trump softens stance on Powell, China tariffs | |
| Stocks climbed on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he doesn't plan to remove Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell from his post as central bank leader. They also got a boost as Trump also signaled tariffs on Chinese imports may go down. The rally came after Trump said late Tuesday that he has "no intention" of firing Powell, whose term as Fed chair will end in May 2026. The comment is a reversal of sorts for the president, who fired off barbs against Powell as recently as Monday, calling the central bank leader a "major loser" and demanding that interest rates come down. Just last week, Trump said in a Truth Social post that Powell's "termination cannot come fast enough." Trump also said he's willing to take a less confrontational approach to trade talks with China, noting that the current 145% tariff on Chinese imports is "very high, and it won't be that high. ... No, it won't be anywhere near that high. It'll come down substantially. But it won't be zero." Stocks with higher exposure to China that have sold off in recent weeks rallied in the premarket on Trump's softer stance. This included "Magnificent Seven" titans Apple and Nvidia, which were up 3% and 6%, respectively. |
| The vicious rivalries tearing apart Pete Hegseth's Pentagon | |
 | When President Donald Trump chose Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, incoming officials knew they'd need to surround the inexperienced Fox News host with accomplished staff who could handle the nation's largest bureaucracy. Hegseth would be the show horse, they figured, and others at the top would keep the Pentagon on track. What happened was the opposite. Hegseth surrounded himself with advisers who quickly turned into vicious rivals for power -- whose bitter brawl has now unraveled into revenge power plays, surprise firings, accusations of leaking and embarrassing headlines that are blowing up the Pentagon, distracting from Trump's agenda and possibly jeopardizing Hegseth's job. Many administration feuds are driven by ideological or factional differences, splitting old-school conservatives from MAGA headliners and "America First" activists. That does not appear to be the case here: This one is all about personality conflict, according to interviews with nine current and former Defense Department officials as well as others close to the feud, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive political issue. Hegseth's closest advisers privately jockeyed for influence, creating festering distrust and gamesmanship that has rocked the world's premier defense agency. The extent of the feud, which has been previously unreported, helps explain the chaos that has eclipsed the Defense Department in recent weeks. And it affirms skeptics' concerns that Hegseth lacked the management experience to run a large organization. |
| Musk says he will step back from DOGE, refocus on Tesla after earnings plunge | |
 | Billionaire Elon Musk said he will step back from the U.S. DOGE Service next month and focus on Tesla, his reeling electric vehicle company, which on Tuesday reported a stunning 71 percent plunge in profits compared with the first quarter of 2024. With Tesla suffering amid widespread backlash against Musk's controversial work with the Trump administration, Musk told investors that his "time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly" starting next month -- though he said he probably will maintain involvement with DOGE through the remainder of President Donald Trump's term. On Tuesday, the electric vehicle company reported a 9 percent decline in revenue for the first three months of the year compared with a year earlier, according to a company report. Sales also slipped dramatically in the first three months of the year, falling 13 percent compared with the same period last year. The company's stock closed Tuesday at $238 a share, about 37 percent lower than at the beginning of the year. Tesla already was struggling before Musk enmeshed himself in GOP politics last year and became a political lightning rod. But a combination of increased competition from Chinese electric carmakers such as BYD, uncertainty around steep tariffs imposed by Trump this month and Musk's own declining popularity has pushed the company into turmoil. |
| Bad News for China: Rare Earth Elements Aren't That Rare | |
 | As the trade war between China and the United States continues to escalate, Beijing is responding by turning to one of its favorite retaliation tactics: limiting the export of critical minerals used in many high-tech electronics, from fighter jets to wind turbines. While China's mineral restrictions may sound scary, the reality is that they haven't been very effective in the past and stand to become even less so if the US and other countries finally get their acts together. Rare earths are a subset of elements under the broader umbrella of critical minerals that China has long enjoyed monopoly control over. In the short term, companies that need these rare earths might be able to rely on existing stockpiles or even turn to recycled electronics to find them. But eventually, the US and other countries will be forced to either ramp up domestic mining or reduce their dependence on rare earths, both of which would make China's policies sting less. "China has got one shot, and it knows it," says Ian Lange, an associate professor of economics and business at the Colorado School of Mines. There are 17 rare earth elements in total, but the Chinese government chose these seven because they are part of a smaller subset of "heavy" rare earth minerals that the country has more control over than others, says Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But the other important thing to know about rare earths is that -- while they are used in a wide variety of products -- those items typically only contain very small quantities, and often only in supportive roles. |
| Miller argues investment over relocation for MSMS | |
| If the state legislature meets for a special-call session next month after failing to pass a budget, Mississippi University for Women President Nora Miller doesn't expect a decision on whether to relocate the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science will be made. "But it will come up again, and so we need to defend MSMS and champion their needs," she told the Rotary Club of Columbus at Lion Hills Center on Tuesday. "We are committed to fighting for their future and to retain their identity as a standalone school." Miller said relocating the school would be both an irresponsible decision by state leaders and a threat to the school's unique identity. The solution for MSMS isn't relocation, she said, but rather investment. "It's most important to MSMS students and prospective students that MSMS remains on The W campus and that it is funded so that we can provide those improvements to the residence halls and upgrade their science labs and things like that because for 35 years, there hasn't been an investment in the facilities for them," she said. The State Board of Education in March voted to recommend lawmakers relocate the residential high school to Mississippi State University after reviewing proposals from the two universities to house and operate the school. |
| MUW begins Wise Start Early Childhood Project | |
 | Mississippi University for Women launches a new program to boost Early Childhood Education. The Wise Start Early Childhood Project received a $500,000 grant to get started, giving the program $100,000 for the next 5 years. The Center of Education Support at Mississippi University for Women continues to bolster and boost Early Childhood Education with local funders. "A lot of this work got started because of Excel by Five and our community," said Penny Mansell, Director of the Center of Education Support. "They've helped us initiate and get all these projects started. What this funder is doing is coming in and helping us to sustain them." Director Penny Mansell said the Wise Start Early Childhood Project gives the center a home and sustainability for the future. "We know that young children, from birth to 5, that is the time period where their brains grow massive amounts," Mansell said. "The research all says 90% between birth and age five. So we've got to capture these families and these educators and these teachers in these classrooms and really make sure what they're doing is going to help support those children and their young brains to make sure we have an economy and a workforce in the future." |
| Section of concrete pediment falls onto Business Row at Holman Hall | |
 | A portion of the pediment to the pavilion connecting Conner Hall and Holman Hall collapsed onto the brick sidewalk on Business Row in the early afternoon on Tuesday, April 22. No students were injured, and University of Mississippi Facilities Management responded to the scene. Mike Dunavant, associate director of facilities operations for facilities management, called the collapse of the pediment a "structural failure." "The element just randomly fell off of there (around 2 p.m.). Structural failure," Dunavant said. The pavilion will be closed until further notice for evaluation and repairs, according to a statement released by the university public relations office on Wednesday evening. This includes the stairs leading to the area. Dunavant suggested weathering may be a contributing factor to the collapse. "That's an odd thing to happen to a facility after (28) years," Dunavant said. Holman Hall, which houses the School of Business Administration, was constructed in 1997. Dunavant said facilities management will inspect the rest of the structure. |
| Oxford gears up for 28th annual Double Decker Festival | |
| Oxford's popular Double Decker Arts Festival -- a celebration of food, music, and art -- returns for its 28th year this weekend, kicking off on Friday. To prepare for the live music performances on the North Lamar Boulevard stage, drivers are reminded not to leave their vehicles on the Square Thursday night. Beginning at 4 a.m. Friday, North Lamar Boulevard and Monroe Avenue will be closed so crews can set up the stage. Any vehicles remaining on those streets at that time will be towed. After Friday night's festivities, city crews will begin preparing the rest of the Square for Saturday's full day of events. Vehicles parked on the Square after 4 a.m. Saturday will also be towed. Visit Oxford, the city of Oxford, and the Oxford Police Department are regularly sharing parking information on their social media pages and distributing flyers around the Square to spread the word. The festival officially opens at 10 a.m. Saturday, featuring more than 140 art vendors and dozens of food vendors. Attendees are encouraged to browse the booths, shop for handmade goods, and sample a wide variety of local eats. |
| The Pants Store of 'Bama Rush' fame is opening soon in Mississippi | |
| One of the most popular shopping destinations in Alabama has decided to plant its flag in Mississippi. The Pants Store, which has six locations in Alabama, has decided to expand into Oxford on East Jackson Avenue, and it is opening very soon. "We had thought about Oxford for many years, but the right opportunity never came along," The Pants Store part-owner Michael Gee told the Clarion Ledger. "Then when the old Rebel Bookstore property just off The Square became available, we jumped at it as quickly as we could. It is a great opportunity, and we are excited to be able to be in the Oxford community." The Oxford location will open Wednesday, April 23, according to Michael Gee. "We have a little bit of construction and redesign work that we have to do but we feel good about being able to get into the store in that time frame. Certainly, sometime this Spring," he said. The Pants Store was also prominently featured in the 2023 Netflix documentary Bama Rush, which follows the lives of four University of Alabama students as they prepare for sorority bid day. Ole Miss, which offers a substantial Greek and sorority life, is likely a great place to draw customers for The Pants Store. Another reason for locating in Oxford is that part-owner John Gee graduated from Ole Miss in the late 1990s and wanted to get back to Oxford from a business standpoint. |
| Students learn about Mississippi Sound on boat donated by Jimmy Buffett's family | |
 | "Welcome to the Miss Peetsy B!" one boat operator exclaimed. It's all hands-on deck for students from Madison, Mississippi, as they embarked on an educational journey on the Mississippi Sound. "We offer field trips for teachers. We have a half-day program, a full-day program and other options where we visit teachers in their schools and provide education activities that are based on research here at USM," Samantha Capers said. Capers is the Associate Director for Informal Education at the University of Southern Mississippi and says the students are taking advantage of what the university offers, including a trip down Davis Bayou to get an idea of what lives inside the Mississippi Sound. "The boat acts as a floating classroom to get our students out in the field and on the water," Tiffany McNeese said. The floating classroom is called the Miss Peetsy B, and it was given to the university by Jimmy Buffett and his sisters in honor of their mother. |
| Amid nationwide crackdown on speech in universities, Millsaps professor's employment remains in flux | |
| Amid a national maelstrom of attacks on academic freedom, the fate of James Bowley, the former chair and professor of Religious Studies at Millsaps College, hinges on a 10-word email he sent to his class of three students the morning after the presidential election. Nearly a month after a grievance committee repudiated his subsequent termination over those 10 words, his status remains in flux. The day following his email, Bowley found out that he had been placed on paid administrative leave pending a review of his use of a Millsaps email account "to share personal opinions" with his students. Around the days of the election, racist messages targeting African American students had been sent using the anonymous campus messaging platform Yik Yak. The FBI had informed the Millsaps community via email that it, along with law enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, was investigating those messages. "I personally would not send that kind of content to my class. But I understand the disappointment behind the email, understand the human sympathy, especially what happened with the Yik Yak post," said David Wood, chair of the Modern Languages department at Millsaps College, referring to racist and threatening messages directed at African American students on the anonymous messaging platform Yik Yak, around the days of the 2024 presidential election. |
| Trump to speak at newly created U. of Alabama commencement event prior to graduation | |
 | The University of Alabama on Tuesday announced that President Donald Trump will deliver a spring commencement address as part of a separate ticketed event prior to its graduation ceremonies. This follows Trump's announcement Monday night that he would give the commencement speech for this year's graduating class at the University of Alabama and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The Alabama event will be held the evening of Thursday, May 1, at Coleman Coliseum, according to the release. That is the night before the start of the regularly scheduled weekend spring commencement events. "The University of Alabama is honored to have been selected as one of the universities President Donald J. Trump will visit to deliver a spring commencement address," reads today's release. "All spring graduates will have the opportunity to attend this distinct event in addition to their college-specific ceremonies where degrees will be conferred from May 2–May 4, as scheduled." |
| Did Donald Trump invite himself to speak at the U. of Alabama graduation? | |
| President Donald Trump's administration initiated talks with the University of Alabama about speaking during May's spring 2025 commencement ceremonies, the head of the Alabama GOP said Tuesday. John Wahl, chairman of the state political party, said that the president reached out to University officials about the possibility of him taking part in the commencement ceremony "as it was one of the places he specifically wanted to visit." The University's Governmental Affairs team and members of Trump's administration then worked together to coordinate the details to "make this historic event possible." "President Trump has always prioritized citizen engagement and connecting with every day Americans -- especially young people across the country," Wahl said. "The State of Alabama and the University of Alabama is a natural fit for that vision." Wahl said the president's visit, which will occur during a ticketed event at Coleman Coliseum on May 1 -- ahead of the official graduation ceremonies on the university's campus -- had been in the works for several days. |
| Tennessee lawmakers adjourn after passing bans on DEI initiatives | |
| Tennessee's Republican-led Legislature adjourned its monthslong lawmaking session on Tuesday by passing a final flurry of bills, including ones aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion in governments. Lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that would ban local governments or higher education institutions from making employment decisions based on consideration of someone's race, ethnicity, sex, age or other demographic information, rather other metrics such as merit, qualifications, veteran status or lawful eligibility criteria. They passed another bill Tuesday that would unravel offices and programs at various levels of state and local governments that promote DEI, and delete age, gender or race requirements on certain boards. The Tennessee bills follow the lead of President Donald Trump's administration, which has hinged the payout of some federal funding on the deletion of DEI considerations in both public and private organizations. "We want to make sure that we are not discriminating when it comes delivering services to our constituents," said Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, the bill's sponsor. |
| Amped about electric vehicles: UT students get charged up with test drives, gift cards | |
| The University of Tennessee has over 500 student organizations, but the Electric Vehicle Club is a new organization that seeks to change student and faculty perceptions about EVs. On April 22, at the Earth Day event, the EV Club hosted its "EV Ride Experience," offering 50 students a $10 Amazon gift card in exchange for taking a ride down Cumberland Avenue in a Ford Lightning, a Rivian and a Tesla. Jonathan Overly, UT alum and Executive Director and founder of the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition, has advocated for the club's creation and spearheaded the EV Ride Experience. "I believe the primary goals would be to educate other students about the many benefits of driving electric, as well as work to provide more experiences to students to get behind the wheel and drive one," Overly said. "Literally riding in or driving an EV can really help the learning process so that you more fully understand what kind of a paradigm shift EVs are, such as the fact that in most cases owners charge their vehicles at home -- you don't need to stop and buy a combustible fuel anymore." |
| Panera Bread to open next fall at Mizzou Student Center | |
 | A Panera Bread is headed for the University of Missouri's Student Center next fall, replacing Infusion, a coffee and smoothie shop. MU announced the new addition Tuesday, via email and a post on Instagram. Campus Dining hinted at the change in March, writing in a post that Infusion would close to make room for "an exciting new vendor." While students are responding positively online to a new, closer Panera in Columbia, some are concerned about price. "It's gonna be more expensive, because it's Panera," MU sophomore Nico Berlin said. Berlin relied heavily on Infusion's cheap options and has often skipped breakfast since it's closure. Infusion sold coffee, smoothies and baked goods at lower prices for those with an MU dining plan. "I went (to Infusion) quite a lot," Berlin said. "It's a really cheap -- or was a really cheap way of getting, like, breakfast and some coffee." It is unclear how the location will fit into MU's revamped dining plans for next year, dubbed Mizzou Meals. |
| Chinese Scientists in America Come Under New Wave of Suspicion | |
 | On March 28, FBI agents raided two homes belonging to Xiaofeng Wang, a computer-science professor at Indiana University Bloomington. Hours later, the university fired him without explanation. Those events deepened a mystery around Wang, a well-known expert in cybersecurity who had worked at the university for two decades. His faculty page had suddenly gone missing from the university's website weeks earlier. It later emerged that the university had been investigating Wang over undisclosed alleged China collaborations, though the connection with a Federal Bureau of Investigation inquiry remained unclear. Wang's story has sent a familiar chill through the community of Chinese scientists in the U.S. Many of them fear a renewal of the government suspicion, political pressure and criminal prosecution they faced under the first Trump administration, in the midst of escalating tensions between the government and universities. Geopolitical competition has eroded once-thriving scientific collaboration between the U.S. and China. In Washington, there is intensifying bipartisan concern over Chinese theft of American intellectual property. Critics of the increased scrutiny have said that targeting Chinese scientists threatens to erode American competitiveness and that doing so might make it easier for China to persuade top scientists to come home. "The more you close up and set up boundaries and borders, it's just going to weaken your science," said Caroline S. Wagner, who researches science and technology policy at Ohio State University. |
| Colleges Must Eliminate DEI Programs to Receive Research Funding, NIH Says | |
 | The National Institutes of Health has announced what it's framing as a new ultimatum for research universities: Certify that you don't operate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, or lose funding and access to future grants. The policy change is the Trump administration's latest strike against diversity efforts. Colleges maintain DEI offices and initiatives to try to create more welcoming campuses, but federal officials have argued that many such programs are discriminatory. The NIH's revised policy applies to new, renewing, and continuing research awards, according to the agency. Colleges that are not in compliance or fail to dismantle DEI activities will have previously disbursed funding revoked. The change, dated Monday, appears to have taken effect immediately. Per the policy, when grant recipients accept an award, they must certify that their institution does not operate any programs that advance or promote DEI or "discriminatory equity ideology in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws." The NIH does not define what counts as diversity, equity, and inclusion, leaving colleges to try to interpret whether their programs fall under the policy's scope. |
| No NIH Grants for Colleges With DEI Programs or Israel Boycotts | |
 | If colleges and universities want to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), they'll have to certify that they don't operate any diversity, equity, inclusion or accessibility programs that violate federal antidiscrimination laws, under a new NIH policy announced Monday. The change appears to codify parts of President Donald Trump's executive orders that banned funding for DEI programs and builds on the strategy to leverage colleges' research funding to compel certain behaviors. But the new policy goes even further than the president's directives, barring colleges from boycotting Israel or Israeli businesses if they want to receive NIH grants. Such boycotts are rare in higher education, though calls for colleges to rethink their relationship to Israel have ramped up in the last year. The policy change is effective immediately and applies to all new and existing grants. If a college violates the new terms, NIH could terminate the grant and require the recipient to pay back the funds. STAT News first reported on a draft of the new policy. |
| International students stripped of legal status in the US are piling up wins in court | |
| Anjan Roy was studying with friends at Missouri State University when he got an email that turned his world upside down. His legal status as an international student had been terminated, and he was suddenly at risk for deportation. "I was in literal shock, like, what the hell is this?" said Roy, a graduate student in computer science from Bangladesh. At first, he avoided going out in public, skipping classes and mostly keeping his phone turned off. A court ruling in his favor led to his status being restored this week, and he has returned to his apartment, but he is still asking his roommates to screen visitors. More than a thousand international students have faced similar disruptions in recent weeks, with their academic careers -- and their lives in the U.S. -- thrown into doubt in a widespread crackdown by the Trump administration. Some have found a measure of success in court, with federal judges around the country issuing orders to restore students' legal status at least temporarily. In addition to the case filed in Atlanta, where Roy is among 133 plaintiffs, judges have issued temporary restraining orders in states including New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Judges have denied similar requests in some other cases, saying it was not clear the loss of status would cause irreparable harm. |
| Elite Universities in Trump's Crosshairs Are Drumming Up Cash | |
| Elite universities are raising cash as they deal with life in President Trump's crosshairs. Princeton University is issuing $320 million in bonds, while Northwestern secured $500 million and Harvard raised $750 million. Yale University, which has flown under Trump's radar so far, is trying to sell billions in its private-equity holdings. Many colleges haven't turned to such measures since the 2008-09 financial crisis or the pandemic. "Most universities are not panicking but want to be prepared for the worst," said Greg Dowling of investment consulting firm Fund Evaluation Group. The Trump administration has pulled, paused or placed under review more than $10 billion in funding as part of its push for sweeping changes to how universities operate, which the schools argue amounts to massive overreach by the federal government into private institutions. Schools are dealing with more uncertainty now than they did during previous market drawdowns or economic downturns, when they could expect the government to be supportive, said Matt Bank of Charlotte, N.C.-based outsourced investment office GEM. "In some respects, it feels like the intention here is to create disorder," he said. University leaders and endowment chiefs also expect Congress to consider raising the tax on the richest endowments and expanding the number of schools affected. Competing proposals have been introduced in the House. |
| Federal cuts are putting university finances at risk, S&P says | |
| Financial risks are growing for universities that depend heavily on federal funding for research, according to a report released Monday by S&P Global Ratings. Institutions with the highest S&P credit ratings are also those most likely to be hurt by the Trump administration's federal research cuts. Adding to the strain are other policy changes, such as a proposed higher endowment tax and an immigration crackdown that could stem international enrollment. "Material cuts to federal research funds could create operating pressures," S&P analysts said, pointing to specific institutions targeted by the administration, including Columbia and Harvard universities. The Trump administration's frenetic and often chaotic cuts to research funding have already widely disrupted operations at colleges. "Management teams will need to assess budget options to offset revenue loss, including possible expense cuts, layoffs, and reduced research programming," S&P analysts said in Monday's report. Analysts with Moody's Ratings issued a similar warning earlier this year. The specter of research funding cuts, endowment tax hikes, interruptions to student aid and slowing international student enrollment led the credit ratings agency to lower its outlook to negative for the higher ed sector for 2025. But while universities could face financial strain, many of those most affected by Trump's policies have deep enough resources to weather disruption, at least in the short term, S&P analysts said. |
| State's ready for changes in how the Trump Administration deals with cyberattacks | |
 | Columnist Sid Salter writes: Cyberattacks, including data breaches and hacking, are increasingly common. Cybersecurity is a costly and evolving field where law enforcement and government officials compete against skilled criminals who use technology to cause disruption and chaos. These crimes aren't limited to large cities and large companies in international financial centers. On April 19, OCH Regional Medical Center made public what they called a "recent" (?) data breach that on Sept. 6, 2023, exposed what they first said was "as many as 67,000 files." ... The point here is not to skewer OCH but to clearly point out that we are all susceptible to cybersecurity attacks and that well-meaning business, governmental, and even sometimes military officials struggle to stay ahead of the criminals. ... On March 19, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that shifted some of the responsibility from the federal government to states and localities to improve their infrastructure to address risks, including cybercrimes. Federal cuts have also reduced resources for state and local officials, including a cybersecurity grant program. Mississippi, unlike some 22 states, is deemed prepared for these changes structurally and is surprisingly well-regarded nationally in terms of cybersecurity planning and infrastructure. The Mississippi Cyber Initiative was established in 2021 to position the state as a leader in the field and identify cyber issues as a stabilizing force in the state's existing economy as a jobs creator for the state's future economic development, particularly in the state's Gulf Coast region. |
SPORTS
| Can spring game serve as blueprint for defensive turnaround at Mississippi State? | |
| The warning signs for Mississippi State's woeful defense last fall were apparent as early as the spring game, when the Bulldogs' receivers torched the defensive backs for one big play after another as the defensive line struggled to generate pressure on the quarterbacks and stop the run. All of those issues remained present throughout the season. MSU was dead last in the Southeastern Conference in just about every meaningful defensive category, and among the worst in the country in sack rate and yards allowed per pass attempt. The result was a 2-10 season and the Bulldogs' first year without an SEC win since 2002. With defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler now preparing for his second season in Starkville, MSU's defense turned in a much better showing in this year's spring game. All statistics kept were unofficial, but Hutzler's unit was credited with seven sacks and mostly limited big plays on the ground against a strong crop of running backs. "We flew around," said linebacker Nic Mitchell, one of the group's veterans after starting all 12 games last fall. "We're just all trying to grow, get to know each other. (There are) a lot of new faces in the room, a lot of new faces on the team, so we're just trying to grow and become a brotherhood." Head coach Jeff Lebby showed faith in Hutzler and the rest of his defensive staff by keeping them all on board, but he also brought in reinforcements. |
| Men's Golf: State Begins Postseason Play At SEC Tournament | |
| Mississippi State men's golf begins its 2025 postseason at the SEC Tournament in St. Simons Island, Georgia on Wednesday. Sea Island Golf Club plays host to the event with stroke play on April 23-25. The top eight teams will advance to match play on April 26-27. State concluded its regular season with a third-place showing at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship, the ninth top-10 finish in as many team events. The Bulldogs' season has been highlighted by a victory at the Desert Mountain Collegiate in March. MSU will start a lineup with a plethora of experience and success – Garrett Endicott (No. 1), Dain Richie (No. 2), Harrison Davis (No. 3), Josep Serra (No. 4) and Ugo Malcor (No. 5). Endicott leads the team with three top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up showing at the Desert Mountain Collegiate, for which he earned SEC Golfer of the Week honors. He has compiled 14 rounds of par or better, eight of which were in the 60s. The Dawgs will tee off of Hole No. 10 on Wednesday morning, beginning with Malcor at 7:50 a.m. CT followed by Serra at 8 a.m. with Davis, Richie and Endicott following in 10-minute increments. Live results are available on Golfstat. |
| Diamond Dawgs Fall To No. 23 Ole Miss In 10 Innings | |
| Mississippi State dropped a 10-inning heartbreaker by a score of 8-7 in the annual Governor's Cup against Ole Miss at Trustmark Park on Tuesday night. MSU held a 7-5 lead in the bottom of the ninth before a two-run homer by the Rebels forced extras. Ole Miss then scored the winning run in the 10th on a walk-off single. State built itself a three-run lead by the third inning before the Rebels plated a pair in the fourth and three more in the fifth to surge in front 5-3. The Bulldogs used a four-run sixth to regain control. A bases-loaded single from Bryce Chance was the big swing in the frame, and it was all nearly enough for MSU until Ole Miss found its late-inning magic. Gehrig Frei and Ross Highfill had strong nights for the State offense in defeat. Each had two hits and an RBI. Mississippi State heads to No. 11 Auburn for a three-game series at Plainsman Park. The Dawgs and Tigers square off at 6 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. Sunday's series finale is set for a 2 p.m. start. All games will be streamed on SEC Network+. |
| Baseball: Mississippi State drops another heartbreaker, falls to Ole Miss in Pearl | |
| Mississippi State was so close to flipping the script Tuesday night with so many factors stacked against the Bulldogs. The pitching staff was already overworked from a taxing and frustrating series loss to Florida over the weekend. A weather delay lasting nearly an hour could have thrown starter Noah Sullivan off his game. And MSU had already blown a three-run lead earlier, only to seemingly take control with a pair of big hits in the sixth. But freshman Ryan McPherson, on the mound for his fourth inning of work, could not close it out. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Austin Fawley took McPherson deep for a game-tying two-run home run. In the 10th, after two wild pitches from Luke Dotson eluded catcher Ross Highfill, Will Furniss lined a walk-off single as No. 23 Ole Miss handed the Bulldogs a crushing 8-7 loss in the Governor's Cup at Trustmark Park. "That one hurts. That one always hurts," outfielder Bryce Chance said. "For it to end like that, it's super frustrating. I thought we played pretty (well), but like it's been the last couple weeks, it just hasn't been enough." |
| Mississippi State University To Debut Cigar Line Honoring Baseball Team | |
| Cigars seem to be enjoying a kind of resurgence in the world of sports. The days of Red Auerbach strolling up and down the sidelines of the Boston Garden with a large cigar in his mouth may be long gone, but lately, the victory cigar is making a comeback. There's a college football rivalry built around cigars that has reached new heights, current professional athletes are releasing their own cigar brands and we've seen the emergence of university-backed cigar lines celebrating collegiate sports teams. Now, Mississippi State University is joining the party with a new line of cigars from Bocock Brothers. The Mississippi State Ron Polk Signature Series honors the university's baseball program and its iconic head coach, Ron Polk. The now-retired coach, widely referred to as the "Father of SEC Baseball," compiled a laundry list of achievements in his career: 29 seasons leading Mississippi State, eight College World Series appearances with three teams (six with Mississippi State), two time National Coach of the Year and a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame. The official release for the cigars is set for Saturday, May 3, at Super Bulldog Weekend in Starkville, Mississippi (home to Mississippi State). Super Bulldog Weekend is effectively the spring version of homecoming weekend for the school, with baseball games all weekend long, the football team's spring game and many other activities that bring tons of supporters to Starkville each year. |
| Brett Favre Lists Mississippi Home for $14 Million | |
| NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre is listing his longtime Mississippi home for $14 million, making it one of the most expensive homes for sale in the state. Favre grew up in Mississippi. He and his wife, Deanna Favre, have two daughters. They have used this roughly 465-acre property, called Black Creek Farm, as a primary residence since the late 1990s, according to listing agent Jon Callaghan with Live Water Properties. In 2022, the Mississippi Department of Human Services filed a civil lawsuit over misused welfare funds, naming Favre as one of the defendants. The suit is ongoing. Last year, Favre announced that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Callaghan said Favre and his family lived in the guesthouse while building the gated, roughly 20,000-square-foot main home, which was completed in 2002. They also built a roughly 5,000-square-foot home on the property for his mother-in-law. The property has two ponds, one spanning roughly 3.5 acres and the other spanning 2 acres. According to Callaghan, Favre plans to stay in Mississippi. He is selling the property because he wants to downsize. |
| SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey sounds off on changing college sports landscape | |
| SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has seen plenty over the last five years. COVID. Conference realignment. NIL. Lawsuits. But as the proposed House settlement could receive approval in the coming days, the college sports world faces a new reality that will see schools paying players directly. "It's not the end of the story," Sankey told the audience at the CAA World Congress of Sports on Tuesday in Nashville. "It is a chapter. It's a necessary chapter. And one of the realities around other ideas related to college sports is they have started at a point ignoring what we have to deal with from the past. "... The coping that you hear is we're trying to figure out what we have to deal with from our past. That's the chapter we're in right now." That schools will pay athletes directly is a 180-degree switch for an enterprise that has long operated under the pretenses that paying athletes compromised their supposed status as "amateurs." More pressing, however, is whether there can actually be control over an enterprise in college sports that has operated sans real regulation for the better part of five years. "Anybody with a law degree and a Twitter account is like an expert," Sankey deadpanned. "They put something out, and I'll have a university president send it to me. It doesn't mean it's right. It's an opinion." |
| $40 million rosters, portal panic and the wildest week yet of college football's unhinged free-for-all era | |
| It's the first day of college football's spring transfer portal window, players are jumping in left and right, and Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is anxious. Coming off an 11-2 2024 season that included a College Football Playoff berth, life is pretty good in Bloomington. The university and its supporters are committed to investing in Indiana football, ensuring it can be more than just a one-hit wonder. With the fiery Cignetti's unrelenting pursuit of success and the player and coaching talent returning, Indiana will have a real chance at making the College Football Playoff again in 2025. But Cignetti is still uneasy -- and for good reason. Tampering is rampant in college football, and around every corner, a possible enemy lurks trying to poach one of Cignetti's players. In what was supposed to be a relatively quiet portal period, it has instead been super-charged with football programs making a last grasp at adding as much talent as possible before a likely NCAA v. House settlement that paves the way for revenue sharing. "This is an unprecedented couple days, weeks, where everybody's waiting on this rev share, and the five or six out there that have unlimited NIL resources, it's kind of scary for everybody else," Cignetti told CBS Sports. "I think our little pot of gold is pretty nice, but we're not at $40 million. Or $30 million. Or even $25 million." |
| Ohio State Athletic Director Ross Bjork Calls For Changes to College Football Calendar | |
| After experiencing the full grind of a Buckeye national championship run that lasted all the way until Jan. 20, Ross Bjork told ESPN that if college football wants to avoid "unintended consequences," it must adjust the College Football Playoff and transfer portal windows. "We've had so many disruptions over the last five-plus years that I think the time is now to not be reactive, be proactive," Bjork said. "When we had this setting here with the commissioners, our job was to provide feedback on what was it like to go through the 12-team playoff ... but it all gets impacted by the calendar. I felt it was important to lay that out with everyone in the room to say, separate from the CFP process, if we don't fix our calendar as an industry, then we're going to continue to have unintended consequences." Bjork voiced his concerns recently in the CFP's annual spring meetings, joining CFP executives and the other three athletic directors of schools that made the playoff's semifinals: Notre Dame's Pete Bevacqua, Texas' Chris Del Conte and Penn State's Pat Kraft. Bjork voiced concerns that, with classes beginning on Jan. 6 for Ohio State, academic advisors had to travel with the team and athletes had to miss classes. The Buckeyes also had to apply for waivers around countable athletically-related activities, as teams are normally limited to 20 practice hours per week while school is in session. |
| NCAA Increases Lobbying Spending in First Months of Trump | |
| The NCAA is doubling down on its federal lobbying efforts during the first months of the Trump administration, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby the newly Republican-controlled Congress. The governing body spent $450,000 on lobbying during the first quarter of 2025 -- almost double the amount it spent during the first quarter of 2024. The spending is a continuation of the NCAA's yearslong federal lobbying effort to convince Congress pass a law that would award it control over the amateurism rules that remain. And since last year, the NCAA has been attempting to convince Congress to codify the terms of the House v. NCAA settlement proposal. "The message I got when I showed up [in Washington] was: clean up your own house, and then come talk to us," NCAA president Charlie Baker told reporters during the men's Final Four. The NCAA sees the settlement as proof that the NCAA has done everything it can to fix college sports -- and that it's now Congress' turn to step in to protect the remainder of its rules and allow it to legally impose others, like transfer restrictions. To do so, the NCAA is asking for antitrust protections, preemption of state NIL (name, image, and likeness) laws, and a stipulation preventing college athletes from being reclassified as employees. |
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