| Wednesday, September 24, 2025 |
| MSU holds ribbon cutting at Wolf River Coastal Forest Research and Education Center | |
 | Mississippi State University (MSU) leaders and partners gathered on September 23, 2025, for a ribbon cutting at the Wolf River Coastal Forest Research and Education Center to celebrate the land that will help protect water quality, provide wildlife habitat and fill a gap in watershed conservation efforts along the Mississippi coast. "The Wolf River property has been under the excellent stewardship of Weyerhaeuser, which managed it as a sustainable commercial forest for decades. It will now provide great opportunities for our students to learn about forest and wildlife management and water conservation in coastal ecosystems, while faculty research will assist local landowners and the forestry industry," said Wes Burger, dean of MSU's College of Forest Resources and director of the university's Forest and Wildlife Research Center. The 14,000 acre area was formerly a commercial forest owned by Weyerhaeuser. The site will be managed by MSU's Forest and Wildlife Research Center. Funds were secured through a U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program grant and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund to purchase the land, which the university acquired in November 2024. |
| MSU Takes Top Spot at IANA Case Competition | |
 | The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) announced on Sept. 22 that Mississippi State University (MSU) took the number one spot at the organization's 2025 Intermodal Case Study Competition. This was MSU's first time participating in the event. The students representing the university were Elijah Davis, Emma Lovely-Gonzalez, Sophie Perrigin and Bradley Sills. This year's case, "A Port of Clearview," addressed the real-world challenge of congestion at a hypothetical port, asking them to develop solutions for mitigating gate congestion while balancing operating and customer costs. "We are extremely proud of our team. The competition brings together great students from leading universities, so for Mississippi State to win in our first year as a scholarship school and event participant was especially exciting and meaningful," said Dr. Chris Boone, the university's associate professor of supply chain logistics. "We're very grateful to IANA for this opportunity and for their commitment to supporting students and developing the next generation of intermodal talent." "We're thrilled to congratulate Mississippi State University on their well-deserved win. The team's creativity and commitment really stood out," said IANA President and CEO Anne Reinke. "It is inspiring to see the next generation from all of the IANA scholarship schools bringing such energy and fresh ideas to our industry." |
| Mississippi State University Advances Beyond Line of Sight Operations with SKIRON-X | |
| Mississippi State University's Raspet Flight Research Laboratory is working on a groundbreaking project aimed at advancing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for emergency response operations beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS). Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, provided their Group 2 UAS, SKIRON-X, to serve as a test platform throughout the project. SKIRON-X combines the convenience of vertical take-off and landing with the longer endurance of fixed-wing flight. In its standard battery-powered configuration, it has a flight time of up to 3.5 hours. Over the past few months, Raspet researchers have flown SKIRON-X for more than 30 flight hours, providing extensive flight logs and pilot feedback to help refine the platform for first responders and BVLOS operations. "Working with MSU's Raspet Flight Research Laboratory has been invaluable," said Jason Grzywna , senior director of products at Aurora. "This collaboration with Aurora has provided Raspet with the opportunity to test a cutting-edge UAS platform while working toward a solution that could make a real difference for first responders," added Raspet Director Bryan Farrell. |
| All on board! "Travel Around the World with Digital FAO and Agro-Informatics" Next Stop: Mississippi State University | |
| Join FAO virtual workshop series: "Travel Around the World with Digital FAO and Agro-Informatics." Designed as a global tour, each stop will highlight how students and universities around the world are engaging with FAO's cutting-edge digital tools to explore the use of data and technology in agriculture-related research. Our next stop on this global journey is Mississippi State University, taking place on 30 September 2025 at 15:00 CEST. Participants will enjoy a live introduction to FAO's Agro-Informatics Platform and Digital Services Portfolio (DSP), followed by a presentation by students from Mississippi State University. They will explore FAO's global mission through Data Science & AI and Professional Development. This initiative is part of FAO's ongoing commitment to empower young researchers, foster collaboration with universities, and encourage bold ideas that support agrifood systems transformation for sustainable development. |
| Invasive pest confirmed in Mississippi cotton | |
| Specialists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service are monitoring the spread of a newly detected invasive pest in the state that has the potential to severely impact future cotton yields. The two-spotted leafhopper, also known as the cotton jassid, was first found in a Hinds County cotton field Sept. 8. It has since been confirmed in Noxubee, Neshoba, Oktibbeha and Forrest Counties. In addition to cotton, the two-spotted leafhopper feeds on hibiscus, sunflowers, peanuts and a wide range of vegetables, including okra and eggplant. Whitney Crow, MSU Extension entomologist, said it is key for Mississippians to learn what they look like. "They are very small and can be easily confused with other common leafhoppers," she said. "When possible, we are encouraging everyone to survey common host plants where this pest may occur -- cotton, hibiscus, okra and eggplant. If anyone suspects they have found one, they should let us know. Since the pest has been confirmed in the state, we have begun surveillance efforts where possible. This information will be critical in helping us determine priority areas for surveillance next year." |
| New pest invades Mississippi cotton, threatening future yields | |
| A year filled with trouble is far from over for cotton farmers, because a new pest has officially hit Mississippi cotton fields. The two-spotted leafhopper, also known as the cotton jassid, was first found in a Hinds County cotton field September 8, 2025. Since the initial spotting, the pest has also been found in Noxubee, Neshoba, Oktibbeha and Forrest counties. The pests feed on the underside of leaves and can create "hopper burn" on infested plants. This will turn leaves yellow, red, and then brown, and can lead to premature leaf drop. The announcement comes as cotton yields have been expected to be at a very low quality this year due to weather conditions and market challenges. While the pest may not be a factor this year, it will make a presence in the next year's crops. "We are far enough along in the season that it shouldn't be too much of a problem this year," said Brian Pieralisi, Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service cotton specialist. "Most, if not all, of our cotton acres are nearing the point of defoliation. But there is definitely concern for next year. This pest is here, and it is important that producers are on the lookout for it now and especially next year. Since it's been confirmed in two counties so far, it's likely in other cotton producing counties." |
| Mississippi experts confirm existence of invasive pest that could harm cotton production | |
 | Mississippi State University confirmed the existence of a new invasive pest that could harm future cotton production. MSU identified the pest as the two-spotted leafhopper, also known as the cotton jassid. It was first found on Sept. 8 in a Hinds County cotton field. Experts later confirmed its existence in Noxubee, Neshoba, Oktibbeha and Forrest counties. The adult insect is about 2 millimeters in length and green in color with a black dot on the hind end of each wing. The pests feed on the underside of leaves. Brian Pieralisi, an MSU Extension cotton specialist, said he expects no yield impacts for this year's crop that is nearing harvest. |
| August unemployment rates dip across Golden Triangle | |
 | All counties in the Golden Triangle saw a decrease in unemployment rates last month. Since July, Oktibbeha County had the largest improvement, declining 0.6% to 4.7%. Over that same time, Clay County fell 0.5% to 5.1%, Noxubee County declined 0.4% to 5.9% and Lowndes County had the smallest improvement, dropping from 4.5% to 4.4%, according to data released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. Average rates for 2025 across all four counties have increased between 0.7% and 1.2% from 2024 annual rates. Rates are higher in each of the counties in comparison to August 2024, with Oktibbeha County seeing the smallest difference, a 0.5% increase from 4.2% last year. Lowndes and Clay counties each increased by 0.7% from 3.7% and 4.4%, respectively, in August 2024. Noxubee County had the largest difference with a 1.3% increase from 4.6% last year to 5.9% in August 2025. At the state level, unemployment dropped to 4.2% in August, a 0.3% improvement from July. The national rate also fell to 4.5% from 4.6% in July. The state and national rates increased 0.7% and 0.1% respectively from August 2024. |
| New pickleball courts coming to Northeast Park in Meridian | |
 | Progress has begun on a new development at Northeast Park in Meridian. Six new pickleball courts have been approved for construction behind the softball fields. Australian Courtworks out of Brandon, Mississippi has been awarded the contract to build these new courts, which will also include a pavilion and picnic tables. Thomas Adams, director of Meridian Parks and Recreation, says these courts are a welcome addition to the park, especially with how fast pickleball is catching on. "All of our courts are public courts. Just having pickleball courts out here in North Meridian is a plus, because we already have them down close to town at the Sammy Davidson complex," said Adams. "We have eight of them out there, so I mean, pickleball is one of those sports that's growing really fast. We want everyone to come out and recreate and enjoy." While the timeline of the project is subject to weather conditions, Adams said the project is set to start within the next one to two weeks. |
| Adding some spice to life: West Point four-man company blends thousands of pounds of seasonings per week | |
| Kenneth Baker drives a forklift carrying pallets full of spices through the Magnolia Seasoning facility. As the production manager carries each large bag over to a scale, he measures and weighs out the salt, paprika, onion and garlic powder and hotter spices carefully before pouring them each into a large mixing bowl. Baker flips a switch and about four minutes later, the concoction is fully blended into about 100 pounds of Cajun seasoning that will later be bottled and boxed for shipment. The batch is one of 11 prepared just on Friday morning at the Magnolia Seasoning Company in West Point. "(Daily) I'll run probably about 14 to 15 batches that (each) run from 50 pounds to 100 pounds," Baker told The Dispatch. Today, Magnolia Seasoning is a four-man independent seasoning production company owned by Barry Zook. But seasonings have been produced in its facility since 1977, originally operating under the name Flavotech. |
| Governor Tate Reeves says Charlie Kirk's impact on culture and free speech will continue | |
 | Like many across the nation, Governor Tate Reeves said he was shocked by the assassination of Charlie Kirk during an appearance at a college campus. The Governor said he knew the 31-year-old and was deeply moved by Erika Kirk's comments during the Memorial service for her husband. "When Erika said, I forgive my husband's assassin, because that is what Jesus did, it is a true moment in American history that I hope turns the tide. You and I may disagree on something, that doesn't make you an enemy," Gov. Reeves said. On the economy, Reeves pointed to a report released on Friday showing the number of jobs in Mississippi was at an all-time high. That follows another report showing Mississippi's per capita income grew at the second-fastest rate in America in 2024. "We have more jobs, more people working, and in those jobs, people are making more money than they ever made before. That is what it is all about, the sign of good leadership and good policies being enacted for the people of Mississippi," Reeves said. |
| 'I'm not going to back down': Auditor speaks on report targeting Jackson-area nonprofits | |
| Mississippi Auditor Shad White provided more details on Tuesday about a report calling out questionable spending with three Jackson-area nonprofits. The report was released on Monday and highlighted spending with the Juanita Sims Doty Foundation, My Brother's Keeper, and 100 Black Men of Jackson. White called out the organizations for high administrative costs, poor record-keeping, and conflicts of interest. "Unfortunately, we once again found that tens of thousands of dollars were being handed from the government -- taxpayer dollars to nonprofits -- and at best, you would say that there's not a ton of documentation to show us how that money was spent," he said. "At worst, you would say it didn't really achieve anything to help anybody." According to the report, all three nonprofits received hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from state agencies, including the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Mississippi Department of Human Services. All three are based in the metro area, and all three were founded by or serve African Americans. However, he says the nonprofits were not politically or racially targeted. "A big part of my job is just shining a light on the numbers, shining a light on where these dollars go... But as an elected official, people don't just vote for me because I happen to be the guy who's good with numbers. They vote for me based on my values. And I think that what I see in some of these mission statements is a set of values that conflicts with a lot of Mississippians," he said. |
| New MPB documentary honoring Medgar Evers debuts in Jackson | |
 | Dozens gathered inside the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum for the premiere screening of Everlasting: The Life and Legacy of Medgar Evers, a new Mississippi Public Broadcasting documentary honoring the slain civil rights leader's life, family and enduring impact. The film explores Evers' public battles at a time when segregation defined the South, while also spotlighting the private toll his assassination in 1963 had on his wife Myrlie and their children. Evers was gunned down in the driveway of his Jackson home at age 37, just hours after President John F. Kennedy delivered a televised address on civil rights. Michael Williams, a historian featured in the film, said the story of Evers is not just a history lesson, but a call to action. "Whenever you have an opportunity to look at the legacy and life of an individual who had sacrificed so much, who cared so much about humanity, who cared so much about justice and truth ... it's a wake-up call to what we need to be doing as individuals whenever we see injustice rear its head," Williams said. |
| The top Senate leaders aren't talking. That's a bad sign for a shutdown. | |
 | Any resolution to the shutdown standoff now gripping Capitol Hill will have to involve senators from both parties locking arms. It would probably help if the two top party leaders in the Senate would start talking to each other first. Instead, a frosty pall has settled over the working relationship between Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, with the two Senate veterans bickering over the path forward for a shutdown-averting stopgap bill. As of Tuesday evening, neither man had spoken to the other on the subject, with each saying the other bears the burden of actually starting any conversation. The stalemate between the two, who have served in the chamber together chummily for decades, encapsulates the partisan tensions that have raised the odds that Congress will fail to act and government agencies will close at midnight Tuesday. Schumer in recent days attempted an end run around Thune, going directly to President Donald Trump with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to demand a meeting. After the White House moved to arrange that meeting, Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson relayed their concerns to Trump, who then canceled it. It's just the latest instance of the two leaders, who are each balancing larger political pressures, not being on the same page since January. |
| White House autism-Tylenol link leads to confusion, pushback | |
 | President Donald Trump's announcement Monday advising Americans against taking acetaminophen during pregnancy to avoid the chance of autism was met with pushback from some lawmakers, including a key GOP health figure. During a news briefing Monday afternoon, Trump's message to those who are pregnant was clear: "Don't take Tylenol." But Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, in an appearance Tuesday on the podcast "Mornings with Brian Haldane," advised patients to discuss the matter with their OB-GYN, saying they should do that with all medications taken during pregnancy. "I was talking to a woman. She goes, 'Oh, this is great. Two men telling me not to take the only thing I can take when my back's hurting and I'm pregnant, right?'" Cassidy said. "She was just expressing her frustration." Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, as well as other federal health officials, were united on the issue alongside Trump. But Cassidy, a gastroenterologist by training who is facing a high-stakes reelection in 2026, questioned Trump's assertions. He emphasized that studies that the administration has cited show only an association between the medication and autism rather than causality. |
| Trump's 'tough it out' to pregnant women meets wave of opposition by medical experts | |
| Federal health officials are telling Americans no, they shouldn't take Tylenol during pregnancy for fear of autism and yes, they should try a drug used in cancer care to treat children who have developed autism. The medical world disagrees. "We were actually pretty alarmed by some of the output that was coming from the administration," Marketa Wills, CEO and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association, said in an interview. At a remarkable White House briefing on Monday, President Trump and his top health and science officials said Tylenol use in pregnancy caused some cases of autism in children and said leucovorin, a form of vitamin B9, could treat the disease. The event has drawn a flood of pushback from medical societies, autism organizations, and pediatric experts through official statements, interviews, and social media. Much more research is needed on the claims about Tylenol and leucovorin in particular, experts emphasized. While President Trump repeatedly told women to "tough it out" rather than take Tylenol for fever or pain during pregnancy, medical experts said there are good reasons to consider the medication. An untreated fever can cause serious harms in pregnancy, including neurodevelopmental injuries to fetuses such as spina bifida, they told STAT. |
| Trump administration eyes USAID money to advance America First goals | |
 | The Trump administration, in its latest challenge to Congress's authority over federal spending, intends to shift almost $2 billion in U.S. foreign aid toward a slate of priorities aimed largely at advancing the president's "America First" agenda. The plan, which has not been reported previously, was outlined for lawmakers in a document the State Department sent to Capitol Hill on Sept. 12 and later reviewed by The Washington Post. It represents a dramatic rebranding of Washington's approach to foreign assistance after the Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) this year. Over 10 pages, the document explains how the administration will direct the money -- totaling $1.8 billion, it says -- toward vague initiatives abroad such as countering "Marxist, anti-American regimes" in Latin America, and pursuing investments in Greenland and Ukraine. It also lists projects defunded by the administration, including $175 million meant for the West Bank and Gaza, and $150 million for Iraq. The plan would mark the administration's most elaborate attempt so far to redefine the role of American foreign aid, ending longtime Republican and Democratic orthodoxy that has maintained the United States benefits from supporting other countries through helping to treat and cure diseases, ending famines, and promoting democracy. Instead, the Trump administration has pursued a narrower and more transactional approach, pursuing negotiated deals rather than providing handouts. |
| Trump Lectures the World at the U.N. | |
 | resident Trump lectured world leaders at the United Nations for nearly an hour yesterday, bashing allies and foes, airing grievances, and questioning whether the U.N. should even exist. "I'm really good at this stuff," Trump said. "Your countries are going to hell." In a speech that went almost four times as long as his allotted time, the president warned the assembled leaders about immigration and green energy, which he said were "destroying a large part of the free world." He spent nearly a quarter of his speaking time attacking efforts to address climate change, which he described as "the greatest con job in history." In January, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, for the second time. Trump repeated his claim that he had ended wars around the world. "Sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them," he said. On the 80th anniversary of the creation of the U.N., Trump is doing all he can to shatter the institution at the center of the post-World War II order. |
| Florida Gov. DeSantis Proposes Giving Trump Miami Land for Library | |
 | Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump's future presidential library with plans to give him free land in the heart of downtown Miami. Next week, DeSantis and the Florida cabinet, all Republicans, are expected to approve a proposal to deed land at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library. The 2.63-acre property is currently being used as a campus parking lot and is adjacent to the city's historic Freedom Tower, which just completed a $25 million renovation. Miami Dade College's board of trustees voted Tuesday to transfer the parking-lot property to the state, the Miami Herald reported. DeSantis said that at a Sept. 30 meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, he will propose giving the property to Trump's library. During an appearance on Fox News, DeSantis said that the "natural fit" for Trump's library should be New York City considering the president's past there but that the city "treated him horribly." Earlier this year, DeSantis signed legislation giving the state full regulatory control over presidential libraries and preventing local governments from potentially obstructing any future presidential-library project. |
| Trump administration rehires hundreds of federal employees laid off by DOGE | |
 | Hundreds of federal employees who lost their jobs in Elon Musk's cost-cutting blitz are being asked to return to work. The General Services Administration has given the employees -- who managed government workspaces -- until the end of the week to accept or decline reinstatement, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. Those who accept must report for duty on Oct. 6 after what amounts to a seven-month paid vacation, during which time the GSA in some cases racked up high costs -- passed along to taxpayers -- to stay in dozens of properties whose leases it had slated for termination or were allowed to expire. "Ultimately, the outcome was the agency was left broken and understaffed," said Chad Becker, a former GSA real estate official. "They didn't have the people they needed to carry out basic functions." Becker, who represents owners with government leases at Arco Real Estate Solutions, said GSA has been in a "triage mode" for months. He said the sudden reversal of the downsizing reflects how Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency had gone too far, too fast. |
| Charlie Kirk's Base Was Young People. Now His Tent Might Be Expanding. | |
| Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point USA when he was a teenager, connecting naturally with his core audience to build a youth organization. He has been credited with helping swing the Gen Z vote toward President Donald J. Trump last year. "No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie," Mr. Trump said last week, after Mr. Kirk was shot and killed on a college campus in Utah. In death, however, Mr. Kirk is reaching new generations. In Fort Worth, Daniel Darling was teaching an undergraduate class on Christianity and culture at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary when he received a text about the shooting. Mr. Darling, 47, is politically conservative, but described himself as someone likelier to read National Review than watch clips on TikTok of campus debates. "I had assumed he was a sort of a Christian conservative provocateur," he said of Mr. Kirk. Watching more extended videos in the days after Mr. Kirk's death, he found something more appealing: a person he saw being kind in one-on-one interactions, and open to debate. Mr. Darling is also coming to understand Mr. Kirk as a generational figure. His son, who is 17, and his peer group from his Christian school and his church, were deeply rattled by the killing. Mr. Darling wondered if the event would shape them in the same way that the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, influenced Mr. Darling and his peers. |
| Black church leaders reject Charlie Kirk martyrdom and point to his race rhetoric | |
| How Charlie Kirk is being memorialized -- with many conservatives and white Christians, particularly evangelicals, emphasizing his faith and labeling him a martyr -- has sparked debate among Black clergy, who are trying to square a heroic view of the 31-year-old with insulting statements about people of color that were key to his political activism. "How you die does not redeem how you lived," the Rev. Howard-John Wesley, of Alexandria, Virginia, said in a sermon in the aftermath of Kirk's killing that has amassed tens of thousands of views online. The reactions to Kirk's death marked a notable split-screen moment in America's racial divide, playing out at the same time on Sunday across the country. From the pulpits of Black churches, pastors used their sermons to denounce what they called hateful rhetoric from Kirk that runs counter to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Gospel. In a packed football stadium in Arizona, tens of thousands of people celebrated Kirk in a religious-themed memorial as a martyr and inspirational and principled conservative hero. Many Black pastors in the largest African American Christian denominations linked the veneration of Kirk -- who used his platform to discuss matters of race in America, including statements that denigrated Black people, immigrants, women, Muslims and LGBTQ+ people -- to the history of weaponizing faith to justify colonialism, enslavement and bigotry. |
| Kimmel thanks Cruz, conservatives for defense: 'It takes courage' | |
 | Late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel thanked conservative figures for defending him on Tuesday, after the ABC host returned to the TV following a temporary suspension. "Maybe most of all, I want to thank the people who don't support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway," Kimmel told viewers. "People who I never would have imagined, like Ben Shapiro, Clay Travis, Candace Owens, [Sens.] Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), even my old pal Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who believe it or not said something very beautiful on my behalf," he added. Cruz lobbied against Kimmel's brief dismissal flagging the potential for future free speech limitations. "It might feel good right now to threaten Jimmy Kimmel, yeah, but when it is used to silence every conservative in America, we will regret it," the Texas senator said on his "The Verdict" podcast, garnering some pushback from President Trump. Kimmel responded to the Texas Republican: "I don't think I've ever said this before, but Ted Cruz is right. This affects all of us, including him." "Even though I don't agree with many of those people on most subjects -- some of the things they say even make me want to throw up -- it takes courage for them to speak out against this administration, and they did," he continued later. "And they deserve credit for it." |
| MUW welcomes prospective culinary students to campus | |
| Mississippi University for Women opened its doors to budding chefs on Tuesday. The W hosted a Discovery Day for high school students interested in Culinary Arts. "We have invited students from Mississippi and Alabama to come and talk with admissions, student life and to get a tour of the facilities and see what they can cook if they decide to join us and speak with some students," said Dr. Tracee Watkins, the Culinary Arts Institute Director at MUW. Junior and senior culinary students led the tours. Ethanial Nickey is a student at Choctaw Central High School in Philadelphia, Mississippi. "I've seen much of the kitchen and seen much of the materials they use of their kitchen. And most of all, I've enjoyed the interactions with them, learning how it is to be a culinary student at the W," said Nickey. Nickey is in his second year of the Culinary Program at Choctaw Central. He is already thinking about his career goals. "I think I would like to start my own bakery," said Nickey. |
| Ole Miss researcher speaks at Comic-Con | |
 | Marine biologist Tamar Goulet has shared her love of science and curiosity in classrooms and professional conferences around the world. This summer, she joined George Lucas, Queen Latifah and Ryan Gosling to bring that love to the stages of San Diego Comic-Con International. Goulet, professor of biology at the University of Mississippi, was among 16 IF/THEN Ambassadors who put the science back in science fiction at the 56th annual Comic-Con. More than 135,000 avid fans of comic books, graphic novels, video games and anime were in attendance. "The reason I went to Comic-Con -- the reason I said yes -- was initially because it absolutely aligns with why I'm an ambassador and why I've taught our introductory biology course for 25 years, because I find it thrilling to explain science and to get people excited about science," Goulet said. "I find it challenging, rewarding and important because not everyone needs to be a scientist, yet science surrounds everything that we do." The IF/THEN program -- named for the idea that 'if she can see it, then she can be it'-- brings 125 women scientists into classrooms and other gatherings as role models for young learners. |
| Magnolia Mornings: UMMC receives research grant for hearing, balance disorders | |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center said Tuesday that the school is advancing medical research for two of the most prevalent yet underserved health challenges: hearing and balance. UMMC said it has received an $11.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence program to establish the Balance and Auditory Research Center within the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. UMMC said the grant is payable over five years in Phase 1 and is competitively renewable up to 15 years in Phases 2 and 3. The grant supports cutting-edge research into molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms of balance and hearing with the aim of developing new diagnostic tools, therapeutic strategies and rehabilitation techniques. |
| Former U. of Southern Mississippi student and Omega Psi Phi pledge sues after 'Hell Night' injuries | |
| A former Omega Psi Phi pledge who alleges he was so severely beaten during the Nu Eta chapter's "Hell Night" that he had to relearn how to walk is now suing the fraternity, the University of Southern Mississippi, multiple other people and organizations. According to the federal lawsuit, Rafeal Joseph and other pledges were struck repeatedly with a wooden paddle made from a two-by-four plank on April 16, 2023. Afterward, Joseph went to the hospital where he underwent a blood transfusion and emergency surgery while being treated for bruised ribs, a hematoma, posterior compartment syndrome and rhabdomyolysis, a severe muscle injury. The lawsuit alleges Joseph suffered severe emotional distress and could not walk for months. He ultimately dropped out of the University of Southern Mississippi. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity declined to comment on the litigation. The University of Southern Mississippi was not immediately available for comment. |
| Federal hazing lawsuit filed against U. of Southern Mississippi and fraternity | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. are facing a federal lawsuit from a student who was hospitalized after a hazing incident that resulted in surgery and a blood transfusion. Rafeal Joseph filed a complaint Monday in federal court in Hattiesburg against the university; Valencia Walls, associate director of USM's Office of Fraternity and Sorority life; Omega Psi Phi, a national Black fraternity organization; Nu Eta, USM chapter of the fraternity; and multiple other people. "We see violent incidents like these time and again across the nation but, instead of taking action, fraternity leaders and university officials alike sweep it under the rug and write it off as 'boys will be boys,'" Bakari Sellers, a civil rights attorney at Strom Law Firm, who is representing Joseph, said in a press statement. "This isn't youthful indiscretion. This isn't tradition and it sure isn't brotherhood. It's criminal violence and abuse and it needs to end." It is another instance in a high-profile hazing case against Omega Psi Phi. Earlier this year, Caleb Wilson, a Southern University student in Louisiana, died in an off-campus hazing incident involving the Beta Sigma chapter of the fraternity. |
| Lawsuit alleges officials ignored violent hazing that sent Southern Miss student to hospital | |
| A student at the University of Southern Mississippi was beaten so badly by fellow fraternity members that he had to undergo surgery and relearn how to walk, a federal lawsuit filed against the university and the Nu Eta chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity alleges. Rafeal Joseph pledged Omega Psi Phi on the campus in Hattiesburg in 2022 and suffered "severe abuse" during a months-long pledgeship, his attorneys said in a Tuesday announcement. In addition to Joseph's experience, the lawsuit lays out a "troubling history" of hazing violence at Southern Miss. This includes another incident in fall of 2022 when Darius Starkey, another Nu Eta initiate, suffered a torn ACL. The suit says university officials neither investigated that incident nor took any action against the fraternity. As part of the lawsuit, Joseph is asking for compensation for the harms he is said to have suffered and money to cover medical bills, lost income, and attorney fees. He is also seeking a court order to stop the defendants from continuing the alleged behavior while leaving room for other remedies to be granted during a jury trial. |
| Funeral services set for Trey Reed. Private death investigation ongoing | |
 | Funeral services have been set for a man found dead, hanging from a tree on the Delta State University campus. De'Martravion "Trey" Reed, 21, of Grenada, was found early Monday, Sept. 15, on the Delta State University campus in Cleveland. The young Black man was a student, and investigators initially ruled his death a suicide. An autopsy report from the state on Sept. 18 says the same. Reed's family has doubts. They have hired lawyers and are pursuing a second autopsy and carrying out a private investigation. On Sept. 19, attorney Ben Crump, who is working with Reed's family, announced that the Colin Kaepernick "Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative" would fund the independent autopsy. Misinformation about Reed's death quickly spread on social media, with one user who initially claimed to be a cousin alleging that the Black man had broken limbs that would have kept him from dying by suicide. Those videos have since been deleted by the original creator, though they were widely copied and shared online. One of Reed's relatives said those claims didn't come from the family and that they hadn't started any fundraisers. |
| From coffee shops to Crusader Walk: William Carey's campus transformation | |
 | Students at William Carey University are experiencing a campus that feels brighter, livelier, and more welcoming than ever before. University leaders unveiled several new spaces this week, part of a larger effort to make campus life more engaging and responsive to student needs. Vice President for Student Engagement Wes Dykes said the vision stems directly from university president Dr. Ben Burnett. "The vision of our president, Dr. Burnett, is to make this campus a destination campus where students want to come, and this is where they want to stay," Dykes said. "It's where they want to live." That vision comes at a time of major growth. University leaders said in 2022, some 600 students lived on campus. This fall, that number climbed to more than 900. Enrollment also set a university record, with first-time freshmen tripling since 2022. To match that growth, William Carey has invested in student-focused upgrades across campus. |
| EMCC band and choir numbers soar under new leadership | |
 | Enrollment in the Music Education Department at East Mississippi Community College's Scooba campus has surged under the direction of Mighty Lion Band Director Daniel Wade and Director of Choirs Dr. Matthew Butler. When Wade was hired a year ago to take over the Mighty Lion Band, he inherited a roster of 62 students. By the fall of 2025, that number had swelled to 102. Butler came on board as EMCC's choir director in July of 2025 with six students. Two months later, he had an enrollment of 81 choir students. Wade, an EMCC graduate who earned a master of Music Education at William Carey University, grew up in Porterville and taught music at Kemper County High School for 18 months before working for nearly two decades with Neshoba Central High School's Big Blue Band, first as assistant director and then head band director. He has been actively recruiting at high schools in EMCC's district. "We have made multiple visits to some schools and rebuilt relationships with other schools we had not been in touch with very much," Wade said. "We have also had a lot of out-of-district students reach out to us to come and tour our campus." |
| Districts around the US are mulling school closures as student enrollment falls | |
| Thomasina Clarke has watched school after school close in her once thriving St. Louis neighborhood, which was hit by a tornado this spring and whose population has plummeted in recent decades. "It's like a hole in the community," Clarke said. She fears a new round of closure discussions could strip the historically Black community of a storm-damaged high school, whose alumni include Tina Turner and Chuck Berry. St. Louis Public Schools is among the districts nationwide weighing how many urban schools to keep open due to shrinking budgets, the falling birthrate and a growing school choice movement. A district-commissioned report released this year found that the school system has more than twice the schools it needs. Such decisions are gut wrenching. It's a financial strain to operate half-empty schools, but research shows kids often fare badly after closures. Elsewhere, Philadelphia, Boston, Houston and Norfolk, Virginia, are considering shuttering schools, while a public outcry over potential closures has stopped them -- for now -- in Seattle and San Francisco. |
| LSU law school names Caprice Roberts new interim dean | |
 | LSU has announced that it has named Caprice Roberts interim dean of the law school. Roberts joined LSU as a tenured full professor in the fall of 2022 and teaches constitutional law, federal courts and remedies. She is also associate dean for faculty development and research. Before joining the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, she was a visiting professor at the George Washington University Law School and has taught at a number of other law schools. "Professor Roberts has over two decades of legal experience, including law school teaching and administration, federal judicial clerkships, and government enforcement litigation," Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Troy Blanchard said in a Monday email announcement. She is also deputy executive director of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools. The appointment comes after LSU leadership last month told former law school Dean Alena Allen that the Board of Supervisors would seek a new dean to lead the school. That decision prompted a legal dispute, which was eventually resolved outside of court less than two weeks ago. |
| Poll: Americans confident in higher ed, but deeply concerned over costs, neutrality | |
 | Despite high-profile conflicts between President Trump and several prominent colleges and universities, Americans remain confident in higher education, a new poll revealed. The national poll, conducted by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, surveyed 1,030 Americans from Sep. 5-8, according to a Sept. 24 news release. The poll results showed a boost in confidence in higher education from recent lows, outpacing confidence in other institutions like the police force and medical system. But they also indicated Americans across the political spectrum are deeply concerned about affordability and political bias when it comes to the nation's colleges and universities. "While headlines continue to cover alleged violations, shortcomings and biases, the public sentiment expressed in our poll is quite favorable toward colleges and universities," John Geer, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll, said in the release. "Certainly, people expressed areas of concern and viewed certain institutions as more problematic than others, but support for colleges and universities remains substantial, even in the midst of these many criticisms from Washington." |
| Colleges have had a tough year. Confidence in them is rising. | |
| For years, Americans have been losing confidence in higher education, with a decade-long slide in opinion polls that has alarmed university leaders and bolstered government efforts to aggressively remake colleges. But a national poll released Wednesday signals a shift: Nearly half of respondents said they had "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in higher education. Nearly 80 percent said that a college education is very or somewhat important for a young person to succeed. That question, like others, reflected a split along party lines, with 87 percent of Democrats and 68 percent of Republicans expressing that a college education has some importance for success. The real divide was expressed by the 20 percent of respondents who said they identify with President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement. Nearly two thirds of respondents said they believe colleges and institutions are having a positive effect on society, according to the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy survey of more than 1,000 people in early September. But while that idea had strong support from Democrats and, to a lesser extent, traditional Republicans, almost two thirds of MAGA Republicans expressed the exact opposite, saying that colleges and universities are having a negative impact. |
| U. of Missouri School of Medicine receives $3.9 million for new telehealth center | |
 | The University of Missouri School of Medicine received a $3.9 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to fund a new telehealth center. The development, named the Center for Telehealth Research and Policy, is aimed towards increasing healthcare resources for rural communities. "This grant will focus on setting up a center that will concentrate on gathering information and data about how telehealth is currently being used in rural communities and what gaps in care exist," lead researcher, Mirna Becevic, said in a news release. The Center for Telehealth Research and Policy will work in partnership with the Sinclair School of Nursing, the College of Health Sciences and the College of Engineering at the University of Missouri. Mizzou researchers will also collaborate with the University of Mississippi and Michigan State University to expand research efforts for the new center. |
| Walmart Heir Gifts $115M to Arizona State University | |
 | Rob Walton, the former chairman of Walmart and son of its founder, Sam Walton, has donated $115 million to Arizona State University -- the largest gift in the institution's history. The gift will establish the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures, set to launch in late 2025. The school will initially offer training programs and certificates for high school students, working learners and corporate executives to build conservation skills worldwide. It will eventually offer graduate and undergraduate degrees and work with employers to create pathways into the conservation workforce, according to ASU. ASU said the donation will also create a chair position to lead the school, three named professorships to "support scholarly research, education activities and professional development," and a scholarship fund -- the Rob Walton Scholars -- to provide full and partial scholarships to students. ASU president Michael Crow said Walton's "long-standing support has been critically important to ASU's leadership and growth in sustainability." |
| Going Old-School: Professors Use Print Books to Teach AI | |
| University of Southern California professor Helen Choi had a pretty basic assignment for her students this fall: Read a book. To be sure, Choi's pedagogical choice isn't novel for many faculty; 71 percent of professors use print materials in some capacity in their classroom, a Bay View Analytics survey found. But Choi teaches Advanced Writing for Engineers, a course focused on teaching STEM students how to write across disciplines. Many of them "think nothing of shoveling a writer's work into a chatbot for a summary," Choi said. So this fall, Choi is encouraging students to close their laptops and spend time with Karen Hao's book Empire of AI, about the evolution and tech behind AI. Choi chronicled her decision in a Substack article titled, "I'm Making My Students Read a Book!" The post caught the attention of some faculty on Bluesky, including Vance Ricks, a Northeastern computer science and philosophy professor. Ricks had similarly selected Empire of AI for his master's-level students to read this term. Both Choi and Ricks hope to encourage their students to relearn how to read critically and engage in robust conversations with their peers. And after finishing the books, Choi and Ricks's students will get the chance to reflect together on the book during a virtual meeting, where they will discuss the role of AI in their lives. |
| Trump's immigration curbs make Indian students rethink the American Dream | |
| Paridhi Upadhaya was packing her bags after securing a computer science scholarship in the U.S. until headlines of President Donald Trump's H-1B visa crackdown last week prompted her family in Lucknow, India to scrap the plan. "Trump's unending onslaught against immigrants is forcing us to consider other destinations for her," the 18-year-old's father Rudar Pratap said. Upadhaya is among thousands of Indians for whom the American dream of world-class education, lucrative careers, better quality of life and social mobility, is turning sour due to rising U.S. visa restrictions and policy unpredictability. For decades, the H-1B visa has been the gateway to a new life: a chance for young engineers and scientists from India, China and other countries to turn years of study into high-paying jobs and the possibility of permanent residency. But last week, Trump said new H-1B visa applications would cost $100,000, up from the roughly $2,000 to $5,000 employers were paying to sponsor workers. Over 13,000 kilometres (8,000 miles) from Lucknow in Dallas, Texas, an Indian student pursuing a master's degree in computer science is staring at $80,000 in debt and an uncertain future "Right now, the only aim is to finish my degree, find an internship, and try to recover my debt," said the student, who asked not to be named for fear of being targeted by immigration officials. |
| Trump visa policy requires universities to pay huge fee to hire foreign scholars | |
| U.S. President Donald Trump hopes to boost opportunities for domestic scientists by making it prohibitively expensive for universities to hire international faculty and staff. On 19 September, the president issued a proclamation requiring employers to pay the government $100,000 for every foreign scholar they want to hire. The cost would be added to fees of a few thousand dollars now assessed to sponsor someone from outside the United States under the H-1B visa program. The H-1B program is aimed at enabling U.S. companies to hire foreign-born scientists and engineers for a limited amount of time when they cannot find a suitable U.S.-based candidate. But critics say tech companies use the program to exploit foreign workers by paying them substandard wages and then replacing them with another foreign worker when their visas expire. "The high numbers of relatively low-wage workers in the H-1B program undercut the integrity of the program and are detrimental to American workers' wages and labor opportunities," according to Trump's proclamation. Many private firms counter that H-1Bs enable them to hire the talent necessary to keep pace in a highly competitive global market. And U.S. universities have long used H-1Bs as a way to employ foreign-born postdocs and faculty. |
| The Other Office for Civil Rights | |
| In June, in an escalation of the Trump administration's pressure on Harvard University to bow to its demands, a federal Office for Civil Rights announced that the institution was violating federal law. The office released a nearly 60-page report accusing Harvard of "deliberate indifference" to ongoing discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students, which is illegal under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. "OCR's findings document that a hostile environment existed, and continues to exist, at Harvard," the office said in an accompanying news release. But this wasn't the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights. It was an office of the same name within the Health and Human Services Department that's been playing a more public role as part of Trump's crackdown on higher ed. Officials who served in previous administrations said agencies used to generally defer to the Education Department when it came to civil rights issues in higher ed. But since Trump retook office, colleges and universities are facing increased pressure from probes by HHS and other agencies enforcing the new administration's right-wing interpretation of civil rights. |
| Sorority Girls Are Cashing In Big for Their Viral Rush Videos | |
| Blythe Beardsley and her fellow Kappa Kappa Gammas were looking to reach sorority hopefuls when they posted a choreographed dance set to "The Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani in August. The clip ended up reaching far beyond the University of Arizona, with over 38 million views on TikTok, and garnering lots of comments about Beardsley, who is front and center in the dance formation. "Blythe could steal my man and I would be the one to say sorry" one person wrote. Suddenly, Beardsley wasn't just the queen bee of recruitment; she had a chance to be an influencer. Within a few weeks, she had a public TikTok and Instagram, and she and her mom were on a flight to New York Fashion Week, paid for by the Australian fashion brand Showpo. Sorority recruitment, also known as rush, has become a social-media Super Bowl with massive moneymaking potential for college girls. Like college athletes earning brand endorsements, sororities are now the target of companies looking to advertise products on social media. Those who go viral stand to gain a debt-free education, expenses-paid trips and a career path after graduation. |
| Mississippi's bricks-and-mortar casinos facing unprecedented online gaming challenges | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: For 31 years, the western-themed Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall has loomed large on the Tunica, Mississippi, casino market's horizon. This month, owner Boyd Gaming announced the closing of the complex due to decreased demand over the last two decades. Boyd Gaming's initial involvement in Mississippi gaming came in 1994 with the opening of Sam's Town in Tunica and a 1994 management contract with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians for the Silver Star Casino – a contract that expired in 2000. In 2011, Boyd acquired the IP Casino Resort in Biloxi. The shuttering of Sam's Town will leave five casinos operating in the Tunica market. Resorts Casino closed in Tunica in 2019, citing declining demand and increased competition from the expansion of casino gaming in Arkansas. Why is the Tunica gaming market declining? First, there's increasing competition from neighboring states, including the casinos in West Memphis, Arkansas and the legalization of online sports betting in Tennessee. Second, the general rise of online gaming nationally is a huge threat to isolated, rural gaming markets like Tunica's, where changing laws across state lines have weakened the once-lucrative appeal of their gambling houses. Third, some critics say local governments didn't make wise decisions about tourism diversification. But the rise of internet gaming or "igaming" is not just a threat to the Tunica market, but to all casino gaming in Mississippi. |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs face biggest test yet against No. 15 Tennessee | |
| t's gut-check time for Mississippi State football. Head coach Jeff Lebby has the Bulldogs rolling after a 4-0 start to the season, finishing nonconference play undefeated with a tricky but thorough 38-10 win over Northern Illinois last weekend. This Saturday, the Bulldogs welcome No. 15 Tennessee for the first SEC matchup of the season. The university announced a sellout on Monday, and the expectation is for a similar atmosphere that welcomed Arizona State, albeit at 3:15 p.m. rather than under the lights in primetime. The Vols are 3-1 after opening SEC play in Week Three, losing 44-41 in overtime to Georgia. They rebounded with a comprehensive win over UAB last Saturday, and head to Starkville with an offense that has been able to score against every team faced so far. The Bulldogs are no slouches though, and it's a much different team this year than the one that went to Knoxville last year. "Their entire roster, they're deeper than they were a year ago," Vols head coach Josh Heupel said of the Bulldogs. |
| Football: Tough As Fluff | |
| Fluff Bothwell is a young man with a big heart. That comes out when you hear him speak about his pets. The animal lover is the proud owner of three dogs, a snake and a pair of guinea pigs. It might sound like a lot. "It's not too much though if it's something that you love," Bothwell said. Yep. There is a soft side to MSU's talented sophomore running back who's making a lot of early-season noise for the Bulldogs. But don't mistake Bothwell's gentleness for weakness. This bruising ball-carrier is as tough as they come, both on the football field and between the ears. Before we get into Bothwell's talent and resilience, let's go ahead and get this out of the way: exactly how does a 5-foot-10, 230-pound running back get labeled as Fluff? "Oh, I was an 11-pound baby," Bothwell said. "My mom just called me her big fluffy baby. It was Fluffy at first, then it got shortened down because my dad thought Fluffy was too girly. So, it got shortened to Fluff and it's been that way since." On the birth certificate, Bothwell's name is Da'Marion. That's one of the only places you'll read or hear him called that though. "It might have been middle school I think [the last time anyone called me Da'Marion]," Bothwell said. "But really I can't even remember the last time I was called that. It's just Fluff." Don't ever let his name fool you. |
| SEC Announces 2026 Through 2029 Conference Football Opponents | |
| On Tuesday, the Southeastern Conference announced Mississippi State's three annual conference opponents, as well as home and away designations for each contest for the upcoming nine-game conference slate for the next four seasons. Mississippi State's three annual opponents for the 2026 through 2029 seasons will be Alabama, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. Beginning in 2026, and as approved by the membership, the Southeastern Conference will implement a nine-game conference schedule, along with one annual non-conference opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, or Notre Dame. Each school will play every other SEC school at least once every two years, and every opponent, both home and away, over a four-year period. |
| Mississippi State football's SEC opponents for 9-game schedule from 2026 to 2029 | |
| Mississippi State football's SEC opponents for the next four seasons have been announced as part of the conference's new nine-game schedule. In 2026, the Bulldogs will host Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn, Missouri and Vanderbilt and play at Ole Miss LSU, South Carolina and Texas. Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Alabama are MSU's annual opponents, meaning it will play them once every season, alternating home and away. The new SEC scheduling format allows teams to play every other SEC team at least once every two years. Mississippi State is guaranteed to host each SEC team every four years. Game dates for the 2026 season will be announced in December. The Bulldogs already have nonconference games scheduled against Louisiana-Monroe (Sept. 5), Minnesota (Sept. 12), Troy (Sept. 19) and Tennessee Tech (Nov. 21). The SEC requires one annual nonconference game against a power conference team, or Notre Dame. |
| SEC unveils league matchups for the next four seasons and keeps most rivalries intact | |
| The Southeastern Conference announced league matchups for the next four years Tuesday, including designating three annual -- not permanent -- opponents for each of its 16 teams. The nine-game slates retain several traditional rivalries and renew some old ones. And there are no more lengthy waits to play everyone. The new format begins next year and runs through 2029, with the SEC having the option to tweak it every four years to maintain competitive balance. Geography and competitive fairness were factored into the decisions but not as prominently as maintaining long-standing rivalries like the Iron Bowl, the Egg Bowl, the Red River Rivalry, the Magnolia Bowl, the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, the Third Saturday in October and the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. The league also renewed rivalries that had been largely on hiatus since conference realignment. But the recent addition of former Big 12 heavyweights Oklahoma and Texas have a few back in the mix. |
| MSU's Whateley wins Mason Rudolph championship | |
| Mississippi State golfer Samantha Whateley won her first collegiate tournament on Sunday, finishing with a three-day total of 204 (9-under) at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tenn. Whateley became the 15th Bulldog to win an individual title, and made quick work to extend the program's streak of at least one individual title in a season to five years. Her previous best finish was in a tie for third at the Chevron Collegiate last year, and Sunday marked the first time she scored 60s in all three rounds at a tournament. The junior had a career-best performance over three days, shooting a consistent 69-67-68 over the course of the tournament to keep the trophy in Starkville. Teammate Avery Weed, who won the tournament last year, tied for fourth while Ines Belchior and Harper Hinkley tied for ninth in the individual standings. As a team, the Bulldogs finished two strokes behind Vanderbilt in second. The two programs were the only teams to finish the weekend under par as a collective, and the Bulldogs finished 19 strokes ahead of North Carolina. |
| New NCAA Division I Baseball Oversight Committee coming together | |
| The new NCAA Division I Baseball Oversight Committee, which comprises 18 representatives, is finally beginning to come together, though there are still some spots to fill, D1Baseball has learned. In early August, the NCAA reorganized several committees and established a new governance structure aimed at streamlining many of the cumbersome processes that had previously hindered various sports within the NCAA hierarchy. The new governance structure slashed committees by 32% and emphasizes efficiency. The new Oversight Committee is tasked with governing legislation of athletics personnel, playing and practice seasons, recruiting rules (subject to Administrative Committee review/approval), and authority over Division I playing rules and championship administration. The Oversight Committee also will take part in the NCAA Tournament selection process, though current non-voting members will not be able to vote in the postseason proceedings. That includes that four student athlete representatives. The goal with the new governance structure is to give more power to the Autonomy Four (Power) Conferences, including the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. |
| How Millsaps College is building new women's flag football program | |
| Elyse Warren grew up loving football. In elementary school, she spent recess playing football with the boys. It didn't matter that she was a girl. She ran, caught and enjoyed the game just like her peers. As she and the boys she played with got older, Warren couldn't play anymore. The boys started putting on pads and helmets and left Warren behind on the elementary school field. "(Playing football) was something in my childhood that I wish I could always do," Warren told the Clarion Ledger. "Even in high school, if they would have let me on the team as kicker, I would have been happy with that." Now a senior women's basketball player at Millsaps College, Warren will finally get her chance. On Sept. 11, Millsaps announced it would be starting a club women's flag football team in the spring of 2026 that would transition to a varsity program in 2027. Millsaps athletic director Justin LeBlanc believes it will be the first collegiate women's flag football program in Mississippi. Warren is the team's first player. "Overall, (I'm) just excited for myself, but also for a lot of women at my school (and) also women looking to come to Millsaps," Warren said, "and I really think the community as a whole has responded well to it." |
| 'The Many Lives of Lane Kiffin': Inside the Ole Miss coach's evolution | |
| The life of a football coach is one spent constantly searching for a better pathway. That's why they spend such a significant percentage of their lives sitting in dark rooms, watching the same play over and over again. Searching for an opening. Scanning their opponents for even the tiniest cracks or tells. A constant, never-ending pursuit of anything and everything that will aid their ultimate goal of forward progress. For Lane Kiffin, everything is game film. How he works his job, now in his sixth season as head football coach at Ole Miss, in arguably the greatest era of success in the program's 132-year history. How he works on himself, having turned 50 in May and down that many pounds, thanks to a strict diet, a self-imposed alcohol ban and a daily dose of hot yoga. And how he works with his family, reconnecting with three children and even his ex-wife, all while hiring his brother as an assistant coach, with whom he shares a backyard border, and having said goodbye to each of his parents over the past two summers. "E60: The Many Lives of Lane Kiffin," debuts Wednesday, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. |
| Sponsor patches on college uniforms would raise millions but some ADs are in wait-and-see mode | |
| The leader of the largest multimedia rights holder in college athletics is confident sponsor patches will begin appearing on team jerseys sooner than later with schools under pressure to find new ways to make money in this new era of revenue-sharing with athletes. Learfield President and CEO Cole Gahagan told The Associated Press the 67 power-conference schools and Notre Dame could combine to tap into hundreds of millions of dollars of new revenue once NCAA approval is granted. Gahagan predicted approval would come within months. Sponsor patches on the front, back or sleeves of jerseys have been part of international soccer for decades and have become common in the NBA, NHL, MLS and Major League Baseball in recent years. Last year, the 23 MLB teams with jersey patches generated a total of $204 million from those ads, according to sports marketing data firm SponsorUnited. "There's no reason why college should sit behind those leagues with that opportunity, as sizable as it is," Gahagan said. Other than the logo of a school's apparel sponsor, corporate branding patches on uniforms are prohibited by the NCAA. But the NCAA's decision last year to allow commercial advertisements on football fields makes approval of uniform patches seem inevitable. |
| Indianapolis celebrates Final Four return as tournament expansion discussion looms | |
| Lights flashed and a band trilled as NCAA President Charlie Baker took the stage as part of the 2026 Men's Final Four Tip-Off event hosted by the Indianapolis Business Journal on Tuesday. "We hope that this year's events will give us a chance to say thank you for all that you've done to make this year's event particularly unforgettable," Baker said. "I go into this fully believing that it will be [unforgettable], because Indianapolis has always been a premier host and other cities, by the way, are working hard to catch up." With Baker's speech as the backdrop, stakeholders from around Indianapolis gathered to celebrate the return of the men's Final Four to the city for the first time since the COVID-affected 2021 tournament. But for what excitement exists around the Final Four returning to Naptown, there are ongoing conversations as to whether the NCAA tournament might expand beyond its current form. NCAA SVP/Basketball Dan Gavitt told Sports Business Journal on Tuesday discussions about possible expansion are continuing, though decision makers are weighing myriad factors. |
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