| Wednesday, May 14, 2025 |
| MSU-Meridian seats fifth physician assistant cohort, looks toward future growth | |
 | Mississippi State University-Meridian welcomed the fifth group of students to its physicians assistant program as students from the third cohort prepare to graduate in commencement exercises Wednesday, Interim Head of Campus David Buys told local officials Monday at a Council of Governments meeting. Although it doesn't seem like five years have passed, the program is quickly gaining a reputation for quality and seeing more and more highly qualified applicants looking to attend. The university is also seeing applications from Mississippians increase, which is a key part of its mission of increasing healthcare accessibility in the state, Buys said. "We've both increased the competitiveness and the local nature of our applications," he said. "Our mission is to increase primary care resources in the state, and so to do that we need people from Mississippi applying to our program, and we've been successful in that." MSU-Meridian has also expanded its health science offerings with a new nursing program launching earlier this year and a professional doctoral program in psychology, Buys said. |
| Physician Assistant students present final projects | |
| Mississippi State University-Meridian Master of Physician Assistant Studies students presented their year-long research during "Student Capstone Poster Presentation Day" at the MSU Riley Center Friday. The projects reflected the final hurdle to jump before graduation this week. The event, spread out along the fourth-floor lobby, sought to support and celebrate students in the final step of their educational experience as they present findings from their systemized review of relevant clinical topics. The presentations were akin to mini-dissertations discussing research, findings and any need for further exploration of the subject matter. Topics included supplements, medications and different surgery techniques, among others. While the purpose of the capstone project is for students to display the ability to evaluate research on a clinically relevant topic, the Capstone Poster Presentation Day is also an opportunity for students to communicate effectively, as well as exchange information with other health professionals, stated a university press release. |
| Nature Water study led by MSU geoscientist highlights global aridification, threat to agriculture | |
 | A long-term shift toward drier conditions is reshaping landscapes and livelihoods across the globe. Known as aridification, this gradual drying trend now affects 2.3 billion people and 40% of Earth's land, with serious implications for agriculture and water systems -- especially in the U.S. From California's Central Valley to the Great Plains, often called the world's breadbasket, farmers are facing tough decisions about what to plant, how to irrigate, and how to adapt to a future where water is no longer guaranteed. These findings appear in the Nature Water article "Increasing aridification calls for urgent global adaptive solutions and policy action," led by Mississippi State University Associate Vice President and Professor Narcisa Pricope in collaboration with a team of international scientists. "Mississippi State is leading the way in tackling global challenges with research that delivers real-world impact," said Julie Jordan, vice president for research and economic development. "Dr. Pricope's work exemplifies how our scientists are connecting international science with practical solutions that shape policies and practices to strengthen resilience across the globe." "Aridification isn't just a global issue with little bearing for our lives in Mississippi and the USA," Pricope said. "We need to act now to protect our farms, forests and families." |
| How does the EPA know a pesticide is safe to use in my yard? | |
 | Mississippi State University's Jeff Gore writes for The Conversation: Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin has said he wants the federal agency to accelerate scientific safety evaluations of various chemicals, including pesticides. The EPA reportedly has more than 500 pending reviews of proposed new pesticides and more than 12,000 overdue reevaluations of pesticides currently in use. The agency is under pressure from the chemical and agricultural industries to catch up, while health and environmental advocates demand it maintain high safety standards. The review process is careful for a reason -- and perhaps the only real method of speeding it up is the one Zeldin has proposed: reassigning staff so there are more people to share the work. As a faculty member at a land-grant university who has studied the effectiveness of commercial and experimental pesticides in the southern U.S., I have seen how the federal pesticide regulatory process identifies risks to humans and the environment and mitigates them with specific use instructions. Here's how the process works. |
| Free community concerts set to return for summer evenings | |
 | Summer is about to be filled with music once again, with free community concerts returning downtown in Starkville and Columbus. Paige Watson, director of Main Street for the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, said the organization's Downtown at Sundown series kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday. "We encourage everyone to come out," Watson said. "We want to see the park packed every time. And the acts are so good. It's really a great show and a great event." Downtown at Sundown is an annual concert series the Greater Starkville Development Partnership has hosted every year since 2019, besides a break in 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. The series drives community engagement and downtown activity every month during the summer, Watson said. All three concerts for this year are scheduled for 7-9 p.m. at Fire Station Park. The series kicks off Thursday with a performance by Illegal Smiles, followed by a performance June 19 by Lizzy James and Harmonic Haze and another performance July 10 by the Disco Stranglers. The June show, Watson said, is being held in collaboration with the Starkvegas Juneteenth Committee for Unity as a kickoff to the group's weekend celebrations. |
| Audiobooks, federal funding returns to local libraries | |
| Local library directors are celebrating a small win this week after the return of Hoopla, a streaming service for audiobooks and ebooks made free to library patrons through funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Erin Busbea, director for the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System, said while she is glad to see the return of Hoopla services, her concern surrounding the future of IMLS funding hasn't gone away. "We have it right now, and people should definitely use it," Busbea said. "It's a great resource. ... It's still very concerning. At first I was real optimistic, but there's just a lot of moving parts, and everything is kind of crazy right now, but right now at least we have it." Access to Hoopla services was discontinued in April after the entire IMLS staff was placed on administrative leave following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on March 14, calling to eliminate IMLS "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law." All IMLS grants and funding processes were paused. Last week, Jennifer Lena, executive director for the Mississippi Library Commission, sent an email to all library system directors in Mississippi stating that MLC had received 50% of its IMLS funding, and Hoopla services would return at least through Sept. 30. Funding through the Grants to States program is statutory, meaning it would take an act of Congress to eliminate those funds, Lena said. However, Lena said to her knowledge, all other grants through IMLS have been terminated, meaning no additional funds can be awarded to library systems. |
| Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival underway in downtown Meridian | |
| America's longest-running music festival is underway in downtown Meridian. From now until Sunday, the Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival will bring community events and a multitude of concerts for the public's entertainment. The multi-day event named after "The Father of Country Music," Jimmie Rodgers, began in 1953 and is celebrating its 72nd edition in the Queen City. "He influenced so many genres of music. We're proud that he is from here in Meridian," Laura Carmichael with Visit Meridian said on Good Things with Rebecca Turner. "[The festival] brings people in, and from a tourism standpoint, we want them to see what Meridian is all about." Keeping alive the legacy of the Mississippi singer, songwriter, and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s, this year's event will feature a Jimmie Rodgers-themed talent show on Wednesday before a concert-heavy remainder of the festival heats up. From Thursday through Sunday, a wide range of artists and bands will take the main stage at the Ellis Theater and at the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (MAX). Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to evening events at the MAX courtyard. |
| Furniture importer HH2 Home moving distribution to former Dirt Cheap facility | |
| A division of an Asian furniture manufacturer and distributor will soon use the former Dirt Cheap warehouse in Blue Mountain as its distribution center. HH2 Home, a Louisville, Kentucky-based case goods division of Green River Group, will employ between 30 and 50 workers at the 500,000-square-foot facility, according to a report from Furniture World. The industry publication said HH2's move from Louisville to Blue Mountain is intended to improve logistics efficiency and support ongoing expansion. "This facility is located in a high-traffic furniture area near established freight and trucking routes just outside Memphis," said HH2 CEO Lee Boone. "With this ideal location, we will develop the campus as an East Coast distribution facility for all of our related companies, creating scale and further operational efficiencies." Boone told Furniture World that HH2 Home plans to begin shipping from the new location this month. The Blue Mountain facility, originally designed for furniture manufacturing, will streamline the handling of goods and reduce the risk of damage during transport. |
| Nissan affirms importance of Tennessee, Mississippi factories, amid massive layoffs, closures | |
 | Despite the announcement of 11,000 layoffs and seven global factory closures, Nissan said its Tennessee and Mississippi factories remain critical to its North American strategy. "Our manufacturing operations in Tennessee and Mississippi are strategically important to the company's future in this crucial market," Nissan Americas Corporate Communications Director Kyle Bazemore said to The Tennessean. Nissan said May 13 that it will consolidate production to just 10 factories globally by fiscal year 2027, but it did not specify which seven will shutter. The company also plans to reduce its workforce by 20,000 employees between fiscal years 2024 and 2027 -- a number that includes the 9,000 layoffs it announced in November 2024. After President Donald Trump launched a trade war in April, Nissan reversed a previous decision to reduce the number of production lines in its Smyrna, Tenn., and Canton, Miss., factories. Bazemore affirmed on May 13 that Nissan will maintain two shifts of production for the Nissan Rogue in Smyrna. The decision to cut about 15% of Nissan's global workforce comes in the wake of a poor performance in fiscal year 2024. |
| US egg prices fall for the first time in months but remain near record highs | |
 | U.S. retail egg prices fell in April from the record-high prices they hit earlier this year, according to government data released Tuesday. The average price for a dozen Grade A eggs declined to $5.12 last month after reaching a record $6.23 in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was the first month-to-month drop in egg prices since October 2024. Overall, the average price of eggs of all sizes fell 12.7%, the steepest monthly decline since March 1984. Still, retail egg prices remain near historic highs as a persistent outbreak of bird flu wipes out flocks of egg-laying hens. The April average price for a dozen large eggs was 79% higher than the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported for the same month a year ago, when the price averaged $2.86 per dozen. David L. Ortega, a professor of food economics and policy at Michigan State University, said he thinks U.S. egg prices will continue to fall in May and June. Consumer demand tends to fall after Easter, which helps lower prices, he said. Lowering egg prices has been a particular focus of President Donald Trump. The antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice is also investigating Cal-Maine Foods, the largest U.S. egg producer, which supplies around 20% of America's eggs. Cal-Maine confirmed the investigation in early April.. |
| Trump's plan to bring shipbuilding back to the US? Port fees on Chinese vessels | |
 | While the trade war between China and the United States is simmering down, a 30% tariff remains on Chinese imports. And President Donald Trump's Administration has another policy on the way that will make free trade even more expensive. Chinese built, owned or operated commercial ships must pay a new port fee on trips to the U.S. starting in October. The administration's goal for the fee is to reboot the failing U.S. commercial shipbuilding industry by raising costs on the Chinese vessels that dominate sea lanes. U.S. shipbuilders, including Mississippi's largest employer Ingalls Shipbuilding, are optimistic about the federal support. But hundreds of public comments show companies that rely on international trade, from Louisiana's maritime industry to Alabama coal miners, believe this will only harm American trade and businesses. This new fee could also drive down traffic to American ports, as Trump's tariffs have already made some of the country's busiest ports not so busy. Ironically, it's also led to fewer ship voyages, let alone a demand for new ones to be built. "I don't know why you would invest in a ship right now," Mike Lee, president of the shipping logistics company Page and Jones in Mobile, Alabama, said. "Even an American flag ship." |
| With fiscal year running out, Mississippi lawmakers still can't agree on a state budget | |
| House and Senate leaders appear to remain at loggerheads on a $7 billion state budget, even as the deadline to fund state government for the next fiscal year approaches. Legislators adjourned their regular session earlier this year without agreeing on a budget, with the House and Senate, both Republican led, in a bitter political fight over numerous issues. Now, they're trying to reach a final deal before the fiscal year ends on June 30. If lawmakers do not pass a budget before the new budget year begins July 1, then most state agencies would shut down or temporarily close, though some court rulings and legal opinions have stated that some core agencies could still function. Rep. John Read, a Republican from Gautier who leads the House Appropriations A Committee, said budget leaders were still at an impasse when they met last week, but he believes they'll get closer to a final deal after returning to the negotiating table this week. "You're trying to get from A to B, and we have three people involved in discussions now," Read said. "And each person thinks they're right." |
| Hosemann advocates cautious budget approach in light of federal funding cuts | |
| Mississippi will be impacted by federal efforts to cut spending, and state legislators will need to use caution and spend responsibly to keep the state's finances heading in the right direction, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Monday. The state Legislature is expected to head back to Jackson within the next few weeks for a special session after ending the 2025 Legislative Session without passing a state budget. Hosemann said talks with House leadership are ongoing and progress is being made, but this year's budget is particularly difficult to develop. "It's a difficult budget this year for two reasons. One, the positive part, which is we have been exceptionally productive," he said. The state is paying down its debt, cut both income and grocery taxes, reducing the size of government and increasing pay for teachers, he said. All of those, while good for Mississippians, add complexity to the budgeting process. Legislators must also factor in federal spending cuts and the impact they will have on Mississippi. Hosemann said roughly half of the state's funding comes from the federal government, and any programs impacted by the reduction in federal spending must either be made whole through other means or ended. |
| Indicted Hinds County District Attorney Flouts Campaign Disclosure Laws | |
| Jody Owens, the district attorney in Mississippi's capital city who faces trial on federal corruption charges, has been fined for failing to disclose his most recent campaign fundraising and spending. But the state's weak and much-criticized campaign finance enforcement system may spare him from the strongest sanctions -- the loss of his government salary. Owens, a second-term Democrat, was charged last year with disguising bribes to local city government officials as campaign donations to buy favors and steer influence over a fictitious real-estate development project for which he was working as a consultant. Owens has pleaded not guilty. As of Monday, Owens still hadn't filed a mandatory report of his campaign committee's 2024 financial activities. The report was due in January. Missing that deadline led to Owens incurring a $500 state fine. Although he paid the fine last month, Owens still hasn't provided the report. State law says his salary as district attorney should be frozen until he files the report -- a mandatory sanction that has rarely, if ever, been used. Public records show that candidates and officeholders commonly lapse in their reporting requirements and file error-filled or illegible reports. This long-known problem, as well as the details of the bribery scheme federal officials allege Owens helped orchestrate, highlight the extent to which Mississippi's campaign finance laws remain a dysfunctional system of lax rules and limited enforcement. |
| Introduced seafood bill looks to provide inspection transparency, publicly report results | |
 | A new bill in Congress takes aim at imported shrimp and ensuring foreign seafood is safe. 4th District Congressman Mike Ezell and two Louisiana House members have introduced the Safer Shrimp Imports Act, which would require the Food and Drug Administration to increase testing of imported shrimp and publicly report inspection results. Right now, around 90 percent of shrimp consumed in the U.S comes from foreign countries, and less than one percent of that is inspected as it comes into the U.S., according to the information from Ezell's office. While tariffs on foreign shrimp are aimed at boosting the domestic market, Ezell says the Safe Shrimp Imports Act would protect consumers from what he calls "unsafe, low-quality products." "This bill is about leveling the playing field and protecting our American producers and keeping America healthy," Ezell said. The Safer Shrimp Imports Act is a companion bill to one in the Senate introduced by Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. |
| GOP senators raise red flags over House's ambitious Trump legislative package | |
 | An ambitious House bill to cut taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars and pay for part of it by slashing Medicaid spending faces a rocky path in the Senate, where Republican lawmakers warn the changes to the safety net program could hurt rural hospitals and reduce benefits for their constituents. Republican senators are also raising red flags about the House plan's phase-out of renewable energy tax credits and what they're calling an inadequate attempt to reduce the ballooning federal deficit. Senate Republicans have given Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) space to put together a bill that can muster the 218 votes it needs to pass the House. But they're warning that it's going to get a facelift when it reaches the Senate, where Republicans who represent rural states say they will take a careful look at proposals that could throw millions of Americans off their health insurance. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said he's fine with the new work requirements and antifraud provisions that House Republicans have proposed for Medicaid, but he raised concerns about their "cost-sharing proposal," which he said would make "beneficiaries pay more." "These are working people in particular who are going to have to pay more," he said. |
| Why the 1 senator who can rein in RFK Jr. isn't calling him out | |
 | Sen. Bill Cassidy has a big decision to make about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. When Kennedy makes his first public appearance before the Senate health committee Wednesday since his February confirmation, public health officials and advocates hope the GOP senator from Louisiana -- a doctor -- will again challenge Kennedy's long-held view that vaccines cause autism, as he did during Kennedy's confirmation hearings, and also question actions Kennedy has taken as secretary. But people with knowledge of Cassidy and Kennedy's rapport expect Cassidy might opt to stick with a nonconfrontational approach he believes has helped steer Kennedy away from his anti-vaccine impulses since his confirmation -- despite taking heat from the public health crowd. "It's probably going to be really disappointing for people who want fireworks," said one of those people, adding that Cassidy and Kennedy often talk multiple times a week. Where Cassidy comes down will say a lot about how much scrutiny Kennedy's vaccine policies are going to get on Capitol Hill. |
| Trump Officials Balk at RFK Jr.'s Attack on Pesticides | |
 | A bid by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to label pesticides as a potential cause of U.S. health woes has attracted pushback from some White House and agency officials who are concerned the move would disrupt the food-supply chain, according to people familiar with the debate. Kennedy, who is spearheading a coming report to "Make America Healthy Again," wants to highlight what he views as the deleterious impact of pesticides, people familiar with the matter said. He previously campaigned on removing pesticides from the food supply. White House officials have raised concerns about the pesticide push and are closely reviewing the coming report, the people said, though it wasn't clear where President Trump himself stood on the issue. And some officials at the Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates pesticides, and Agriculture Department have cast doubt on Kennedy's desire to cast weedkillers as harmful to health. In particular, the report is expected to single out glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, the most widely used weedkiller in the world, made by Bayer, people familiar with the planning said. The report is also expected to call out atrazine, a herbicide used on grasses and corn, as a possible problematic toxin, the people said. |
| As Library of Congress crisis deepens, lawmakers tread carefully | |
 | A stalemate at the Library of Congress continued Tuesday with no easy resolution in sight, as lawmakers considered how far to wade in. Citing "executive overreach," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said as far as he was concerned, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was not currently in charge of the nation's largest library, despite the president's desire to install him as acting head. "What cause did he have to fire Dr. Hayden?" the New York Democrat said at a press conference, when asked about Trump's abrupt termination of longtime Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. "There's no cause. It's all made-up foolishness. And so we're certainly going to look into that, and litigation will be evaluated strongly," he added. "And hopefully some of my Republican colleagues will actually stand up, show a backbone as it relates to their own authority. Stop being punked by Donald Trump." Trump fired Hayden, the first African American and the first woman to lead the library, last Thursday. On Saturday, he axed Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter. And on Monday, the Department of Justice confirmed that Blanche and two other officials were named to temporarily fill library roles. The executive branch takeover of a legislative branch agency is precedent-shattering, at the very least, Democrats contend. While the president appoints librarians of Congress with Senate confirmation, the copyright office head is appointed by the librarian, according to statute. "It's the Library of Congress, not the library of the executive branch," Jeffries said. |
| White House eased China tariffs after warnings of harm to 'Trump's people' | |
 | Some of the president's top aides saw an opening. Throughout April, President Donald Trump's sky-high tariffs on imports from China had rippled through the U.S. and global economies. But the president was reluctant to move too quickly to lower the penalties on Beijing, believing that the United States needed to stomach some short-term economic pain to achieve a major rebalancing in trade and that China had more to lose in the standoff. By the end of the month, though, a growing number of blue-collar workers whom Trump saw as part of his political base -- including longshoremen and truckers -- began warning that tariffs and a near-total cessation of trade with China were hurting them. Behind the scenes, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other aides told Trump that his own voters were in danger if the tariffs did not come down, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions. That gave them a path to initiating negotiations with the Chinese. One White House official cautioned, however, that multiple factors contributed to the trade talks in Switzerland. |
| Democrats are deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, an AP-NORC poll finds | |
| Six months after Donald Trump's presidential victory, Democrats remain deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, although neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party is viewed favorably by a majority of U.S. adults. A new poll conducted earlier this month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only about one-third of Democrats are "very optimistic" or even "somewhat optimistic" about their party's future. That's down sharply from July 2024, when about 6 in 10 Democrats said they had a positive outlook. "I'm not real high on Democrats right now," said poll respondent Damien Williams, a 48-year-old Democrat from Cahokia Heights, Illinois. "To me, they're not doing enough to push back against Trump." The poll comes at a critical moment for the Democratic Party, which is desperately seeking momentum after losing the White House and both chambers of Congress in last fall's general election. Republicans, meanwhile, are slightly more optimistic about the future of the GOP than they were last year. Neither political party is especially popular right now. |
| Women Are Drinking More -- and Doctors Are Worried | |
| At bars and dinner tables across the U.S., women are throwing back more drinks -- raising concerns about the health consequences of their alcohol consumption. Women in their 30s and 40s have increased their alcohol consumption in recent decades, as their lifestyles have changed. Women who turned 35 between 2018 and 2019 were nearly 60% more likely to report recent binge-drinking or alcohol use disorder symptoms than women who turned 35 between 1993 and 1997, according to a 2023 report published in the journal Addiction. Doctors are now witnessing more hospitalizations of women for liver disease, and some researchers suspect alcohol consumption is contributing to rising rates of breast cancer. Women are also experiencing increasing alcohol-related deaths at a faster clip than men, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. "It's not pay parity; it is drinking parity, and that is a big issue in terms of health risks," says Mary Beth Terry, a cancer epidemiologist at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Women's alcohol-related health problems tend to start at lower levels of drinking compared with men. Women's bodies tend to contain less water and more fat, resulting in a higher blood alcohol concentration than men, even when body weight and the amount consumed are equal, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. |
| New facility at Southern Miss Gulf Park campus named Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Hall after $1.5M gift | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi has announced the naming of its new shared facility for services provided by DuBard School for Language Disorders and The Children's Center for Communication and Development on the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach as Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Hall, in recognition of a generous $1.5 million gift from the Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Charitable Foundation. This transformative gift supports the construction of a facility designed to expand the services and impact of two of Southern Miss' most respected clinical programs, both housed within the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Established in 1962, the DuBard School serves children ages three to 13 with severe speech and language disorders. Founded in 1974, The Children's Center provides transdisciplinary services to support children from birth to age five, helping them reach key developmental and communication milestones. Both programs also provide hands-on training opportunities for pre-professionals. "The USM Foundation is proud to support meaningful partnerships like this one, helping connect donors with opportunities that create lasting impact," USM Foundation executive director Stace Mercier said. |
| Free Tuition Scholarship for Pell Grant students at Delta State | |
 | Delta State University will launch the Free Tuition Scholarship starting fall 2025. The scholarship covers 100% of tuition for Pell Grant eligible first-time freshman. Each year, hundreds of Delta State students rely on federal Pell Grants to cover tuition costs. Pell Grants combined with various other earned scholarships can significantly reduce the financial burden of a four-year university. However, most students will still have to pay out-of-pocket tuition costs not covered by the Pell Grant and other scholarships. The new Free Tuition Scholarship steps in to cover those leftover costs. According to Delta State University data from fall 2024, 879 out of the university's 2,654 students received a Pell Grant for the 2024 to 2025 school year. That's roughly one third of Delta State students who received a Pell Grant. This new initiative is expected to increase enrollment at Delta State, but Curtis Coleman, Vice President for Enrollment, said that's only part of the new scholarship's goal. "The aim is really to help those who need it the most --- those that are looking for the aid and looking for the help and want to seek out education, but feel like the financial barrier is too great," Coleman said. |
| East Central Community College breaks ground on new cafeteria | |
 | East Central Community College broke ground on their new cafeteria today. A groundbreaking ceremony was held this afternoon for the new cafeteria, with several members of ECCC's staff coming out to celebrate the new construction. The new facility will be nearly 15,000 square feet, capable of seating over 250 guests, with multiple serving lines and food options for students to choose from. Brent Gregory, president of ECCC, said this cafeteria is a major upgrade for ECCC that will help them keep serving students and community for generations to come. "We are so excited to have this new cafeteria here, located here on our campus. It's something we worked really long and hard for, something that will serve not only our students, but the community as well," said Gregory. "This is a new 15,000 square foot facility that will enhance the number of students that we're able to serve by 260. We will still have our previous location as well, so we'll be in the neighborhood of 500 individuals that can have a meal here at central at any given time." Dr. Jimmy Hollingsworth with the ECCC Board of Trustees said the cafeteria will be a great new look for the face of ECCC, with more development still on the way. |
| It's Not Just a Feeling: Data Shows Boys and Young Men Are Falling Behind | |
 | Boys and young men are struggling. Across their lives -- in their educational achievement, mental health and transitions to adulthood -- there are warning signs that they are falling behind, even as their female peers surge ahead. In the United States, researchers say several economic and social changes have combined to change boys' and men's trajectories. School has changed in ways that favor girls, and work has changed in ways that favor women. Boys are often seen as troublemakers, and men have heard that masculinity is "toxic." Young people themselves tend to agree that girls are now at least equal to -- and often doing better than -- boys. Many young men say they feel unmoored and undervalued, and parents and adults who work with children are worried about boys. It's not just a feeling: There's a wealth of data that shows that boys and young men are stagnating. Of recent male high school graduates, about 57 percent are enrolled in college, barely up from 54 percent in 1960, federal data shows. In that same period, women's college enrollment has surged past them -- 66 percent are now enrolled, up from 38 percent. |
| Attorney: U. of Alabama student detained by ICE chooses to return to Iran | |
 | A University of Alabama graduate student detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more than 40 days said he wants to return to Iran, his home country. David Rozas, an attorney representing Alireza Doroudi, said in a statement May 8 that Douroudi made the decision after a hearing in Jena, Louisiana, where he was taken by authorities after ICE agents took him into custody in March. "Mr. Doroudi made the difficult decision to ask for and was granted voluntary departure and return to Iran in order to avoid prolonged and unnecessary detention," Rozas said in the statement. "He turned and looked at me and said, 'I love this country, but they don't want me here, so I will go home."' Rozas said no evidence was ever presented in court that indicated Doroudi, a doctoral student studying mechanical engineering, was a national security risk while he resided in the U.S. He said the charge that the agency brought against Doroudi was that his F-1 student visa had been revoked and an allegation that he was "not being in status." But Rozas said the revocations would only take effect upon his departure from the United States, not while he was in the country. "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acknowledged this and indicated during the master hearing their intention to drop the charge. This acknowledges that the initial reason for arrest 45 days ago was an error," Rozas said. |
| Lawmakers scrap idea to raise TOPS scholarships at most Louisiana schools, citing cost | |
 | Lawmakers scrapped an idea to raise TOPS scholarship rates at most public colleges in Louisiana after the plan, which would have also lowered the amount students at LSU's main campus receive, drew concerns over cost. Intended to overhaul the funding students receive from TOPS, a merit-based scholarship that gives Louisiana residents money to attend state colleges and universities, House Bill 77 aimed to make the scholarship amounts align with the rising cost of college and create consistency across state campuses, lawmakers have said. The original bill would have cost roughly $57 million. It would have set a flat scholarship rate that would have lowered scholarship amounts by several hundred dollars for 9,000 students who currently attend LSU's flagship campus in Baton Rouge on Opportunity and Performance TOPS scholarships. But it would have raised scholarship amounts for students at other Louisiana schools. Rep. Christopher Turner, R-Ruston, one of the bill's authors, told the House Appropriations Committee Tuesday that, after hearing concerns about how the bill would impact LSU students, he amended it to remove the flat award amounts. |
| Amid DEI Crackdown, Students Hold Their Own Affinity Graduations | |
 | As soon as the fraternity brothers of Epsilon Chi, the University of Kentucky chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, the nation's oldest historically Black fraternity, heard that the university was canceling its annual celebration of Black graduates, they jumped into action. Pierre PetitFrere, Epsilon Chi's former president and himself a Class of 2025 graduate, says another board member, Kristopher Washington, initially had the idea of launching a replacement event and holding it off campus. The brothers of Epsilon Chi had ample experience hosting events and had a strong relationship with the nearby Lyric Theatre and Cultural Center, which offered to host the event for free. From there, PetitFrere said, donations for things like décor, cords and stoles began rolling in. Ultimately, about 50 people attended the event, called Senior Salute -- included four graduating Epsilon Chi members. Black graduates at UK aren't the only ones who have seen their graduation celebrations abruptly canceled this year. First-generation and LGBTQ+ students also saw their ceremonies called off as the university adjusted to a new state ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programming. A UK spokesperson said in a statement to Inside Higher Ed that the previous affinity celebrations were held outside of the university's official commencement ceremonies and were optional. |
| A popular, student-run Lexington restaurant makes it easier to taste its menu | |
 | A popular, under-the-radar Lexington restaurant known for being hard to snag a reservation is making a change that should open up its menu to more diners. The Lemon Tree, the University of Kentucky's student-run campus restaurant, will be open year-round, offering to-go lunch meals with dessert during the summer. During the normal school year, reservations are highly sought after at the Lemon Tree, where students get hands-on, real-world experience running a fine-dining restaurant featuring white-tablecloth tables, high-quality, local food and a three-course menu. For the summer, takeout meals can be ordered online for $15 and are available two days a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Meals can be picked up from 12:30-1 pm. from two locations: the Lemon Tree, 204 Erikson Hall or Ag North's main lobby (1100 South Limestone Street), near the emergency room entrance on the ground floor. When you order online, there is a box to check if you would like your meal delivered to the Ag North main lobby. The summer menu for the Lemon Tree begins May 13 and ends July 31. Only one dish is available each day. |
| Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service breaks ground on new Public Service Training Center | |
 | A new era for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) launched Tuesday as ground was broken on the new Public Service Training Complex (PSTC). The PSTC is scheduled to be completed in May 2026. It will be an 86-acre facility on the south side of the Texas A&M RELLIS campus that will provide a place to train front-line and public safety professionals. The cost of the project is $25.3 million. It is expected that the new facility will provide a space to train not just first responders but also workers who maintain critical infrastructure such as electric power, water systems and wastewater systems. wastewater systems. "The Public Service Training Complex will serve future generations of students, improve emergency response around the state, and strengthen the core of our Texas communities," TEEX Agency Director David Coatney said during the groundbreaking ceremony. PSTC will include an urban grid to simulate a city, a drive track for police and motorcycle training that will include a skills pad and all-weather training props. Also included at the PSTC are upgraded classroom and laboratory spaces. |
| Texas moves to restrict protests on college campuses | |
| The Texas Senate on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would restrict protesting on college campuses in reaction to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year. The bill's author, Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, said he wants to prevent disruption and unsafe behavior, but opponents have said it contradicts the Legislature's previous commitment to campus free speech, championed by conservative lawmakers six years ago. Senate Bill 2972 would give university systems' governing boards the power to limit where protests can take place on campus and more tools to police them. Lawmakers voted 21-10 to advance the bill without debate. Under the legislation, students and staff would not be allowed to use microphones or any other device to amplify sound while protesting during class hours. The bill largely prohibits them from protesting at all overnight and during the last two weeks of a semester. They'd also be barred from erecting encampments, taking down an institution's U.S. flag to put up another nation's or organization's and wearing masks, facial coverings or other disguises to avoid being identified while protesting or to intimidate others. Finally, students and university employees at a protest would be required to present a valid ID when asked by law enforcement. |
| Proposed federal budget slashes funding for U. of Missouri student support services and research programs | |
 | Several federally funded programs at the University of Missouri that support low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students -- including Federal Work-Study, TRiO Student Support Services and MU PREP -- are at risk due to steep higher education funding cuts proposed by the Trump administration. A letter released May 2 by the Executive Office of the President outlined the administration's discretionary funding recommendations for the 2026 fiscal year. President Donald Trump's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 includes significant reductions in federal non-defense spending, totaling at least $163 billion. The proposed budget would cut close to $18 billion from the National Institutes of Health, $12 billion from the Department of Education and nearly $5 billion from the National Science Foundation. These cuts will reach federally funded programs at MU that have historically received bipartisan support, such as the TRiO Student Support Services, which provides academic and financial support to underserved students, and MU PREP, which prepares post-baccalaureate scholars for biomedical Ph.D. programs and relies heavily on federal funding to operate. If passed, the proposal could significantly reduce access to vital resources and mentorship opportunities for students. |
| The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren't Happy About It | |
| In February, Ella Stapleton, then a senior at Northeastern University, was reviewing lecture notes from her organizational behavior class when she noticed something odd. Was that a query to ChatGPT from her professor? Halfway through the document, which her business professor had made for a lesson on models of leadership, was an instruction to ChatGPT to "expand on all areas. Be more detailed and specific." It was followed by a list of positive and negative leadership traits, each with a prosaic definition and a bullet-pointed example. Ms. Stapleton texted a friend in the class. "Did you see the notes he put on Canvas?" she wrote, referring to the university's software platform for hosting course materials. "He made it with ChatGPT." "OMG Stop," the classmate responded. Ms. Stapleton decided to do some digging. She reviewed her professor's slide presentations and discovered other telltale signs of A.I.: distorted text, photos of office workers with extraneous body parts and egregious misspellings. She was not happy. Given the school's cost and reputation, she expected a top-tier education. This course was required for her business minor; its syllabus forbade "academically dishonest activities," including the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence or chatbots. "He's telling us not to use it, and then he's using it himself," she said. |
| State and local funding for public colleges up 18% from pre-pandemic levels, SHEEO says | |
| State and local funding for public colleges increased 0.8% above inflation in fiscal 2024, reaching $11,683 per full-time equivalent student, according to a report released Wednesday by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. Total state and local appropriations reached $139.1 billion, though that figure includes more than $624.1 million in federal stimulus funding directed by the states. While this funding has been "cushioning state budgets, allowing states to continue supporting higher education," it has also been declining, the report noted. The gradual depletion of stimulus money portends tougher times ahead. "States may face difficult budgetary decisions" as federal money runs out, SHEEO said in a news release. Last fiscal year, funding from state and local governments hit levels 17.9% above those seen in pre-pandemic times. And more good news from the report: Between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, FTE enrollment rose from 10.1 million students to 10.4 million, marking the first enrollment increase after 12 years of declines, according to SHEEO. Now for the bad news: Fiscal 2024 saw the largest decline in tuition revenue per FTE student since 1980, the first year in SHEEO's State Higher Education Finance data set. |
| Trump officials take steps toward a radically different NSF | |
| Smaller. Cheaper. More constrained. That appears to be the vision for the National Science Foundation (NSF) that is emerging from an unprecedented series of changes by President Donald Trump's administration, including moves last week to restructure the organization and transform how it awards grants. The changes would result in a shrunken NSF that focuses on a handful of fields seen as economic drivers rather than supporting basic research across all disciplines. Its process of choosing what to fund would no longer rely heavily on scientists on leave from their universities, bringing with them fresh ideas on how to invest in cutting-edge science. And NSF would care less about finding the "missing millions," NSF's phrase for increasing the diversity of the country's scientific workforce. Trump is a long way from achieving that vision for the country's second largest funder of science. But last week's restructuring comes on top of previous steps that have halted new awards, terminated existing grants, and reduced the agency's 1700-person staff. The administration has also called for slashing NSF's overhead payments to universities, and shrinking its $9 billion budget by more than half. |
| College costs would soar for some low-income students under Republican bill | |
| Nearly 4.5 million low-income college students would lose some or all of their federal financial aid if Republicans in the House get their way. That's according to an analysis from the left-leaning Center for American Progress, shared exclusively with The Hechinger Report. The report looks at the ways a GOP House budget bill would affect Pell Grants, the federal financial aid program that covers college expenses for students from low-income families. The changes, which would take effect this July, would reduce aid for students who do not take a full load of 15 credits per semester, typically five classes. That would be a departure from how things are now: Under current rules, students can be eligible for the maximum Pell Grant of $7,395 if they take at least 12 credits, or four classes. For students who take fewer credits, the money is prorated based on the number of courses in which they're enrolled. The proposal -- which passed out of the House Education and Workforce Committee earlier this month on a party-line vote and will be considered as part of the larger reconciliation bill meant to fast-track the budget process -- would eliminate Pell Grants for anyone taking fewer than eight credits each semester. |
| Mississippi Gaming: Legislative standoff over off-premises online sports betting continues | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: Among other bones of contention between the Mississippi House and Senate during the 2025 regular session was the issue of mobile online sports betting. As it did in 2024, the issue died an ignominious death in a conference committee that could not reach consensus on a Senate-approved bill prohibiting so-called "sweepstakes" gaming that had mobile online sports gaming tacked on as a Hail Mary to move the stalled issue. In Mississippi, sports betting on casino premises has been legal since 2018. But off-site online sports betting from computers and smart devices remains illegal in Mississippi. House and Senate conferees, like the members in the respective chambers they represent, could again not get on the same page on the issue. The influence of the existing traditional casinos is clear, as the fear of competition from online gaming is palpable. The combination of increasing competition for gaming revenues across state lines as neighboring states expand their gaming offerings and infighting over adopting technologies that gaming consumers want may make the contraction of Mississippi's gaming revenues a trend. |
SPORTS
| Men's Golf: Bulldogs Fourth After NCAA Reno Regional Day Two | |
| Mississippi State remains within the cut line after day two of the NCAA Reno Regional, sitting in fourth place at 3-over. State completed round one with a 3-over 291 after it was suspended yesterday and stood at even par during round two before darkness caused play to end early. Dain Richie leads the Bulldogs in sixth place at 2-under overall. He carded a 1-over 73 in round one with two birdies before starting hot in his second round, birdieing four of his first seven holes. He currently stands at 3-under for the round through 14 holes. Garrett Endicott also sits among the top 10 in 10th place. He carded two birdies en route to a first-round 73 and has played bogey-free golf so far in round two at 2-under through 14. He is 1-under overall. Ugo Malcor led MSU in round one with a 2-under 70, which included a string of three-consecutive birdies. He is currently in 22nd at 3-over for the event. Josep Serra stands in 42nd place, compiling four birdies so far. Harrison Davis rounds out the State group in 57th, having played his last eight holes of round two in 1-under before play was suspended. Round two resumes on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. CT with round three beginning after its completion. |
| Cowboys to host Chiefs on Thanksgiving in NFL schedule reveal | |
| The Dallas Cowboys will welcome in the Kansas City Chiefs for their traditional Thanksgiving Day home game. CBS announced Wednesday morning that the Cowboys will face the Chiefs on Nov. 27 with a 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff. This marks the second announced game for each team for the 2025 season. The Cowboys will travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL regular-season opener Sept. 4, and the Chiefs have another holiday game when they host the Denver Broncos on Christmas night. The Cowboys and Chiefs last squared off in November 2021, with Kansas City winning 19-9 after shutting down quarterback Dak Prescott and a Dallas offense that ranked first in the league entering the game. The full NFL schedule will be announced Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, with a schedule release special airing on ESPN2. |
| ESPN's New Streaming Service Will Cost $29.99 a Month | |
| ESPN's highly anticipated streaming service will cost $29.99 a month and be named "ESPN." The new service, set to launch this fall, will give sports fans all the content shown on ESPN's television channels, including professional and college football and basketball games. Disney is ESPN's parent. Such live sports programming is among the most valuable assets in media. ESPN is counting on its new streaming service to attract cord-cutters and those who have never paid for cable. Disney is betting that viewers will pay for a package of its marquee streaming offerings. The company will include the ESPN service in its streaming bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for $35.99 a month. The bundle will be available at launch for a price of $29.99 a month for the first 12 months. The current Disney bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, starts at $16.99 a month. The new service gives Disney a more muscular sports-streaming offering than ESPN+, which is currently offered as part of the Disney bundle and on a stand-alone basis. ESPN+ will continue to be offered as a stand-alone offering at a lower price and will be included as part of ESPN's new service. |
| U. of Florida study examines how coaches are using technology to maximize player performance, safety | |
 | Shortly after the confetti settled over the University of Florida's basketball championship in April, two graduate students studying artificial intelligence traveled to Japan to discuss how coaches are using data and technology to maximize player performance and safety. Accomplished athletes themselves, UF engineering students Mollie Brewer and Kevin Childs are co-primary investigators on a paper exploring how coaches analyze data -- often from wearable sensors -- to shape training and strategy and, ultimately, win more games. If a player comes off an intense workout, for example, coaches can look at the data and determine if that player needs rest before the next game. This means successful coaches -- like those coaching the championship basketball team -- are adding "data analyst" to their roles. "This is a look into how coaches use technology within collegiate athletics," Childs said. "We have a lot of studies talking to recreational athletes. We have some studies within the human computer-interaction area looking at professional sports. But we don't really have an understanding of how technology is used in systems like collegiate athletics." |
| Louisiana governor signs order to allow schools to pay college athletes | |
| Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order Tuesday that aims to give colleges and universities legal cover to directly pay college athletes. The order purports to prohibit the NCAA, an athletic conference or another organization with oversight of college athletics from taking action against Louisiana schools that directly compensate athletes, pay them for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) or facilitate NIL deals for the athlete. The order, similar to one Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed last year, would not allow schools to use state money to pay athletes. Athletic directors at LSU and Southern University praised the governor's order. "This will afford all higher education institutions in the state of Louisiana the ability to remain nimble and at the forefront of the ever-changing college athletics landscape," LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward said in the governor's news release. |
| Objectors argue updated NCAA sport-by-sport roster-limit deal remains unfair for athletes | |
 | Objectors to the proposed settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences have argued in new filings that even a recently amended version of the deal remains unfair to athletes who could lose their places on teams due to sport-by-sport roster limits that are part of the agreement. The limits had been set to go into effect on July 1 for any school that chooses to participate in another feature of the agreement: paying athletes directly for the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). But on April 23, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken refused to grant final approval, saying in an order that the roster arrangement is "not fair" because thousands of athletes who are supposed to be benefiting from the deal stood to lose their places on teams after the current school year. In filings on May 9 and May 13, three lawyers for objectors who had been allowed by Wilken to have input in how the agreement would by modified, separately argued, basically, that athletes have been on teams or promised spots should be assured that they will not lose those positions because of the limits. Wilken has written that she was inclined to approve the rest of the deal over a variety of other objections. |
| House Objectors Make Final Stand Against NCAA Antitrust Settlement | |
| Attorneys representing objectors to the House, Carter and Hubbard antitrust settlement had until Tuesday -- a deadline imposed by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken -- to submit responses challenging the revised roster limits submitted last Wednesday by the NCAA, power conferences and athletes' attorneys. Three responses were filed. It's not an overstatement to say the fate of college sports rests on whether those responses persuade Wilken. Last Friday Steven F. Molo and other attorneys were first to file. Consistent with the five-page limit imposed by Wilken, the group asserts that the settlement isn't fair, reasonable or adequate to members of the settlement classes and should be rejected. Molo contends the revised version, though less severe to class members as a whole, still falls short of Wilken's decree that class members not lose roster spots. Attorney Laura Reathaford -- whose daughter, Temple University gymnast Emma Reathaford, is one of the objectors -- filed a response on Tuesday. A third memorandum was offered by attorneys Douglas M. DePeppe and Robert B. Hinckley Jr. They cover similar ground, including by writing the "proposed changes . . . fail to follow controlling law that harm cannot result to members of a class from an injunctive relief settlement term." The relevant legal question is whether what might be seen as "less bad" is "good enough" for Wilken. |
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