| Monday, October 20, 2025 |
| MSU, MDAH to turn Historic Jefferson College into field school for preservation trades | |
 | The Mississippi Department of Archives and History and Mississippi State University have signed an agreement that establishes a framework to create a regional hub for education, research, and workforce development at Historic Jefferson College near Natchez. MSU President Mark E. Keenum, MDAH Director Katie Blount, and MDAH Board of Trustees President Spence Flatgard signed the memorandum of understanding on Friday, Oct. 17, forming a partnership that leverages HJC's unique historical resources and MSU's academic expertise to benefit students, faculty, and local communities. "As the state's leading research university and land-grant institution, Mississippi State is called to serve the entire state, and we are honored to work together with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for this innovative partnership at Historic Jefferson College," Keenum said. "Students will develop real-world skills working with faculty, employers, and professionals in a unique hands-on environment, and we will be able to help our state address a critical shortage of skilled labor in construction and historic preservation." The official agreement comes after years of collaboration. In June 2024, MDAH held a pilot preservation field school for students from MSU's Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation program. The pilot demonstrated the feasibility and the potential success of continued field schools at the site. |
| Historic trades program builds a future workforce from our past | |
| The Natchez Democrat editorializes: Someone once said that everything old is new again. That's an interesting turn of phrase, particularly for us here in the Miss-Lou, where our history plays such a critical role in today's economy and our community's future. So it's interesting to see the new investment and energy being put into efforts to revive trades and work skills on the verge of being lost. Just this week, Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History announced a partnership to invest in a workforce development program at Historic Jefferson College. The program's sole focus is to revive interest and training in historic preservation trades -- developing and training the skilled craftsmen who will be necessary to preserving history and historic structures in the decades ahead. ... Fifty years ago, trades programs trained and developed the workers who drove our essential economy and gave them an entry into middle-class living. But in those decades, interest in hands-on fields declined; the pursuit a four-year degree became ubiquitous; and trained workforce withered. Now, we're seeing that something old -- the hard-earned and well-respected talents of skilled craftsmen -- can be the platform for a new life and new earnings opportunities for our next generation of works. This project at Historic Jefferson College is an important addition to our workforce development, and one we're happy to welcome to Natchez. |
| Agreement reached to transform Historic Jefferson College into workforce development hub | |
 | Plans have been announced to convert the Historic Jefferson College near Natchez into a regional hub for education, research, and workforce development. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History and Mississippi State University signed an agreement Friday that aims to utilize Jefferson's historical resources and the higher learning institution's academic expertise to benefit students, faculty, and local communities. "As the state's leading research university and land-grant institution, Mississippi State is called to serve the entire state, and we are honored to work together with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for this innovative partnership at Historic Jefferson College," Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum said. "Students will develop real-world skills working with faculty, employers, and professionals in a unique hands-on environment, and we will be able to help our state address a critical shortage of skilled labor in construction and historic preservation." |
| Regional Field School coming to Historic Jefferson College through new partnership | |
| A regional hub is coming to the Historic Jefferson College near Natchez thanks to a new partnership between the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and Mississippi State University. Friday morning, MSU President Mark E. Keenum, MDAH Director Katie Blount, and MDAH Board of Trustees President Spence Flatgard signed an agreement that establishes a framework to create a regional hub for education, research, and workforce development at Historic Jefferson College. Through the memorandum of understanding, the 19th century college will be the site of year-round programming that includes field schools, workshops, and other experiential learning opportunities. Students will receive hands-on training in historic preservation and archaeology. MSU will serve as a lead academic partner, working in collaboration with other institutions as appropriate to expand statewide impact. |
| Historic Jefferson College being transformed into regional preservation field school | |
| Historic Jefferson College, the birthplace of the statehood of Mississippi, will now play a new role as an interpretive center and field school through a memorandum of understanding with the Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The school was established in the early 1800's as the first institution of higher learning in the Mississippi territory. "Historic Jefferson College holds a special place in the history of education in Mississippi, dating back to 1802," MDAH Historic Preservation Division Director Barry White said. When Mississippi gained statehood in 1817, the Old Methodist Church on the campus played host to the drafting of the state's first constitution. Today, the site is on the National Register of Historic Places and controlled by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. It will now play a part in educating the nation's future preservation professionals. On Friday, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History announced that the agency was signing a memorandum of understanding that will allow Mississippi State University to use the site for education, research and workforce development purposes. This MOU will allow students, faculty and the community to receive academic benefits through year-round programming that includes field schools, workshops, and other experiential learning opportunities. |
| MDAH, MSU partner for regional hub at Jefferson College | |
 | The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) and Mississippi State University (MSU) signed an agreement that establishes a framework to create a regional hub for education, research, and workforce development at Historic Jefferson College near Natchez. MSU President Mark E. Keenum, MDAH Director Katie Blount, and MDAH Board of Trustees President Spence Flatgard signed the memorandum of understanding on October 17, 2025. Through the MOU, officials said the 19th century college will be the site of year-round programming that includes field schools, workshops, and other experiential learning opportunities. "Today, we are embarking on an innovative educational and economic development model that will benefit both students and communities," Blount said. "MDAH is building on the legacy of Jefferson College to open new educational pathways for students across the state." |
| MAFES Sales Store celebrates reopening ahead of homecoming | |
 | Mississippi State University invites Bulldogs, guests and other visitors to celebrate homecoming weekend with the reopening of the MAFES Sales Store following its renovation. Known as home to MSU's famous cheese and ice cream, among other products, the store is part of the university's Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. On Friday, Oct. 24, the store will host an open house featuring light refreshments from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. while supplies last. Patrons are invited to explore the newly remodeled space, sample in-store favorites and see firsthand how the store has been reimagined to better serve customers and showcase Mississippi State's agricultural heritage. "We are excited to open the newly renovated MAFES Sales Store and Cardwell Cheese Shop," said Scott Willard, MAFES director and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences dean. "Our dairy operation -- from the farm, to the processing plant, to the sales store, and ultimately to the consumer's table -- offers valuable opportunities for education and research, giving MSU students hands-on experience every step of the way." |
| Industry leaders say beef imports from Argentina could pressure U.S. cattle markets | |
| The Trump administration says it is considering purchasing beef from Argentina to help lower retail prices in the U.S. The President made his comments aboard Air Force One on Sunday. Ethan Lane, senior vice president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association says there are ongoing concerns about beef coming in from South American countries. "They have not been, what we call, stellar trading partners in the beef side," he says. "Certainly, I think this gives a lot of producers around the country pause." Josh Maples, an ag economist with Mississippi State University Extension, says the lack of detail becomes problematic for the markets. "Volatility is the reaction that markets tend to have whenever they're faced with uncertainty," he says. "I would say that's what we're currently faced with." Cattle futures closed sharply lower on Friday, but have been much more cautious to start the week. |
| MSU's Shertok shares award-winning poetry debut | |
 | Mississippi State's Department of English hosts poet and Assistant Professor Samyak Shertok for a public reading from his debut collection "No Rhododendron" Monday at 5:30 p.m. in Forum Room 401, Griffis Hall. A University of Pittsburgh Press publication, Shertok's "No Rhododendron" was selected by acclaimed poet Kimiko Hahn for the 2024 Association of Writers and Writing Program Donald Hall Prize for Poetry. "This debut collection is an absolute marvel," Hahn wrote in a review, praising Shertok's writing for fusing grief and survival into art. "I hope that those attending the reading will leave with an appreciation not only for the power and possibilities of poetry, but for the talent we have at MSU. Dr. Shertok is a brilliant poet and teacher, and we're so fortunate to have him as part of the English department," said Professor Becky Hagenston, who directs the department's creative writing program. This event is free and open to the public, with a Q&A and book signing follow the reading. |
| Theatre MSU raises curtain on Halloween hijinks with 'Night of the Living Dead,' holds Haunted Theatre fundraiser | |
| Theatre MSU is bringing a double dose of Halloween entertainment to Mississippi State this fall with a spooky fundraiser and a cult-classic performance of "Night of the Living Dead." Audiences first will experience the Haunted Theatre, a walk-through scare experience and fundraiser benefiting Starkville Strong. Located in McComas Hall, the haunted attraction runs from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, and 7-9 p.m. on Halloween, Oct. 31. Haunted Theatre is free, but donations for Starkville Strong are encouraged. Appropriate donations include food, new clothing, hygiene supplies or monetary donations. Immediately following Haunted Theatre's frights, Theatre MSU performs "Night of the Living Dead" with a comedic twist on George A. Romero's 1968 zombie classic film. Performances are scheduled Oct. 29-Nov. 2. The production begins at 7:30 p.m. in McComas Hall on Oct. 29-30 and Nov. 1, with a Dawgs After Dark midnight performance free for students on Oct. 31. A 2 p.m. matinee will be held Nov. 2, and tickets are available at www.events.msstate.edu and are $10 for all attendees. |
| MSU Meridian Division awarded $1.2 million MDE grant | |
| Mississippi State University's Meridian Division received a generous grant from the Mississippi State Department of Education. MDE gave the university a $1.2 million grant to help strengthen and expand Mississippi's teacher pipeline. MSU is among nine institutions to receive a grant, the program will cover tuition and expenses for up to 236 individuals seeking licensure in elementary and special education. These grants are provided to university's educator preparation programs to enroll candidates. MSU's Meridian Division will provide program training alongside a mentor teacher, licensure testing support, and professional development while partnering with public school districts in critical shortage areas. |
| First Black Miss Mississippi Teen USA is ready to compete for national title | |
 | Madalyn Oliphant is as small-town as they come. She's from Hickory, a city named after Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson with only a Dollar General, a post office, a few small businesses and 408 people to its name, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Hickory doesn't have its own high school, so she was on the Newton County High School Blue Stars dance team and has just the slightest southern twang in her voice that would captivate any northerner. She has a presence about her that commands the room. She is, after all, Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2025. The 19-year-old has everything you need to be crowned -- a million-dollar smile, a love for fitness and fashion, and ambition. But there is a notable difference between her and every other year's crowned champion. She is the first Black Miss Mississippi Teen USA. And now Maddie, as she is known by all, is gunning for more hardware. She competes for the Miss Teen USA crown as part of the Miss USA competition in Reno, Nevada, from Oct. 20-24. Oliphant is a sophomore at Mississippi State University studying biological sciences with plans to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. |
| Amazon Web Services outage disrupts Canvas access for MSU students | |
| A global widespread outage involving Amazon Web Services early Monday took down several major websites and applications, including Canvas, the learning management system used by Mississippi State University students and faculty. According to AP News, the first signs of website trouble occurred at 2:11 a.m. Monday morning. Canvas, which relies on Amazon's cloud infrastructure, is inaccessible for many users across the country. Several MSU students and faculty report being unable to log in. According to DownDetector, a website that tracks website outages, other major services -- including Hulu, Ring, Reddit, Slack, Playstation Network and Life360 -- temporarily experienced outages but came online early this morning. YikYak, the anonymous social media app for college students, also experienced an outage. |
| Amazon cloud computing outage disrupts Snapchat, Ring and many other online services | |
 | Internet users around the world faced widespread disruption early on Monday because of a problem at Amazon's cloud computing service that took down dozens of major online services, including social media site Snapchat, the Roblox and Fortnite video games and chat app Signal. About three hours after the outage began, Amazon Web Services said it was starting to recover from the problem. Amazon Web Services provides behind-the-scenes cloud computing infrastructure to many government departments, universities and businesses, including The Associated Press, which allows them to provide online services. This is not the first time issues with Amazon's key services have caused widespread disruptions. Many popular internet services were down after a brief outage in 2023. AWS's longest outage in recent history occurred in late 2021, when companies -- everything from airline reservations and auto dealerships to payment apps and video streaming services -- were affected for more than five hours. Outages also happened in 2020 and 2017. |
| What the Huge AWS Outage Reveals About the Internet | |
 | A massive cloud outage stemming from Amazon Web Services' key US-EAST-1 region, its hub in northern Virginia, near the US Capitol, caused widespread disruptions of websites and platforms around the world on Monday morning. Amazon's main ecommerce platform and other properties, including Ring doorbells and the Alexa smart assistant, suffered interruptions and outages throughout the morning, as did Meta's communication platform WhatsApp, OpenAI's ChatGPT, PayPal's Venmo payment platform, multiple web services from Epic Games, multiple British government sites, and many others. The outages stemmed from Amazon's DynamoDB database application programming interfaces in US-EAST-1, and AWS said in status updates that the problem was specifically related to DNS resolution issues. The "domain name system" is a foundational internet service that essentially acts as an automatic phonebook lookup to translate web URLs like www.wired.com into numeric server IP addresses so web browsers show users the right content. Reliance on central cloud services from giants like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Services has, in may ways, improved cybersecurity and stability around the world by creating a baseline of guardrails and best practices for all customers. But this standardization comes with major trade-offs, because the platforms become a single point of failure for large swaths of critical services. |
| Trainer apologizes for being 'unprofessional' to county admin | |
| District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer publicly apologized Wednesday for what he described as "unprofessional" behavior during the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors' previous meeting. "Last meeting I was unprofessional as it relates to my passion trying to serve the citizens of Oktibbeha County," Trainer told the board during a work session Wednesday. "... I wanted to make it known publicly that I certainly want to apologize for being unprofessional, but I certainly am appreciative of the meeting that came out of it because we're here today, so moving forward I offer my sincerest apologies and pray y'all consider that." Trainer's apology followed a heated Oct. 6 meeting in which supervisors debated whether to approve bids for several road projects across the county. County Engineer Clyde Pritchard had presented the board with recommendations to award bids for three roads, along with notices to proceed on one road in District 5 and a set of roads in District 2. Tensions rose when Board President and District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard moved to reject a bid for a road in his district, citing a lack of funding and the need to identify another source. Trainer objected, arguing that delaying the process wasn't necessary. |
| This iconic Mississippi store turns 50. How Lemuria survived the battle with Amazon, big retailers | |
| On, Monday, Oct. 20, one of the most successful independent bookstores in the United States turns 50 years old. Lemuria Books, the brainchild and baby of owner John Evans got its start in a converted apartment behind the old Poets restaurant and bar back in 1975. First book sold? Stephen Hero, by James Joyce. Now, 50 years later, Evans, 75, is preparing for the latest release of uber successful Mississippi author John Grisham and his latest thriller The Widow. Lemuria, which spent four years behind Poets and then nine years in Highland Village, has been a mainstay in Banner Hall, just off Exit 100 on I-55 in Jackson, for the last 37 years. It's where the biggest authors on the planet come for book signings. It's where people from all over Mississippi come to find the latest book and then sit and read and have a cup of coffee from Broad Street Bakery on the first floor. It's where moms and dads peruse the children's section for the just the right book for their child for their birthday or Christmas present. All the while, Evans, over the years, has fended off Amazon, the big box stores of Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, before finally beating back the economic disaster during COVID-19. These days, Evans looks back and reflects about the last 50 years and also looks forward to a Lemuria that he hopes will continue on. |
| Amtrak ridership surging in South Mississippi, with boost from Saints, Cruisin' The Coast | |
 | Tickets on the new Amtrak Mardi Gras line quickly sold out when the train service launched along the Gulf Coast in August, yet nobody knew if people would still climb aboard the train in September and October. Early ridership exceeded expectations and projections, said Knox Ross, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission. Almost 19,000 people rode Amtrak Mardi Gras Service from mid-August to the end of September. That's an average of 105 customers on each train that has a capacity of 130. By now in mid-October, it's well over 20,000 riders, he said. Trains run twice daily between New Orleans and Mobile. One-way tickets start at $15, and passengers have the option of getting on and off at four stops in Mississippi -- Bay St. Louis, Biloxi, Gulfport and Pascagoula. "The trains last weekend were the heaviest patronized to date. They came to Cruisin' The Coast," Ross said, and all four South Mississippi cities with Amtrak stops were hosting Cruisin' block parties, filled with classic cars. Somewhat surprising, he said, is trains are running nearly full not just on weekends, but also midweek. "You're dealing with trains that are 90% full on a daily basis." he said. The allure of riding the train to the Saints' home games, rather than dealing with traffic on I-10 and parking in New Orleans, led Amtrak to add an extra car with 60 more seats to accommodate fans traveling from Mississippi. It's resulted in selling out trains for the first three games. |
| How would Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom handle the government shutdown? | |
| Scott Colom, a Democrat running against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, said he would largely side with Democratic leaders in the current partisan dispute that has the federal government shut down and has pitted Senate Democrats against President Donald Trump. While campaigning in Jackson on Oct. 11 at Jackson State University's homecoming game, Colom told Mississippi Today that if he were a U.S. senator from Mississippi, he would pressure congressional leaders to reach a deal on health insurance costs alongside an agreement to fund the government. At the heart of the government shutdown fight is a dispute over extending expiring subsidies that help people buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Colom said this is "common sense policy" for Mississippi. Hyde-Smith, Mississippi's former agriculture commissioner and a former state senator, has voted with the Republican leadership in favor of funding the government, but punts the issues of the health insurance subsidies. She wrote on social media that Democratic senators were putting on a "political show" by not agreeing to pass a bill to fund the government without promised protections for the subsidies. |
| Senate Republicans to lunch in Rose Garden as shutdown continues | |
 | President Donald Trump is expected to host Senate Republicans for a Rose Garden lunch Tuesday, while the ongoing partial government shutdown continues to have no end in sight. A GOP source confirmed the plan for the White House visit, which comes as the Senate majority will also try this week to call up a bill that would pay federal workers who are on the job during the shutdown. The Senate this week is also expected to continue to confirm Trump's judicial nominees. The House, meanwhile, continues to be out of session. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has showed no signs of changing course toward recalling lawmakers before the Senate passes government funding legislation. The Senate is voting again Monday evening on a motion to try to break a filibuster on proceeding to the House-passed short-term continuing resolution that would reopen the government, but there was no sign over the weekend that the measure was any closer to picking up the additional Democratic support needed to clear the 60-vote threshold. The stalemate has led Senate Republicans to ponder other options, including a proposal from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., that would allocate money to federal employees who must work without pay during the shutdown, funding the payments through the relevant departments and agencies once Congress acts to reopen the government. |
| Trump's first in-person fundraiser of the 2026 cycle will be for Lindsey Graham | |
 | President Donald Trump will make his first in-person appearance of the 2026 midterm campaign cycle at a fundraiser next month to support the reelection bid of Sen. Lindsey Graham. Trump, who has largely eschewed domestic travel this year, is scheduled to join the South Carolina Republican for a golf tournament in November, according to a person familiar with the plans who was granted anonymity to discuss them before they were publicly disclosed. Billed as the third annual "Trump-Graham Classic" golf tournament, the event will support a Trump leadership PAC, the Republican National Committee reelection effort as well as Graham's campaign, which has already amassed the largest war chest of any Republican senator up for reelection next year. "President Trump's support for my reelection has been tremendously helpful, and I am truly honored to have his endorsement," Graham said in a statement to POLITICO. "I am thrilled that he would do this, and it is going to be a big, big event. It will not only help me tremendously, but it will help others who support President Trump." Trump is focused on ensuring that Republicans retain control of both the House and Senate for the final two years of his term. He is eager to avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterm wipeout that would again give Democrats subpoena and impeachment power. |
| Trump's Gaza deal hangs in the balance. Can Vance save it? | |
 | President Donald Trump's top messenger, JD Vance, will travel to Israel and is expected to try and rein in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while seeking to prevent the collapse of a week-old peace deal hailed as a coup for the United States in ending a brutal two year war. But the vice president will land in fraught territory as the deal brokered by the White House hangs in the balance. The first part of the ceasefire was confined to the release of living hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and flowing in of aid. Vance faces the biggest sticking point of the rest of the plan: Hamas' disarmament and Israel's full withdrawal of troops from the enclave. It's a high-stakes gamble for the vice president with limited foreign policy experience. Vance aims to succeed in the latest chapter of a conflict that has engulfed previous American administrations. At minimum, Vance, with the help of other Trump envoys, must convince Netanyahu's government to show restraint in responding to Hamas' provocations and ensure that humanitarian assistance makes it into Gaza, former U.S. officials say. For his part, Vance is expected to lean heavily on Netanyahu to respond less aggressively with Israel Defense Forces to alleged ceasefire violations. |
| After tense Trump meeting, Zelensky seeks European support | |
 | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is rallying the support of his European partners after a bruising meeting with President Donald Trump, in which he was told to make concessions to end the war or risk facing destruction at the hands of Russia. In a tense meeting at the White House on Friday, Trump tossed aside maps of the front line, and urged Kyiv to concede its entire Donbas region to Russia to clinch a deal, according to people familiar with the exchange, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive diplomacy. "He said Putin will destroy you if you don't agree now," one of the people said. "Zelensky had his maps and everything and he was explaining it to him but he wanted nothing to do with it." Trump listened but was not responsive to the Ukrainian message, the person said. "It was pretty much like 'no, look guys, you can't possibly win back any territory. ... There is nothing we can do to save you. You should try to give diplomacy another chance.'" In remarks released Monday, Zelensky told reporters that he planned to meet with European allies this week. He said it was "very important" that the Europeans have "a unified position" with Kyiv, and that they would "also address the United States in various formats." |
| Mississippians protest Trump policies in a national wave of 'No Kings' rallies | |
| People in Jackson, Hernando, Greenville, Gulfport, Oxford and other Mississippi cities took part in "No Kings" rallies Saturday to protest policies of President Donald J. Trump. Demonstrators at rallies across the U.S. criticized ICE raids, the deployment of National Guard troops to Democratic-run cities, the federal government shutdown and redrawing of some states' congressional districts to favor Republicans. Trump and many of his supporters labeled the events as "Hate America" rallies. Hundreds of people at a rally on the south lawn of the Mississippi Capitol chanted, "Vote them out." "We're here, you know, fighting for our democracy," Clinton resident M.D. Whitfield said at that rally. "We're fighting for due process." |
| President Trump commutes the prison sentence of George Santos | |
 | President Trump announced on Friday that he commuted the prison term of George Santos, the disgraced New York Republican who was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for a litany of crimes after he was expelled from the House over accusations that he stole money from campaign donors. Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social on Friday, saying he had signed a commutation to release Santos from prison immediately. Joseph Murray, one of Santos' lawyers, told The Associated Press that the former lawmaker was released from the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, N.J., around 11 p.m. Friday, and was greeted by his family. "George Santos was somewhat of a 'rogue,' but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren't forced to serve seven years in prison," Trump wrote. Santos, a fierce supporter of Trump, pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors said Santos was responsible for a "mountain of lies, theft, and fraud" aimed at enriching himself and deceiving campaign donors. He began his sentence in July of this year. |
| SNAP is about to undergo some big changes | |
| During difficult economic times, there are programs that can immediately help individuals cover necessary costs. Economists call these programs "automatic stabilizers." Unemployment insurance is one example; another is Medicaid. Then, there's the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps. That program is about to undergo some big changes that will change who it's able to support. Imagine a family. A parent loses their job, and they go to the grocery store less. And that has a ripple effect. "Grocery stores see less demand, and so they have to do things like, you know, lay off a bag boy -- and so those families, their incomes go down at the same time," said Diane Schanzenbach, of Georgetown and Brookings. With SNAP, that first family buys those groceries, and the bagger keeps their job. Earlier this month, the USDA notified states they need to make big changes to SNAP eligibility, work requirements, and who's covering all the costs -- soon. Normally, according to Syracuse University's Colleen Heflin, changes like these are rolled out with a lot of guidance over time. But "telling states Oct. 3 you have to be in compliance [by] Nov. 1 is impossible," she said. Mistakes are going to be made, whether it's people losing benefits or just confusion, "and the administrative costs are going to go way up," Heflin cautioned. |
| USDA's Rollins says food stamp funding to dry up in two weeks | |
| Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday that the food stamp program will run out of funds in two weeks because of the partial government shutdown, potentially leaving nearly 42 million people without monthly benefits. "We're going to run out of money in two weeks. So you're talking about millions and millions of vulnerable families, of hungry families, that are not going to have access to these programs because of this shutdown," Rollins said outside the White House. The Agriculture Department later in the day released an Oct. 10 letter to regional SNAP directors directing them to stop work on November benefits. "Considering the operational issues and constraints that exist in automated systems, and in the interest of preserving maximum flexibility, we are forced to direct States to hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to State EBT [electronic benefit transfer] vendors until further notice. This includes on-going SNAP benefits and daily files," the letter said. The Agriculture Department has limited options to find another source of money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, after the GOP budget reconciliation law earlier this year drained the Commodity Credit Corporation, a possible funding option. |
| Public hearing set for $160M Ole Miss housing project | |
| The University of Mississippi is moving forward with plans to establish a public-private partnership to provide new student housing on campus. A public hearing will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, during the Oxford Board of Aldermen meeting at City Hall. The hearing is required as part of the bond financing process for the project, but does not create any financial obligation for the city of Oxford. The type of bond financing that will be utilized requires holding a public hearing and the Board of Aldermen meeting are only providing a place to meet that requirement for the university. Mayor Robyn Tannehill emphasized that the bonds are not a debt or obligation of the city or the state of Mississippi. The hearing will give citizens an opportunity to voice any objections to the project or the bond issuance. The Public Finance Authority plans to issue up to $160 million in Student Housing Revenue Bonds for PRG–Oxford Properties LLC, a Mississippi limited liability company affiliated with Provident Resources Group Inc. The funds will finance the construction and equipping of a 1,250-bed student housing facility on the University of Mississippi campus, as well as cover related costs. |
| National Science Foundation grant funds new Ole Miss alliance to train, support teachers statewide | |
| A $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will help support and train Mississippi teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Alice Steimle, director of the University of Mississippi's Center for Mathematics and Science Education, will spearhead the creation of the Mississippi STEM Education Alliance, which will provide training and recognition to teachers in the state. "There is a shortage of middle school and high school math teachers in Mississippi," Steimle said. "But we've seen that teachers in their communities and areas want to stay there in their communities. "This is our opportunity to not only create more endorsed teachers to teach the content in the state, but to recognize and elevate the teaching profession." The Mississippi Department of Education's 2024-2025 Educator Shortage Survey noted some 500 vacancies for STEM teachers in the state, highlighting the need for more teacher training opportunities. The alliance includes the Mississippi Department of Education; Steimle; Julie James, the center's assistant director of professional learning; Bethany LaValley, the center's coordinator of professional development; Joe Sweeney, director of Mississippi Teacher Corps; and Liza Bondurant, associate professor of math at Mississippi State University. |
| IHL board begins selection of Jackson State president search advisory group | |
| The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board indicated Thursday it has heard the clamor for more transparency in the selection of Jackson State University's next president. The board unanimously approved the request by Steve Cunningham, chair of the Jackson State search committee, to begin gathering a proposed list of potential members to serve on a Search Advisory Constituency. The advisory group will support the board's search committee by providing recommendations and insights during the process. Cunningham and IHL Commissioner Al Rankins must submit a list of names for review and approval at a future meeting, possibly before IHL's next board meeting on Nov. 20. "This is the first time our board has done this in a long time," said Gee Ogletree, president of the IHL board. "It's because we have heard from many people asking us to broaden this process and we're listening, and you've seen the board act." The move marks the first time in recent years the board has used an advisory group to assist with Jackson State's presidential searches. Alumni and supporters of the HBCU have repeatedly raised questions about the board's opaque process, calling for a fair, transparent national leadership search for the university. This includes having multiple supporters' voices heard and valued. |
| U. of Alabama receives $25 million gift for engineering program | |
 | The University of Alabama's engineering program is getting a sizable monetary boost from a former student and his widow. A $25 million gift from Catherine Styslinger, on behalf of her late husband Lee Styslinger Jr., was approved by the UA System board of trustees at a special meeting on Friday. This was a "remarkable gift and transformative moment" according to Scott Phelps, the president and pro tempore of the board. At a naming ceremony in front of the building, engineering dean Clifford Henderson said this will impact the program "for generations to come." A special endowment from the gift will "strengthen the college's research enterprise, attract preeminent faculty, respond to emerging opportunities and create transformative experiences for students," according to a news release. "Our graduates will turn knowledge into impact as they lead solutions to critical challenges in energy, manufacturing, space, mobility, data and AI and this is only the beginning," UA President Peter Mohler said in the news release. The Styslinger College of Engineering has 5,500 students. |
| U. of Kentucky will no longer offer gender-inclusive student housing under anti-DEI law | |
 | The University of Kentucky will no longer offer gender-inclusive housing in accordance with House Bill 4, the state law passed earlier this year banning diversity, equity and inclusion policies at state universities. Additionally, UK has ended financial support for identity-based student organizations and activities, UK spokesperson Jay Blanton said. Previously, students who are transgender or non-binary were able to request to live on campus with other transgender or non-binary students. But that is no longer the case, UK's student newspaper the Kentucky Kernel first reported. The Kernel also reported that UK no longer keeps preferred pronouns on records. Blanton confirmed the change was to be in alignment with HB4, which requires state universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to defund all DEI initiatives. That includes offices, policies and practices "designed or implemented to promote or provide preferential treatment or benefits to individuals on the basis of religion, sex, color, or national origin," according to the law. UK has made several institutional changes under the new law, including adopting a neutrality policy and withdrawing from the Lexington Pride Festival earlier this year. |
| U. of Tennessee veterinarian students address mental health crisis within pre-veterinary program, gaps in resources | |
| Are you grabbing your own oxygen mask before helping others? Andrew Lufkin, a University of Tennessee veterinary social worker, used this question to point out one of the reasons why some veterinarians struggle with their mental health. A CDC 2019 report stated that veterinarians have a higher suicide risk than the general population, with males 1.6% times more likely and 2.4% times for female veterinarians. While great progress and attention continues on this matter, it still remains a critical topic, according to Aidan Smith, a senior studying animal science with a pre-veterinary concentration. "When I first heard of this statistic, which was back in my sophomore year, it was honestly very shocking to hear. I had somewhat realistic understanding of the challenges this career presents, but I had never really thought that it would correlate to such a high suicide rate ... that really demonstrates just how much of an issue this actually is," Smith said. Recently, the UT Pre-Vet Association added a mental wellness chair, Julia Cutchin, to support pre-vet students. According to Smith, Cutchin sets up wellness check-ins that also act as earned credit for students. "I feel like the mental health resources provided are good ones but they're not specifically targeted towards pre-veterinary students," Smith said. |
| Can a University From Tennessee Help Accelerate Growth in West Palm Beach? | |
 | At a dinner in San Francisco this year, an attendee suggested to Daniel Diermeier, the chancellor of Vanderbilt University, that the Nashville institution founded 150 years ago should build a campus in the Bay Area. The proposal wasn't completely out of left field: Vanderbilt was already designing a new campus in West Palm Beach, Fla., entering a 99-year lease for a former theological seminary in Manhattan and planning an expansion in Nashville. The Bay Area has no shortage of world-class schools, with Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley, flanking the region. Nonetheless, "community interest is high," Mr. Diermeier said, especially as a means to revitalize San Francisco's downtown area. For its part, the university is attracted to the area's tech and artificial intelligence ecosystems, which could serve as a draw for students and a vibrant source for jobs. New campuses not only allow universities to meet potential students where they live, but can also have significant impacts on the surrounding cities. "The research shows that universities are major drivers of long-term growth and prosperity as well as wages," said Scott Andes, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh who also advises the school's president on economic development. "The main driver is human capital -- talented people coming and staying in a region, increasing the skills in the area." |
| 'Inflection point': leadership shakeups over ideological differences continue at U. of Texas | |
| Art Markman started at the University of Texas 27 years ago as a psychology professor. After taking on several leadership roles, he rose in the ranks to oversee academic affairs at the acclaimed institution, which offers nearly 400 undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Even as top leadership turned over in recent years and conservative lawmakers extended their influence into state colleges and universities, Markman remained in the post for four-and-a-half years. But in mid-September, the university fired him from his position as senior vice provost for academic affairs "due to ideological differences," he told colleagues in an online post Tuesday. The quiet removal of the university leader marks yet another departure from UT due to differences in vision as new leadership aims to reshape the university. Six of 18 dean positions are held by interim or soon-to-be departing leaders, a reflection of the tremendous turnover the university has grappled with over the past two years. Since the start of 2025, the UT System named a new chancellor, and the flagship Austin campus installed a new president and provost. All three leaders were announced as finalists without faculty input or a national search. "We're at an inflection point," said Cal Jillson, a political science professor who studies political interference in higher education. "The conservative political leadership of the state, I think, has become impatient." |
| Abbott: 'Texas is targeting professors' over 'leftist ideologies' | |
 | Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Sunday that his state is targeting professors pushing "leftist ideologies" as he shared news of the latest college educator allegedly fired over their beliefs. In a post on social media, Abbott shared an Axios article about a University of Texas professor, Art Markman, who said the school's leadership dismissed him from his administrative role in September "due to ideological differences." "Univ. of Texas professor was dismissed from an administrative post overseeing university academic affairs because of ideological differences," Abbott wrote, echoing the professor's own statement. "Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation," he continued. "We must end indoctrination and return to education fundamentals at all levels of education." The moves come as the Trump administration has sought to play a bigger role in higher education throughout the country, particularly regarding stamping out what it sees as leftist dogma. |
| 'Understand the history': Yale professor speaks on importance of constitutional study, nonpartisanship | |
| Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of law and political science at Yale University and a Yale alum who graduated summa cum laude, spoke at the University of Oklahoma's fall Presidential Speakers Series dinner Thursday at Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. Around 400 people were in attendance, including students, professors, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. and College of Law Dean Anna Carpenter. Amar's lecture focused on constitutional issues in today's politics. His speech additionally analyzed the political influence of past U.S. presidents. Amar encouraged attendees to learn and get informed about political issues, but also unlearn common misconceptions. He said it's important for college campuses to impart neutrality and nonpartisanship to students. "It is so important what you all are doing to celebrate constitutional study, not just in law schools but in undergraduates and to try to do so in a nonpartisan way," Amar said. "I'm going to invite you to rethink, to unlearn, some of the things you were taught." Amar said he admires OU’s nonpartisan approach to constitutional rights and its annual fall and spring speakers events. “I genuinely believe this place has the single best undergraduate program in constitutional study in America, …” Amar said. “One of the things I admire about the University of Oklahoma is you are trying to reach all parts of this spectrum in this Presidential Speaker Series and elsewhere.” |
| This Year's Drop in International Students Portends Worse. Here's What That Would Cost. | |
 | On the first day of the fall semester at Arizona State University, Onkar Falle should have been in a Tempe classroom. Instead, he was nearly 9,000 miles away in India, waiting for a visa. Falle didn't even get an appointment for an interview at the American consulate until August 22, the day after classes began. He finally made it to campus almost a month late. Falle, who is studying for a master's degree in robotics, considers himself fortunate. A multiweek freeze on visa interviews for student applicants led to worldwide disruptions this summer. Students competed for last-minute appointments; in places where capacity was especially constrained, like India and parts of Africa, students traveled to other countries to find available slots. Every day for 75 days, Falle logged on to the computerized scheduling system hoping to secure an interview. Many of his would-be classmates never got their travel documents. At the start of the admissions cycle, university officials had hoped to hit new international-enrollment records, but the number of incoming foreign students fell this fall by 5 percent. All told, it could have been worse for ASU. Some colleges reported new overseas enrollments were down by 10 or 15 percent. Official tallies of new student-visa issuances have not been posted by the State Department since May, leaving experts to piece together the full enrollment picture. More than an unwelcome reminder of the height of Covid, this fall's enrollment anxieties could be a portent of rockier times to come. |
| UVA, Dartmouth Latest to Reject Trump's Higher Ed Compact | |
 | The University of Virginia and Dartmouth College have become the latest higher ed institutions to publicly reject the Trump administration's "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." Now just three of the nine institutions that the federal government originally presented with the document have yet to announce whether they will sign. UVA announced Friday that it opposes the offer of yet-unrevealed special funding benefits in exchange for signing the compact. The statement came the day of an on-campus demonstration urging university leaders not to sign. Dartmouth unveiled its response Saturday morning. Both rejections came despite the universities attending a meeting Friday with White House officials about the deal. "As I shared on the call, I do not believe that the involvement of the government through a compact -- whether it is a Republican- or Democratic-led White House -- is the right way to focus America's leading colleges and universities on their teaching and research mission," Dartmouth president Sian Leah Beilock wrote in a message to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, which the president also shared with her community. The decisions make UVA the fifth and Dartmouth the sixth of the nine initial institutions presented with the deal to publicly turn it down. UVA is also the first public university and first Southern institution to reject it. UVA's rejection of the compact comes after the Trump administration successfully pressured then–UVA president James Ryan to step down in June. |
| In Declining Compact, Colleges Try to Leverage 'Merit' to Turn the Tables on Trump | |
| In declining to join the Trump administration's proposed compact, the leaders of four elite private institutions have all referenced the importance of merit in higher education -- using a common talking point of the right to try to justify opposition to a conservative-backed missive. The merit theme emerged first in a statement from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was echoed in messages from Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Southern California. Considering criteria beyond the quality and rigor of research proposed, the presidents have written, would go against their universities' missions. The "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," which was originally floated to nine research universities with an invitation to submit feedback by October 20, requires a commitment to "rigorous and meritocratic selection based on objective and measurable criteria," which, the document argues, is "pivotal" to an institution's "sustained excellence." Brendan Cantwell, a professor in the higher, adult, and lifelong education program at Michigan State University, said hewing to merit is a good political tactic, not only because it volleys the administration's stated goals back but also because it doesn't require each of the institutions to reject specific points. "It just allows them to sidestep that kind of culture-war political debate, which they are happy to do when they can," Cantwell said. |
| Could Speaker White cancel the Mississippi Miracle? | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: Last week Fox News highlighted the "Mississippi Miracle" proclaiming the state's educational surge wasn't magic but "the result of deliberate, state-led innovation that transformed early literacy from the ground up." "Governor Phil Bryant didn't just sign the Literacy-Based Promotion Act in 2013, he championed it," reported Fox. "He rallied the legislature to pass this transformative policy with bipartisan support. His vision set the tone of no more excuses, no more social promotions, no settling for mediocrity." So why does House Speaker Jason White seem to want to cancel our momentum? ... White couches his ideas in the context of giving parents more say in their children's education than government. This popular rhetoric, however, ignores that hard fact that state government, led by Gov. Bryant and the legislature, adopted the transformative Literacy-Based Promotion Act and forced its implementation statewide. Hopefully, the state Senate can keep White from cancelling our educational progress. |
| US Supreme Court considers gutting Voting Rights Act that has transformed Mississippi | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Mississippi has one of the nation's highest percentage of Black state legislators. That should not be a surprise since Mississippi has the highest percentage of Black people of any state in the nation. Despite Mississippi's large Black population, without the Voting Rights Act of 1965 the number of African Americans serving in the Mississippi Legislature would be far fewer than it is now. There is no disputing the fact that the Voting Rights Act has resulted in more Black people serving in the Mississippi Legislature and indeed in every level of government in the state -- from the local to the national level. Even with the Voting Rights Act, the number of majority-Black districts in the Mississippi Legislature – about 34% of the 174 seats -- is less than the percentage of Black people in Mississippi's total population -- about 38%. Before the Voting Rights Act, there were no elected Black officials in Mississippi during the 20th century except for those in the all-Black town of Mound Bayou. This past week, the United States Supreme Court heard arguments on whether the section of the Voting Rights Act that ensures a certain level of minority representation in the drawing of political boundaries, such as for state legislative seats, city council seats and U.S. House seats, should be repealed. |
| Annual defense legislation passed by Senate good for Mississippi, nation | |
| U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) writes: This month, during a period of intense disagreement between Republicans and Democrats, something encouraging happened. U.S. senators from both parties came together and passed our draft of Congress' annual national security bill. Seventy-seven out of 100 lawmakers voted in favor of this important bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets policy and salaries for the U.S. armed forces. I was gratified to see this bill clear the Senate in such an overwhelming, bipartisan fashion. I am the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the team of lawmakers who wrote this NDAA. In the drafting process, I had two main goals: to help rebuild the U.S. military and to reform the Pentagon's archaic, inefficient business practices. This NDAA makes progress on both counts. ... To many Americans, "defense production" is an abstract concept. But Mississippians understand it on a personal level. ... Our legislation sends resources to the Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, allowing researchers to build a simulator to test military vehicles on different road environments. ... The legislation taps into the state's expertise in drones, a prominent feature of modern warfare. Researchers and defense officials in Mississippi have built new drone detection technology, and others are developing AI tools that help defend against drone attacks. This legislation boosts both programs. ... The NDAA contributes to work at all our major research universities, which are collaborating with defense officials and industry leaders every day. |
SPORTS
| Soccer: Harrison Backstops Bulldogs To Shutout Victory At Alabama | |
| Making her first career start at the Division I level, Jenny Harrison shut out the SEC's top-scoring offense on Sunday night as Mississippi State won, 1-0, at Alabama. Harrison made five saves in the first half alone before adding three more in the final 45 minutes. Her eight stops are the most by a Bulldog keeper this season. The one time she appeared to be beaten, Naila Schoefberger stepped in with a defensive save in the 81st minute. "It is really hard to win period, and to do it against a very, very good team on the road says a lot about this group's resilience and togetherness," head coach Nick Zimmerman said. "They were hard together. They were smart together. And ultimately, together they earned this result. We couldn't be more proud of them" The Bulldogs scored the match's only goal in the 21st minute. Ally Perry played a long pass ahead to Zoe Main, who cut inside the last defender as she received the ball. Main took an additional touch while sprinting towards the box. Just inside the 18-yard box, she shot to the far post to open the scoring. Mississippi State (10-4-1, 5-3-1 SEC) now sits in fifth place in the SEC standings just two points behind their final opponent of the regular season, third-place Georgia. State will face the No. 19 Bulldogs on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. CT in Starkville. |
| Women's Golf: No. 13 Bulldogs Set To Host The Ally At Old Waverly | |
| The Mississippi State women's golf squad is set to conclude their fall season with their annual home tournament, The Ally. The three-day event will kick off on Monday, October 20 from the historic Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point. The Ally, formerly named the Magnolia Invitational, was renamed in 2020 after former Bulldog Ally Ewing, who concluded a nine-year LPGA career in December 2024. This will be the ninth edition of the home tournament for the Bulldogs and the sixth since its renaming. Avery Weed, the individual champion of the 2024 edition of The Ally and top-ranked golfer in the nation, will tee off in the top spot of the Bulldog lineup. Last season, she finished the event at 9-under par, including a NCAA record-tying 11-under opening round. The Bulldog lineup will tee off beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday. Live scoring for The Ally is available at scoreboard.clippd.com. |
| Florida fires coach Billy Napier after four-year run that ends with a 22-23 record | |
| Florida fired coach Billy Napier on Sunday, dumping him a day after an error-filled win against Mississippi State that included more head-scratching calls and offensive lulls like those that marked much of his four-year run with the Gators. Athletic director Scott Stricklin made the move following a 23-21 victory that looked like it was going to be gut-wrenching loss until defensive tackle Michai Boireau picked off a pass with 21 seconds remaining and the Bulldogs near field-goal range. The game-sealing takeaway energized the Swamp, but the home crowd quickly turned on Napier and booed him as he sprinted off the field. Stricklin had seen enough and pulled the plug on a run that most of the Florida faithful thought lasted longer than it should have. It was a fitting end for a coach who often looked in over his head in the powerhouse SEC. Between repeated penalties, game organization issues, clock management miscues and running an offensive scheme that was as predictable as it was pedestrian, Napier stuck around longer than many thought he deserved. |
| All about the logo: Schools adding corporate gridiron ads to level revenue-sharing playing field | |
| The University of Texas broke tradition by adding corporate logos to its football field, a year after athletic director Chris Del Conte said he wasn't considering it. The additions of Humann logos on the playing field was in large part due to the company's longtime ties to the university, but the revenue generated certainly won't hurt, even for one of the most profitable departments in college athletics. "Revenue is a component, but we don't need it," Del Conte said. The size of the deal, which is at least the sixth in the Southeastern Conference and involves all 20 Longhorns sports programs, was not disclosed. Corporate logos on the field alongside school branding is a trend and an important one for schools hungry for money. It started last season after the NCAA voted to overturn a decades-old restriction on commercial sponsor advertisements on the field of play. Schools were clear to add corporate logos at the 50-yard line, with no more than two flanking advertisements elsewhere on the field. The 2025 season has seen an uptick of corporate field logos after a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement allowed each school to share up to $20.5 million in revenue directly with its athletes this school year while doling out millions more in scholarships. |
| A Sports Major May Be Coming to a Campus Near You | |
| About halfway through a September class at Southern Virginia University, the conversation turned to trash talk. A student who plays football for the college had gotten some from an opposing player at his last game. The student was tempted to return fire, but his teammates stopped him. "Do you think it's a good idea to be talking trash?" John Armstrong, the professor, asked incredulously. "We're trying to learn to be virtuous here." Several students in the class pushed back. Trash talk is part of the game, they said. It's a way to manipulate your opponent to gain an advantage. Armstrong countered: It can just as easily be a way for your opponent to manipulate you. In most college classrooms, exchanges like this would be considered off topic. In "Excellence in Sport and Life," they are very much the topic. The course is a requirement in Southern Virginia's sport-performance major, new to the college and the first of its kind nationwide. It's not sports management, sports communication, or exercise science. It's simply sports. Students must participate in a competitive sport to pursue the major. The point is to deepen their understanding of their athletic pursuit and to improve their performance on the field, court, or track. "Humans love sports," said Armstrong, a philosophy professor. "That is such a broad phenomenon, I don't know why we haven't developed majors around it before." That is the sentiment of a group of scholars from different colleges around the country who have banded together to bring sports majors to campuses. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
