| Wednesday, September 10, 2025 |
| MSU president and faculty to represent at Mississippi Book Festival Sept. 13 | |
 | Mississippi State continues its strong literary and academic presence at the state's 11th annual Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson, with President Mark E. Keenum and distinguished faculty members featured among the panelists. Known as the "Literary Lawn Party," the year's festival this Saturday [Sept.13] will feature more than 200 authors and over 50 panel discussions and workshops throughout the day. All events are free and open to the public,9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the historic Mississippi State Capitol building and grounds. Keenum will join former Gov. Haley Barbour and other leaders on the "20th Anniversary of Katrina" panel in the State Capitol, Room 216, at 10:45 a.m. Among other participants are Anne E. Marshall, associate professor and executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, Ryan P. Semmes, director of research at the Grant Presidential Library and Museum, and Louis Gallo, managing editor of the Grant Presidential Library and Museum. Marshall will serve as moderator for a Civil War and Reconstruction panel featuring Semmes and Gallo at 2:45 p.m. in the State Capitol's Old Supreme Court Room. |
| ACCESS graduate represents Mississippi State in 2026 Special Olympics | |
 | Mississippi State University (MSU) ACCESS Alumnus Seth Slocum will represent Mississippi State's Unified Sports Program at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota. More than 60 of Slocum's family members, friends and coaches, along with Mississippi State AD Zac Selmon, gathered at MSU's Joe Frank Sanderson Center when he received the good news in late August. A celebratory video was made for him, including former MSU baseball player and current Oakland A's standout Brent Rooker, current Bulldog quarterback Blake Shapen and Atlanta Braves infielder Austin Riley, among others. The Southaven native graduated from MSU in 2023 with an ACCESS Program certificate of completion. ACCESS is a four-year, residential, inclusive postsecondary education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He also participated in the university's Special Olympics Unified Program, which brings together MSU and ACCESS students through sports. locum has continued his training in Starkville even after graduation. He trains weekly and continues learning new skills alongside his coaches at Mississippi State. |
| Veteran mathematician joins, leads MSU's Department of Mathematics and Statistics | |
 | Mississippi State University has named Christian Wolf as the new head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, bringing more than two decades of teaching, research, and leadership experience to the university's College of Arts and Sciences. "I was initially drawn to the position at MSU because of the high caliber of the faculty's work, the broad range of research areas they are engaged in, and the department's excellence in teaching," Wolf said. "MSU is a leading public Carnegie R1 research university, and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics plays an important role in fulfilling that mission, which is highly attractive to me." With 24 years of classroom experience across undergraduate and graduate levels, Wolf has introduced innovative approaches to instruction, including digital learning in large lectures. "At the core of this vision is a commitment to student success and to fostering a culture of collaboration in which every member of the department actively contributes," he said. "I am highly motivated to have the greatest possible impact on the education and lives of our students." |
| Weather, expensive output costs and tariffs rattle Mississippi's cotton industry | |
 | Cotton is one of Mississippi's top row crops, along with soybeans and corn. However, heavy rains this spring washed away the strength of this year's potential cotton output. Will Maples is a professor of Agricultural Economics with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. "This year's cotton crop, it got off to a rough start," he said. "We had a very wet spring, a lot of rain throughout planting season that put a lot of folks behind across the state, really." There is also far fewer acreage being used for cotton crops in Mississippi this year. "We are down this year compared to last year, by a good bit," Maples said. "Last year, we planted like 520,000 acres. This year, we've planted 330,000 acres. So across the board, it's gonna be a smaller crop in the state." Even crops that managed to get planted weren't immune to challenges. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rated only 6% of Mississippi's 2025 cotton crop as excellent in condition. Maples says the high costs associated with planting cotton is also causing concern. So far, federal relief programs have not been able to offset all of the costs incurred by cotton farmers. |
| Wine the Experience: CPCS class at MSU explores wine culture | |
| Many people who drink wine enjoy a glass almost as much as they enjoy learning about how it was made. Now, the College of Professional and Continuing Studies at Mississippi State is helping enthusiasts learn more. The goal is to help working people expand their educational palette. Melanie Hankins Booth has a passion for wine and is sharing it with others. Her passion led her to get certifications to teach wine appreciation classes. It's called "Wine the Experience." "If you understand what it takes to get this bottle of wine to you on a random Wednesday for you to enjoy for let's say, $20, if you really enjoy all that went into that- the family that it took, the agriculture that was involved, the grape growers, the winemaker, when you look at the whole picture, then you appreciate that glass of wine and total different way," Hankins Booth said. The class looks at how to create the wine, the chemistry, and the fundamentals to understand what you are tasting. Then it goes into the tasting process, to evaluate and bring your own sensory experiences to the table. From Wine the Experience, Melanie said students are gaining professional development skills for the hospitality industry, personal enjoyment, and foundational knowledge for their careers and personal lives. Melanie said these classes help promote tourism in Starkville and all over the state. |
| Randy Travis' 'More Life Tour' coming to MSU Riley Center | |
 | Country music fans can enjoy a night to remember when Mississippi State's Riley Center welcomes Randy Travis' More Life Tour to Meridian on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m. The concert experience brings together Randy Travis, his original touring band, and special guest vocalist James Dupré for a celebration of Travis' legendary music like never before. Fans will hear timeless hits such as "On the Other Hand," "Forever and Ever, Amen," "Three Wooden Crosses," and more, all brought to life by Dupré, a gifted singer-songwriter and former contestant on NBC's The Voice. Since Travis' near-fatal stroke in 2013, Dupré has carried the torch as the lead vocalist for the More Life Tour, honoring the singer's legacy while the Country Music Hall of Famer greets fans and shares the stage with the musicians who helped shape his iconic sound. Morgan Dudley, director of the MSU Riley Center, said, "It's a rare and exciting opportunity to experience Randy Travis on stage again. With his original band and James Dupré performing his iconic songs, it promises to be a night when fans can truly celebrate his legendary music." |
| NASA Stennis Provides Ideal Location for Range of Site Tenants | |
 | If location, location, location is the overarching mantra in real estate, it is small wonder that NASA's Stennis Space Center is considered a national asset and prime aerospace and technology operations site. It has long stood as a premier -- and the nation's largest -- rocket propulsion test site. With unparalleled test infrastructure and expertise, NASA Stennis has helped power the nation's human space exploration for almost 60 years. It continues to do so, testing systems and engines for NASA's Artemis program to send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. In addition, NASA Stennis is the choice location for a range of agencies, organizations, offices, and companies, all of whom readily attest to the values of the setting. For the NASA Shared Services Center, its location at the south Mississippi test site provides "substantial strategic advantages" that helps the NSSC maximize its work and provide streamlined business operations for the agency. Likewise, NASA Stennis provides an ideal location for the Northern Gulf Institute operated by Mississippi State University, as it conducts frontline work in hurricane forecasting, modeling and assessment, as well as fishery and ecosystem management. |
| Vicksburg's Melody Golding launches new book with downtown signing | |
| Vicksburg resident Melody Golding has released her newest book, "Hometown Mississippi," and on Thursday, from 5 to 7 p.m. she will be signing copies at the Rose of Clay, 717 Clay St. on the 2nd floor of John Houston's Good Spirits and Fine Wines in downtown Vicksburg. Golding, who is known for documenting behind the scenes accounts both in words and images like in her three previous books -- "Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember," "Panther Tract; Wild Boar Hunting in the Mississippi Delta," and "Life Between the Levees: America's Riverboat Pilots" -- has done the same in her latest work. In "Hometown Mississippi," the author, photographer and artist offers a glimpse into 30 Mississippi towns, with reflections from more than 50 Mississippians. In reflecting the essence of Mississippi, in each town Golding visited, she focused on highlighting special attractions, which included historical landmarks, cultural offerings, recreational spaces, colleges and universities, scenic natural beauty and tourist attractions. Golding's book also includes Mississippi notables like Morgan Freeman, Marty Stuart, and Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, all of whom share what it means to call Mississippi home. Thursday's book signing of "Hometown Mississippi" is a kickoff to the Mississippi Book Festival that will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on the grounds of the State Capitol in Jackson. |
| Longtime WCBI personality to join CMSD staff | |
 | A well-known area journalist is leaving WCBI after more than two decades to join the staff at Columbus Municipal School District. The CMSD board on Monday unanimously approved hiring Joey Barnes as the district's public information officer. Barnes is currently the news director for WCBI in Columbus. His new role in the district is effective Sept. 22 with an annual salary of $82,000. "We're definitely excited about him wanting to take on this challenge and be a part of (CMSD)," Interim Superintendent Craig Chapman said. "I think he has a lot of great ideas of things that he would like to do to help promote our district and shine a light on the great things that we're doing." |
| New homes on the way in Downtown Columbus | |
| A vibrant neighborhood in the heart of Downtown Columbus -- that's the vision Friendly City Development has for 16 acres in what is known as Burns Bottom. That's going to change too, the new vision also has a new name -- Parkview. The purchase by Friendly City is spurring movement on a project the Columbus Redevelopment Authority has had in the works for the past 10 years. "We'll bring in houses in first, so right now, we got it laid out for 52 single family lots and then, hopefully, we'll have some townhomes, and maybe even some apartments at some points," said Nic Parish, a founder of Friendly City Development. There will also be opportunities for businesses to move into the area. The property starts behind Munson and Brothers on Henry Armstrong Way and continues past Crown Park to 7th Avenue North. Several businesses and restaurants are already near the Parkview area. "It works out perfect having the park here and having businesses like Zachary's or Munson's nearby where people can walk," said Parish. |
| Mortgage rates have been coming down -- and are likely to fall further | |
| Unlike the price of a lot of things in this economy, the price of borrowing money to buy a house has been going down: The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.5% last week, according to Freddie Mac. Mortgage Daily News reported that this week, a top-tier mortgage is averaging just 6.3%. That's down from earlier this year, when it was hovering around 6.75%. Mortgage rates are coming down because they follow the rate on 10-year Treasuries, and right now, those rates are edging down. What's going on? Home sales typically surge in the spring and summer. But not this year. Lawrence Yun at the National Association of Realtors said he expects the 30-year fixed-rate to hit 6% by the end of the year, and make life easier for some would-be buyers. "Any time mortgage rate moves lower -- even a small amount -- we do see additional people who qualify to purchase a home," he said. And the situation is likely to get even more favorable for homebuyers, as the Fed moves to juice a flagging economy, said Susan Wachter at the Wharton School. "The likelihood is that the economy will slow down further, and that rates will fall further," she said. |
| Auto loan delinquencies signal bigger trouble, report says | |
 | The growing costs to buy and maintain a car -- exacerbated by inflation and tariffs -- are leading to rising auto loan defaults and repossessions and a potential crisis for American consumers left unprotected by the federal government, according to a new report by a consumer advocacy organization. The record number of defaults is a canary in the coal mine for large-scale economic problems, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) warned. "Delinquencies, defaults, and repossessions have shot up in recent years and look alarmingly similar to trends that were apparent before the Great Recession," according to a report by the CFA, which gave USA TODAY an exclusive first look. Cars are more expensive than ever, according to the CFA report, "Driven to Default: The Economy-Wide Risks of Rising Auto Loan Delinquencies." The average vehicle sells for nearly $50,000 and almost 20% of new car buyers are paying $1,000 or more a month, the report said. Auto loan defaults are indicative of overall consumer stress, and "that usually means consumers have stretched everything else that they can in their household," Erin Witte, CFA director of consumer protection and co-author of the report, told USA TODAY. |
| Water customers voice concerns to lawmakers at Senate Energy Committee hearing | |
| Mississippi's capital city is not the only local governing body with water issues. The Senate Energy Committee heard pleas from rural water customers and the Public Service Commission to increase regulations on the state's water utilities at a hearing Tuesday at the state Capitol. However, an industry trade group said more regulation is not needed. Speaker after speaker told stories of a lack of transparency and no accountability. They complained of low pressure, muddy or sand-infested water, destroyed appliances, poor customer service, and rude management. One speaker said testing found a high level of strychnine poison over multiple years. "It's not safe. We don't eat it, we don't drink it," said Jenny Kennedy of her water from Pearl River Central Water Association, noting for weeks she had sand in her water. The frustration for Pearl River County Administrator Adrian Lumpkin stems from the glacial pace at which the water authority operates. It can take up to four months to meter a house. Also, if there is an outstanding balance on a house, new homeowners must pay that balance before water service is connected. "I think from a state level, a little more oversight is needed," he told lawmakers. Anne Smith has investigated thousands of water complaints during her time as a senior investigator for the Mississippi Public Service Commission. She testified that more than 470 complaints have been filed with the PSC in the last couple of years. By far, she said, rural water authorities lead customer complaints received by the commission. |
| Priscilla Williams-Till, Emmett Till's Cousin, Is Running for US Senate in Mississippi | |
| Priscilla Williams-Till wore a white T-shirt featuring a collage of old black-and-white photos of a young man and his mother as she spoke in front of a crowd in the Mississippi Capitol rotunda about the 1955 murder of her relative, Emmett Till. She told the crowd of lawmakers, family and friends that she is running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Williams-Till said she's frustrated by Hyde-Smith's leadership and her approach to issues related to race. "To bring about justice is to change justice with leadership, and that's the most important thing that can happen, is you have to show leadership by example," she said at the press conference on Aug. 28. Priscilla Williams-Till is a native of Jackson and a graduate of Lanier Junior Senior High School, Jackson State University and Belhaven University. She said she wants to be a leader in her community and advocate for its needs in Congress. "My purpose for running for United States Senate (is that) I can influence the legal system by introducing laws that help shape legal interpretation that address systemic injustice, federal investigation into police departments, police reform or even discriminating zoning laws," she told the Mississippi Free Press on Sept. 5. |
| Adlakha, Till kick off U.S. Senate bids in Mississippi as field grows for Republicans and Democrats | |
| Two newcomers to Mississippi statewide politics made their bids for U.S. Senate official on Tuesday. Sarah Adlakha, a resident of Ocean Springs, hosted a campaign kickoff event in Rankin County. She said the reason she was running against incumbent U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Republican Primary was to "fight for Mississippi families and take on Washington's broken system." "I'm fed up with career politicians who look out for themselves and their friends instead of the people they serve," Adlakha said. "Everywhere I turn, I see families like mine paying the price for a government that's out of touch- and I believe Mississippi deserves better." Adlakha filed to run for the U.S. Senate in March and has thus far struggled to make a dent into Hyde-Smith's significant campaign fundraising lead. A third GOP candidate has also entered the primary race. Andrew Scott Smith announced last week that he would be running for U.S. Senate, having lost his bid for Congress in the 2nd District GOP primary in 2024. He has not filed financial reports with the FEC as of this reporting. On the Democratic side, Priscilla Williams Till, cousin of Emmett Till, announced Tuesday that she would be running for the U.S. Senate. Till's entry into the race comes a week after Mississippi and national Democrats celebrated the candidacy of Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom, their long-preferred candidate for U.S. Senate in the 2026 midterms to challenge Hyde-Smith, the Republican incumbent. Colom |
| This deal could avert a shutdown -- if Congress decides to take it | |
 | If they squint, lawmakers can see the outlines of a bipartisan deal that could avoid a government shutdown later this year. But bringing an agreement into focus -- and enacting it into law -- will be no small task. The general parameters floated by multiple factions in the House and Senate is to couple, by the end of the year, an extension of federal health insurance subsidies that are set to expire on Jan. 1 with government funding through September 2026. But no one is willing to lock in that agreement yet, and getting there could take several more months of negotiations. There also are plenty of stumbling blocks that could keep it out of reach: GOP hard-liners oppose extending the subsidies. Democrats, meanwhile, aren't yet aligned on what it would take to give President Donald Trump even a few more weeks of funding. It's all but guaranteed that Congress won't be able to reach a broader deal this month, meaning even in the best-case scenario lawmakers will soon need to vote on a stopgap that would buy time to strike a larger deal. Looming over it all is Trump, who already wants to fund the government into next year -- past the health insurance cliff. GOP leaders believe they will need him to unequivocally endorse any agreement to get it through Congress. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), a top appropriator, noted Tuesday that any such deal would end up in a "push me, pull you" situation. |
| Trump Moves to Crack Down on Drug Advertising | |
 | President Trump signed a memorandum on Tuesday directing his administration to revive a decades-old policy that is likely to sharply restrict advertising of prescription drugs on television. The move reflects one of the top priorities of the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly called for a ban on drug advertising on television. The policy change threatens to dent the revenues of pharmaceutical companies. The memorandum also stands to hit major television networks, which earn substantial revenue from pharmaceutical advertisers trying to reach older viewers. The proposal, which would effectively reverse a 1997 policy change that opened the floodgates to a deluge of TV drug advertising, is likely to be aggressively opposed by the drug industry, which has long had the courts on its side on this issue. Past efforts to even modestly restrict drug advertising have been blocked by the courts on First Amendment grounds. The White House said it planned to change the policy via a rule-making process. Tuesday's moves ramp up pressure on drugmakers, who are facing a range of threats to their business models from the Trump administration. |
| Broad 'MAHA' proposal largely calls for studies, awareness | |
 | The Trump administration on Tuesday presented a "Make America Healthy Again" plan to tackle rising chronic disease, a paramount issue for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., issuing what it termed a strategy report that's largely aspirational in nature and in places lacks details or citations for its claims. The 20-page document, titled "Make our Children Healthy Again," outlines an approach to remedy childhood illness by improving diet and adding physical activity while reducing "overmedicalization" and chemical exposure. It calls for increasing research, while also hitting Kennedy's cornerstone demands for a new vaccine framework and cracking down on conflicts of interest. Kennedy, though, is already facing a major challenge: Congress is divided on whether to support his efforts, partly due to controversial decisions to reduce vaccine availability. Senate appropriators, for example, provided no dedicated funding for the Administration for a Healthy America in their fiscal 2026 Labor-HHS-Education spending bill. The newly created division under HHS would coordinate the initiatives laid out in the report. It would consolidate some functions of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and several other agencies. |
| NATO says it scrambled fighter jets, shot down Russian drones over Poland | |
 | NATO fighter jets shot down Russian drones that violated Poland's airspace while Russia was attacking targets in Ukraine, NATO officials and Poland's military said Wednesday, in a rare clash between Moscow and militaries from the U.S.-led Western alliance. The Russian action amounts to an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace and posed "a real threat" to Polish citizens, the Polish military's Operational Command said in a statement. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Polish F-16s, Dutch F-35s and Italian AWACS surveillance aircraft were involved in responding to the breach of Polish airspace, as well as a NATO air-to-air refueling tanker and a German Patriot air defense system. Under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, an armed attack on one ally is considered an attack on all. The country under threat has to request that the common defense clause be invoked and the other 31 allies must unanimously agree to do so. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland, in coordination with NATO allies, had instead requested to activate Article 4 of the treaty, in which member states will consult on whether "the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened." At NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte commended the "very successful reaction by NATO" to the Russian incursion, including actions by Polish, Dutch, Italian and German forces. |
| Inside Israel's Audacious Airstrike on Hamas Leaders in Qatar, a U.S. Ally | |
 | Hamas's senior leaders -- long hiding in host countries across the Middle East -- flew this past weekend to the group's headquarters in the Qatari capital of Doha. On the agenda: a new U.S. cease-fire plan for Gaza, apparently with Israeli backing. Israel had pledged to track down and kill every Hamas member involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that left 1,200 Israelis dead and some 250 hostages taken, but hitting them in Qatar, a Gulf ally of the U.S., was off limits. Now, Israeli officials had a shot and decided no taboo would stop them from taking it -- even at the risk of straining relations with the Trump administration. By noon Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given the green light for an audacious attack on Qatari soil, targeting a residence used by Hamas figures in the dusty northern suburbs of Doha -- the same place where the militant group's leaders celebrated the Oct. 7 attacks. Unlike in previous attacks in Syria, Lebanon and Iran, where Israel worked hard to maintain a veneer of deniability, this time it claimed the strike right away in a public announcement by the military -- another sign that the old rules were changing. |
| Education: EMCC's enrollment increases eight consecutive terms | |
| While overall fall enrollment numbers compared to the same time last year showed an increase of 5.3% in Mississippi among public two-year colleges, East Mississippi Community College's fall enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year rose by 6.9%. "This is a remarkable achievement that is a source of great pride for all of us at EMCC who work hard daily to make this great institution a place where students want to come and learn," Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success Nikita Ashford-Ashworth said. EMCC's preliminary head count this year is 4,145 students, up from 3,877 students during the same time last year. This follows on the heels of eight consecutive semesters of enrollment growth at EMCC for the spring and fall terms and marks the first time since 2018 that the college's fall enrollment topped 4,000 students. Enrollment was up equally at both the college's Scooba and Golden Triangle campuses. "Everything we do at EMCC is student-centered," President Scott Alsobrooks said. "We are continually looking at ways to improve our students' experience to ensure they are getting the best education possible." |
| Ribbon cutting officially opens PRCC's nursing building on Forrest County campus | |
 | A multi-million dollar nursing building on the Forrest County campus of Pearl River Community College officially has opened. Student, administrators and supporters gathered for a ribbon cutting Tuesday at the $4 million Asbury Allied Health and Nursing Building. Students already have been taking classes in the facility. The state Legislature put up the money to build it. It was named in honor of the Asbury Foundation, which has supported healthcare education in the Pine Belt for 40 years. Administrators said the new building will allow the college to expand its nursing program. "We can add about 200 additional students to our program per semester," said PRCC President Adam Breerwood. "So, when you think about the impact on the community, these are students that would not only be educated, but would live and reside and, hopefully, be members of our community for years to come." |
| Killing of former Auburn professor at city park shakes community | |
 | Flowers and memorial messages were tied to the gate of Kiesel Park in Auburn to remember retired veterinary professor Julie Gard Schnuelle, who was attacked and killed there over the weekend. Gard Schnuelle's killing at a city park has rattled the college town of 83,757 people. The sprawling green space, in a rural-feeling area of the city about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the university campus, is popular with dog walkers and exercisers because of its fields and 2 miles (3 kilometers) of walking trails. Authorities said Gard Schnuelle, 59, died after being stabbed multiple times. Her body was found in a wooded area of the park. Police have charged Harold Rashad Dabney III, 28, with capital murder. Court documents indicate that investigators believe Dabney killed Gard Schnuelle during an attempted robbery and then left in her red Ford F-150 truck. He was being held without bond. "Dr. Schnuelle was an extremely enthusiastic and energetic person," said Calvin M. Johnson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University. "She was a fabulous teacher. The students really responded to her enthusiasm, and it motivated to them to excel." He said there is a feeling of "absolute shock" and sadness on the vet school campus. He said the park is a beloved place where faculty and students frequently go to to walk or take a break. |
| 'Purgatory' behind active shooter hoax at U. of South Carolina, state attorney general says | |
 | A recent swatting incident at the University of South Carolina, where reports of an active shooter on campus that turned out to be a hoax, was the work of "an online gore-seeking group," according to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. A group called Purgatory was behind the Aug. 24 phone calls that reported gunfire at Thomas Cooper Library in the heart of USC's Columbia campus, Wilson said Tuesday in a news release. Although it turned out that there were no shots fired, fear and chaos temporarily gripped the university as the campus was placed on lockdown and students were told to evacuate the area and find shelter. The active shooter hoax calls were linked to Purgatory by the Center for Internet Security and Institute for Strategic Dialogue, according to the release. While researchers have linked Purgatory to several other universities that received similar hoax calls over that weekend, there is no confirmation yet that Purgatory was the group behind the USC hoax. "I've spoken to USC President Michael Amiridis, and he has my full support to do what is necessary to protect our students and keep our campuses safe," Wilson said in the release. "I will continue to warn young people and parents about the dangers of these online criminal groups." |
| Texas A&M professor loses job after talking on gender identity in children's lit | |
| Gov. Greg Abbott directed Texas A&M President Mark Welsh to fire a professor whom a state lawmaker had blasted on social media for discussing gender identity in a children's literature course -- and Welsh listened. In an email to Texas A&M families Tuesday night, Welsh said he directed the provost to fire the professor for teaching about gender identity when it wasn't clearly stated in the course description. "This isn't about academic freedom; it's about academic responsibility," Welsh wrote. "We must ensure that what we ultimately deliver to students is consistent with what was approved." On Monday, video of the professor's discussion on gender identity went viral and solicited a response on X from the assistant attorney general for the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division who said the department will "look into" the conduct and a statement from new Chancellor Glenn Hegar, who called the professors' action "unacceptable." That night, Welsh announced that that he removed the College of Arts and Sciences dean and department head from their administrative positions when he found they "approved plans to continue teaching course content that was not consistent with the course's published description," he said in a statement. In a statement before the firing of the professor was announced, PEN America, a free speech advocacy group for literature, decried the developments at A&M. |
| A Classroom Clash Over Course Content Went Viral. Texas A&M Fired the Instructor and Removed 2 Administrators. | |
 | In the latest volley between a public college and a state legislature, the president of Texas A&M University at College Station fired a faculty member and removed a dean and department head from their administrative roles after an English course that included discussion of gender and sexuality drew fierce criticism from Republican lawmakers. On Monday, President Mark A. Welsh III announced the removal of "key leaders in the College of Arts and Sciences." (He did not name them, but the college's dean was Mark Zoran, and the English department head was Emily Johansen.) Welsh said he learned Monday afternoon that the two administrators had "approved plans to continue teaching course content not consistent with the course's published description," and said they were removed from their positions "effective immediately." The controversy centers on viral videos posted on X by a Republican state lawmaker that he says shows an exchange between a student and an instructor, whose faces are not shown, in a children's literature class. The state lawmaker, Rep. Brian Harrison, said that the videos were provided by the student. |
| Texas A&M University System orders audit of all courses after gender identity lesson goes viral | |
| The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents ordered an audit Tuesday of courses at all 12 schools in the system as institutional leaders face conservative backlash over a professor's teaching of gender identity in a children's literature class. University President Mark A Welsh III said he had directed the school's provost to fire the professor involved, effective immediately. "This isn't about academic freedom; it's about academic responsibility," Welsh wrote. "Our degree programs and courses go through extensive approval processes, and we must ensure that what we ultimately deliver to students is consistent with what was approved." The announcements come one day after State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing a student telling an unnamed Texas A&M professor that they are not sure that their presentation on gender and sexuality is legal because there are only two genders according to President Donald Trump. "This also very much goes against not only myself but a lot of people's religious beliefs," the student said before being asked to leave. "I am not going to participate in this because it's not legal, and I don't want to promote something that is against our president's laws as well as against my religious beliefs." The Texas A&M System Board of Regents said in a statement that they had asked the chancellor to "audit every course and ensure full compliance with applicable laws. The regents "will not tolerate actions that damage the reputation of our institutions," they said in a statement. "The board has called for immediate and decisive steps to ensure that what happened this week will not be repeated." |
| U. of Oklahoma Board of Regents approves health insurance increases, next stage for new life sciences building | |
| The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents approved health insurance rates and Physical Sciences Center improvements at its September meeting. OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said the implementation of the "Lead On, University" strategic plan is responsible for the university's recent growth. "The real secret sauce is having a crystal clear strategic plan, having measurable outcomes, holding yourselves accountable and having a board and an executive leadership team that understands their roles and their obligations," Harroz said. Harroz said improving Oklahoma's health care system has been a major challenge. "Our state has remarkable needs that we have to continue to try and grow, ..." Harroz said. "We're making good progress and we're growing, and that's good, but it has to be a statewide effort." Harroz said the OU College of Medicine and the OU College of Nursing have seen increases in enrollment. According to Harroz, the College of Medicine welcomed over 200 new students this year, a 7% increase from the past several years' of enrollment. |
| Indiana University ranked as U.S.'s worst public college for free speech | |
| Indiana University is the worst public university in the country for fostering and protecting free speech on campus, according to a national First Amendment organization that ranks universities annually. In Tuesday's rankings, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression tanked IU's score largely because leadership cancelled a speaker in response to the anti-DEI movement and placed a sniper atop the student union during 2024's pro-Palestine encampment. Many IU students in survey responses scorned the university's free-speech environment. "Our administration at Indiana University has publicly and repeatedly silenced students that speak out on controversial topics," one student wrote in FIRE's survey. "I am afraid that I would get retaliation from the administration in terms of a lawsuit, a ban from campus, and expulsion from the university." Purdue sits on the opposite end of FIRE's free speech rankings as the country's top public university for its First Amendment environment -- though the group notes that could change next year. "Indiana is home to some of the nation's strongest and weakest campus speech environments," FIRE said in its state review. "Raising the floor through policy reform and broader commitment to expressive rights would help close the state's gap." |
| Fall 2025's Unexpected Enrollment Successes | |
 | Another year, another fall that seems destined for bleak enrollment numbers. Between concerns about international student enrollment and continued skepticism about the value of higher education, some institutions are struggling to fill seats. Unexpected melt has prompted some wealthy, highly selective institutions to pull students off the wait list last minute; for smaller institutions, enrollment declines are leading to layoffs and program cuts. But for a lucky share, fall 2025 has brought record freshman classes and soaring enrollment projections. In some cases, those record-breaking numbers follow steady growth since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic; in others, they represent a rebound from declines. No single through line characterizes this semester's successes. Many colleges report surging interest -- and increased investment -- in their health-related majors. Some are seeing significant growth from their online programs, while others point to the rising popularity of dual-enrollment programs, which allow high schoolers to take college courses. Others still are leaning into the adage that retention is the best enrollment strategy, boosting their overall numbers by ensuring that students come back year after year rather than by recruiting larger freshman classes. |
| Dr. Peter Hotez takes the war against science very personally | |
 | Peter Hotez is a prominent vaccine scientist. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a prominent vaccine skeptic. In 2023, podcast host Joe Rogan invited the two to debate -- promising $100,000 to the charity of Hotez's choice as a payoff. The debate didn't happen. (More on that later.) But the incident inspired Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, to write his sixth book, Science Under Siege. He co-authored it with Michael E. Mann, a climate scientist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. They examine the forces driving the anti-science movement -- from supporters of the fossil fuel industry who deny climate change to social media influencers who spread conspiracy theories -- which they characterize as a "complex spiderweb of malevolence." But though they are worried, they are not pessimists. "While there is urgency -- unlike any we've ever known -- there is still agency," they write. "We can still avert disaster if we can understand the nature of the mounting anti-science threat and formulate a strategy to counter it." |
| These nations are wooing PhD students amid US funding uncertainties | |
| The United States has long been one of the most popular destinations for international students pursuing graduate studies. But pauses to some of the country's university PhD programmes and the imposition of visa restrictions for students from certain countries have prompted other nations to try to attract those students who have been affected by the changes or who no longer want to study in the United States. US President Donald Trump's administration has proposed slashing budgets at some of the country's top scientific agencies and has frozen funds for grants and contracts for universities. Chris Tisdell, a researcher in education and mathematics at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, says he has heard reports of international students already shifting away from the United States because of uncertainties surrounding funding. International student arrivals dropped by 30% in June this year compared with June 2024, according to data reported by the US International Trade Administration. Gwilym Croucher, a researcher in higher education at the University of Melbourne, Australia, says he expects talented PhD candidates to look elsewhere. "The beneficiaries of that may be established places like Canada, Australia, the UK, a lot of Europe, but they may also be China and India," he says. |
| Professors Fear AI Will Rot Students' Brains. The Research Shows It's More Complicated Than That. | |
| What is generative AI doing to us? That's a question on everyone's minds, driven by the fear that the technology is damaging our ability to think. The internet exploded when researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a study in June, "Your Brain on ChatGPT." It showed lower neural connectivity among people using the tool than among people who weren't using it, producing a fresh round of stories and social-media posts asking if AI is making us dumber. The hot takes on the study fed people's worst fears. Students use artificial-intelligence tools regularly to tutor themselves, organize their thoughts, spark ideas, and edit their writing. Is that weakening their ability to think? The authors argued that their study says no such thing --- going so far as to post a list of words not to use when describing the results, such as "brain rot" or "brain damage." So what does their study actually tell us? And what about the dozens of other studies that also examine AI use? Can experiments even capture how technology is affecting the traits that make us human: our creativity, our analytical skills, and our overall intelligence? Teaching experts say it's unlikely we'll find definitive answers in a lab. Technology is changing too fast. |
| AI goes to college: How new tech is driving majors and jobs | |
 | Already juggling class schedules and roommate quirks, here's one more item for first-year college students' mental checklist: Artificial intelligence is coming for their jobs. It's not yet evident whether AI will transform white-collar positions or eliminate them altogether. Nor is it known whether people will be replaced by machines, or by workers who have the AI skills they lack. What is clear is that the warnings about what are often called knowledge jobs, the kind of positions college graduates could once count on, are on the rise. "There's a broader sense of foreboding in the air about the value of education in an age of artificial intelligence," Harvard College's new dean, David Deming, told incoming first-year students earlier this month. And students are listening. "I don't want to be one of the people who's unemployed by the time I leave college," says Oluwamayokun Lawal, a computer science major at Saint Louis University. Mr. Lawal, a college junior, has shifted the certificates, or areas of study, he's pursuing in school to make himself more AI savvy and employable. "It definitely is a defining factor of how I want to do my work," says Maria Anzalotti, a junior at Emerson College in Boston, who has a strong interest in writing. "Knowing that AI exists ... makes me want to make sure I am a superhuman, emphasis on human, writer." |
| 'Walking Tall?': Sordid allegations against legendary Tennessee sheriff are shocking | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and local prosecutors said last week that legendary rural Sheriff Buford Pusser, who died in a fiery accident in 1974 near his home, is now suspected of the cold-blooded murder of his wife in 1967. Pusser's incredible fame stemmed from the story of his wife's death, in which the sheriff said the couple was ambushed while responding to a call for assistance. Prosecutors now say Pusser's story isn't supported by the evidence in the case, turning the "Walking Tall" story inside out. The Pusser legend -- the presumed hero's lore -- was another story altogether. Back in the mid-1990s in rural Adamsville, Tennessee, a friendly local lady would, for $2 a head, take you on a guided tour of the home of perhaps the most storied rural sheriff in American history. The museum is still open today. The sheriff's public life between 1964-70 as a lawman charged him with keeping order in the long string of dives and honky-tonks with names like the Shamrock and the White Iris that peppered old Hwy. 45 between Corinth, Mississippi and Selmer, Tennessee. |
SPORTS
| College Convo: Mississippi State incorporating retro look into helmets | |
| Scan any corner of Mississippi State social media and you'll start to see the posts. No, not the ones about Bulldogs legend Dak Prescott. Nor those about MSU's massive upset of No. 12 Arizona State on Saturday night. No, this corner of the internet, you'll see, is a fanbase enthused over the return of the retro interlocking "MSU" logo, a regular fixture on Mississippi State apparel during the 1990s and early 2000s. This specific logo has been a talking point for plenty of MSU fans, morphing into a social media movement of sorts. Local bloggers and podcasters discussed it regularly. Fans, too, have long pushed for its return -- I even encountered it after landing my first job out of college as a Mississippi State beat writer at the Columbus Commercial-Dispatch in spring 2019. Finally, though, AD Zac Selmon and his staff have brought the logo back as part of their ongoing revamping of an MSU athletics department that was in need of modernization upon his arrival two years ago. I caught up with Selmon recently about adding the logo into the fold and some of the ongoing changes his staff is making around Starkville, Miss. |
| 'Pure ecstasy' for MSU comes with $500K price tag | |
| "It's been so long since there was energy like that in Davis Wade Stadium." Jonathan Bain, a Mississippi State alumnus, was attending games long before he attended classes. He was in town for MSU's dramatic late win against Arizona State on Saturday, and quickly made his way down to the field from his section when he saw a countdown clock on the Jumbotron, reading "Access to Scott Field." Bain had seen some big wins in his time attending games as a student, but nothing quite like the experience he had on Saturday. "I've been attending State games for 25 years or so," he said. "Saturday night was one of the best atmospheres I've ever experienced. I was at the Auburn game in 2014, and we didn't get to rush the field. But Saturday, when I saw the announcement on the Jumbotron, I sprinted from the upper deck to touch the field because that kid from 2014 would've been incredibly disappointed if I didn't. It was pure ecstasy." But that moment came with a cost. The Southeastern Conference announced Monday it would fine MSU $500,000 for violating the league's "access to competition area" policy. An athletic department spokesperson confirmed to The Dispatch that stadium and department staff, as well as local law enforcement, had prepared extensively for fans rushing the field, including safeguards for field equipment. MSU shared the news of the fine on Monday, which will be paid into the SEC's post-graduate scholarship fund. "Worth. Every. Penny," Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves wrote on social media. |
| SEC Baseball Schedule Announced For 2026 | |
| Another piece of Mississippi State's baseball schedule fell into place on Tuesday afternoon as the Southeastern Conference announced its league slate for the 2026 season. Brian O'Connor and the Diamond Dawgs are set to face eight SEC opponents that reached the NCAA Tournament last year, including College World Series participant Arkansas and defending national champion LSU. Two of MSU's first three series will be on the road beginning with the SEC opener at the Razorbacks on March 13-15. The Bulldogs welcome Vanderbilt to Dudy Noble Field on March 20-22 followed by an instate trek to rival Ole Miss from March 27-29. State is set to host a Thursday-Saturday series against Georgia on Easter weekend April 2-4 and will also be at home the following week versus Tennessee on April 10-12. The Diamond Dawgs are back on the road for three of the final five series to close out the regular season starting with a trip to South Carolina from April 17-19. Mississippi State will traverse through the Lone Star State for its final two road series at Texas on May 1-3 and close things out at Texas A&M on May 14-16. Home series against LSU (April 24-26) and Auburn (May 8-10) are sandwiched between those road trips. |
| Rays rookie Jake Mangum enjoys seeing his father back at Soldier Field with former Bears teammates | |
| The September schedule for the Tampa Bay Rays worked out quite nicely for Jake Mangum. The rookie outfielder joined his father, John Mangum Jr., for the Chicago Bears' game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. It was an alumni game for the Bears, and John Mangum Jr., 58, played defensive back for the team for nine seasons. Tampa Bay had an off day before a stretch of six consecutive games in Chicago. The Rays beat the White Sox 5-4 in the opener of a three-game set on Tuesday night, and they take on the Cubs in a weekend series beginning Friday afternoon. "Made it there at the start of the second quarter, and then later that same quarter my dad went down on the field," Jake Mangum said. "It was cool, man. First time I can ever remember him being on the field at Soldier Field. I was a baby when he was done." John Mangum Jr. played for the Crimson Tide before he was selected by Chicago in the sixth round of the 1990 draft. The Mississippi native had five interceptions in 105 games with the Bears, including 25 starts. Mangum quit playing football when he was a freshman in high school so he could focus on baseball. He played college ball at Mississippi State before he was taken by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 2019 amateur draft. |
| Bulldogs end nonconference play with win at South Alabama | |
| Mississippi State soccer wrapped up its nonconference schedule in style last weekend in a high-scoring affair at South Alabama. The Bulldogs travelled to face the Jaguars on Sunday, winning 4-2 in Mobile with goals from Kyra Taylor, Adia Symmonds and Zoe Main. MSU, now 5-1 on the season, will begin Southeastern Conference play this week. Their nonconference matchups featured three Power Four teams, including a win over 2024 national finalists Wake Forest. "I'm really, really proud of the girls and staff to finish our nonconference the way that we did," head coach Nick Zimmerman said of the win. "South Alabama is a very good team who are well-coached, and it's a very tough place to play. To score four goals the way that we did and having to face adversity at times in the game was awesome for such a young group. They continue to do what we are asking of them in training, and I'm just really happy for them." The Bulldogs will begin SEC play on Friday with a visit from No. 2 Tennessee. The Vols have made an impressive start to the 2025 season, which includes an upset win over reigning national champions North Carolina. The match will kick off at 6 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field. |
| Bulldogs continue hot start at Blue Raider Bash | |
| Mississippi State volleyball picked up another trio of wins over the weekend on the road at Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders hosted a non-conference invitational featuring the Bulldogs, UT Martin and Marist. The Bulldogs improved to 6-0 on the season with three straight sweeps of the opposition, including the 150th win of head coach Julie Darty Dennis' career. The 6-0 start is the program's best start to a season since 2022, and the Bulldogs have yet to drop a single set to opposition so far. "What a weekend for the Volleydawgs," said Darty Dennis. Darty Dennis is in her eighth season as head coach at MSU, where she has tallied 93 wins. She was previously the head coach at Jacksonville before arriving in Starkville, where she won 58 games. MSU will host Duke at the Newell-Grissom building today at 6 p.m. as part of the SEC/ACC Showdown. |
| Pepsi Challenge coming to Jackson State-Tuskegee football game | |
| The iconic Pepsi Challenge is coming to Jackson this weekend as part of its HBCU Tour, setting up at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Pepsi Challenge is a blind taste test first launched in 1975, where participants are given two unmarked cups -- one with Pepsi and the other with a competitor like Coca-Cola -- and asked which they prefer. The campaign was designed to show off the number of people who favor Pepsi's flavor when brand labels aren't visible, and it quickly became a centerpiece of the "cola wars." In recent years, Pepsi has revived the challenge in new forms, including the HBCU Tour, where fans can sample Pepsi Zero Sugar and Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild Cherry against rival drinks. This weekend's event at the Vet will run from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. before Jackson State takes on Tuskegee at 2 p.m. In addition to the taste test, fans at the Jackson State game can enjoy Pepsi-inspired mocktails, food, music from local DJs, and exclusive giveaways from the limited-edition Pepsi Challenge HBCU Capsule Collection. Items include jerseys, hats, T-shirts, and collectible pins. |
| Millsaps to be First in State to Field Varsity Women's Flag Football Program | |
| Millsaps is kicking off a new era: women's flag football is now officially on the Majors' roster! The college will be the first in the state to offer women's flag football as a varsity sport. This game-changing move is all about creating opportunities and giving female student-athletes the chance to break barriers and bring a brand-new spirit of competition to campus. The team launches as a club sport in spring 2026, building momentum as it cruises into becoming the 19th varsity-sponsored sport at Millsaps in the spring of 2027. This will be Mississippi's first varsity collegiate program. "This is a historic moment for Millsaps and for women's athletics in Mississippi," said athletic director Justin LeBlanc. "By investing in women's flag football, we're creating new pathways for student-athletes to shine, to lead and to inspire. We're committed to providing equal opportunities and being at the forefront of this exciting movement in collegiate sports." Flag football has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. At least 65 NCAA schools are sponsoring women's flag football at either the club or varsity levels. |
| Justin Fuente brings coach viewpoint to CFP as adviser | |
| The College Football Playoff has named former Virginia Tech and Memphis head coach Justin Fuente its senior adviser for football, a new role created to bring a coach's perspective to the policies and procedures of the CFP. Fuente, who will report directly to CFP executive director Rich Clark, will be responsible for providing guidance on operational matters, including consulting with the FBS conference offices, the NCAA and its national coordinator of football officiating, and the CFP's chief medical officer. Fuente will also work with the CFP staff on the implementation of playoff policies and best practices related to game operations, officiating, technology and other policy considerations. Fuente told ESPN the conversations with Clark and his executive team began about a month ago, and the idea initially intrigued him because he wanted to find a way to get more involved in the game without returning to coaching. Since leaving Virginia Tech, Fuente settled in the Dallas area and focused on spending time with his wife and three daughters. He will be able to commute to the CFP offices in Dallas for meetings. He began this season on the TCU radio broadcast team but will leave that job later this month to focus full-time on his new CFP role. |
| Tariffs on Mailed Goods Hit U.S. Sports Fans -- If They Get Delivered | |
| Donald Trump's new taxes on goods being sent into the U.S. are hitting sports fans with unexpected bills---if they can even get gear ordered abroad delivered. "WTF. Just found out I have to pay a SEVENTY FIVE DOLLAR TARIFF to get my Inter gear from Italy," wrote Jenna Tonelli, a writer for SI.com, on X last week. "Literally the UPS guy was at my door asking for a check." Tonelli isn't the only fan seeing orders from clubs in Europe and elsewhere get slapped with an unexpected bill. Trump ordered the end to de minimis exemption for packages entering the U.S. The de minimis policy had meant packages of a declared value under $800 were exempt from taxes. The exemption has been around since 1938 as a reflection of the fact collecting duties on small value packages is often a money loser. However, the exemption has been criticized in recent years as a loophole Chinese fast fashion brand Shien and online retailer Temu have used in excess, sending thousands of small packages to get under the tax floor. The number of de minimis packages into the U.S. hit 1.36 billion in 2024, compared to 134 million a decade ago, according to a White House statement. Fans like Tonelli may be lucky to get their stuff at all. A Saturday statement from the Universal Postal Union, a United Nations group that works on global postal service policies, says that mail delivery into the U.S. dropped 81% the week after Trump eliminated the exemption at the end of August. |
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