| Thursday, October 23, 2025 |
| MDAH and MSU will Transform Jefferson College into School for Historic 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. Through the MOU, the 19th century college will be the site of year-round programming that includes field schools, workshops, and other experiential learning opportunities. "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." |
| MSU scientists track bird movement to support coastal resilience | |
| Do birds of a feather really flock together? Scientists from Mississippi State's Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture and Audubon Delta are tracking two iconic Mississippi coastal birds, and the research will inform future land management and conservation efforts. The team is tracking black skimmers and least terns to gain new insights into these species. Since bird activity is key to healthy ecosystems, their well-being is intricately tied to humanities' welfare. "After the Deepwater Horizon event 15 years ago, discussions with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Marine Resources revealed how little we knew about how these birds use the land. Understanding their foraging patterns and migratory behavior is key for present-day preservation and future crisis response," said Mark Woodrey, an MSU associate professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture and scientist in the university's Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Abby Darrah, Audubon Delta senior coastal biologist, and her colleague Collin Stempien, senior coordinator of Mississippi field operations, are the boots on the ground for this project funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and MDEQ. |
| Mary Means Business: L.A. Green purchases Book Mart building | |
 | The Book Mart on East Main Street is ready for its next chapter. After holding its final week of sales this week, Lauren Ann Cooper, owner of L.A. Green downtown, announced she purchased the building and her boutique will move there this spring. "We will take up one side and lease the other and upstairs," Cooper posted on social media. "We can't wait for you to see our updates and vision come to life." Cooper added that former Book Mart owner Carolyn Abadie has been a friend and fellow business owner for years. Cooper hopes to continue Abadie's staple in downtown. "I hope to honor (her family) and our community with this next chapter," the social media post read. ... Triangle Trading Posts, 13070 Hwy. 182, is having its grand opening next month 4 p.m. Nov. 7. Folks can peruse the new creative marketplace for artists, makers and various vendors. From looking at the website, it looks like vendors span the spectrum, including furniture, cards, pottery, clothing, decorations and more. |
| Students find new futures in trades at annual expo | |
| Before Wednesday, Azaryia Dale, an eighth-grader at B.F. Liddell Middle School in Noxubee County, had plans to become a nurse after high school. But after attending the FORGE Your Path Career Expo, Dale is rethinking her plans and considering a trade career. The hard part now, she said, is picking which one. "It's just been interesting ... how hard it is to work in this field, and it shows me that anybody can do anything without (a four-year degree)," Dale told The Dispatch. "... I wanted to be a nurse. Now this has changed my whole perspective on everything." Dale was one of about 2,200 eighth-graders set to cycle through the at East Mississippi Community College's Communiversity during the two-day expo that started Wednesday. About 50 trade partners and more than $19 million worth of heavy equipment filled the campus for the interactive skilled trades expo. The event aims to bridge the gap between industry by giving students direct access to skilled trade professionals. Founded in 2018 as Family Organizations Recruiting Great Employees to represent its five founding members -- Burns Dirt, McCrary-West Construction, Graham Roofing, APAC and West Brothers Construction -- FORGE has expanded to include other area businesses such as PACCAR. |
| $800 million TVA energy plant 'breaks ground' outside Caledonia | |
| While county, local and Tennessee Valley Authority officials ceremonially "broke ground" Wednesday morning at the site of the New Caledonia Combustion Turbine Plant, the sounds of thrashing bulldozers and ongoing construction showcased the site is already well underway. Don Moul, president and CEO for TVA, spoke to a crowd of more than 40 local officials and other TVA leadership just outside the 145-acre construction site at the event about the plant's potential for both the area and the greater TVA network. "It's about generating reliable, affordable power," Moul said. "... Modern natural gas plants like New Caledonia are vital to our system because they provide the flexibility to meet peak demand and complement our other diverse generating resources." The six-turbine site, which represents a nearly $800 million investment, is projected to add about 500 megawatts to the grid, enough to power about 250,000 homes both in the surrounding area and across TVA's system, Moul said. The project has a completion date of May 2028, and Moul said crews are currently on pace to meet that deadline. |
| New data center could double state's economic development record. Exxon could be a driver | |
| A meeting in Mississippi's smallest town could lead to the largest economic development project in the history of the state. An ExxonMobil spokesperson as well as one of its local lobbyists met with residents of Satartia in Yazoo County on Monday, Oct. 20 to discuss the potential of the company building a power plant that would energize a data center for what could ultimately be as much as a $30 billion project. If that is the case, it could nearly double or even triple the previous economic development project record. Currently, the record development project is the Amazon data center project in Madison County, which is slated to cost between $10 and $16 billion. According to multiple people at the Monday meeting in Satartia, ExxonMobil representative Mike Smith told residents that the company is targeting a swath of around 2,000 acres in Yazoo County, about two miles south of Satartia in an area locals call Germania, for the project. It would include a power generating facility as well as the company recruiting an outside party for a data center project of an undetermined size. Henry Barbour of Capitol Resources in Jackson accompanied Smith, who has been with Exxon for 33 years, to the Yazoo County meeting as well as other representatives of ExxonMobil. Both Barbour and Smith referred all comments to ExxonMobil media relations. |
| Italian restaurant in works for old Main Street Thai space | |
| An Italian restaurant is coming downtown. Royce Hudspeth, property manager and leasing agent with Rhett Real Estate, said all the requirements on the lease were met last week after several months of negotiations, and renovations are underway for the new eatery at 509 Main St., former home of Main Street Thai. "The reality of it is that Columbus, at long last, is going to have a sit-down ... Italian restaurant," Hudspeth said. "I think people will love (it). I really do." Kelly Frady, owner of Coldwell Banker Frady and Associates and owner of the building, said she started polling different friends, family and coworkers earlier this year. "(I) asked them, if there was any restaurant we could bring to Columbus, what would it be?" Frady told The Dispatch on Wednesday. "And without exception, it was Italian." Around the same time, Frady was visiting Oxford to see her niece, a University of Mississippi student who suggested they eat lunch at one of her favorite restaurants. "So while we were there eating, I just asked the owner if he would be interested in opening a restaurant in Columbus," Frady said. "That's how it started." Ronnie Gashi confirmed he and his cousin Florian Imeri will operate the Columbus eatery. They operate Amore in Oxford and Brandon, Roma in Clinton and Casa D'Italia in Tupelo. |
| Davidsons' support sustains mission of The Free Clinic of Meridian | |
 | The Free Clinic of Meridian received a legacy donation Tuesday, Oct. 22, from Marty and Linda Davidson, longtime philanthropists who have shown their support to many local non-profit organizations over the years. The Free Clinic of Meridian, founded in October 2014, provides free medical services to uninsured adults and treats approximately 1,300 patients each year. Kevin Hatch, president of the clinic's Board of Directors, said, "On behalf of the clinic's staff, providers, board members and volunteers, we extend our great appreciation to Marty and Linda Davidson for their incredibly generous support of our mission. This remarkable gift will enable the clinic to provide care to more patients than ever before, giving hope to those who need accessible, equitable care. Our current and future patients' lives will be forever changed because of this donation." The Free Clinic of Meridian serves individuals from Lauderdale, Kemper, Neshoba, Clarke, Newton, Jasper counties in Mississippi, and Sumter and Choctaw counties in Alabama. |
| Major new building will expand Fondren retrail from end to end in Jackson | |
 | Duvall Decker is making a big splash in Fondren, and it shouldn't take long to see the results. The architectural firm is building on the site of the former Kolb's Cleaners at the corner of Mitchell and State Street on a 22,000 square foot energy-efficient, mass timber mixed-use development. Roy Decker talked about the project Wednesday, Oct. 22 during the Fondren Business Improvement District Annual Meeting at the Capri Theater. Demolition of the former Kolb's Cleaners is complete, and he expects construction to begin in earnest on the project by the beginning of 2026. There will be office space on the second floor and retail on the first floor. Decker said this project will mean that there will be a complete line of retail that will connect Homewood Suites on one end of Fondren to the new Hampton that will be built on the north end of Fondren. He said this will be the first of three phases of the project. Decker is proud that this project will stand out from an architectural standpoint as it will be a mass timber framed building with a low carbon footprint and solar panels on the roof. |
| Frank Lloyd Wright house in Jackson one step closer to being sold | |
| Fountainhead, the house in the Woodland Hills section of Jackson, designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is one step closer to having a new owner. The Jackson Planning and Zoning Board on Wednesday, Oct. 23, voted to recommend to the Jackson City Council to allow a zoning variance for the home, which is in the process of being bought by the Mississippi Museum of Art. The MMA was looking for the zoning change to make the home on Glenway Drive a museum, in and of itself, that is open to the public for tours and special events. "There is a lot of precedent around the country for museums of art to take ownership of (homes like these)," Doug Boone, executive director of the Fondren Renaissance Foundation told a group of business leaders at the foundation's annual event on Wednesday. It would join other prominent homes that are in the middle of Jackson residential neighborhoods, including the Eudora Welty House in Belhaven and the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home in West Jackson. The Evers' home is a National Monument and is part of the National Park Service. |
| Health department layoffs gutted preventive health leadership | |
| Abrupt terminations at the Mississippi Department of Health earlier this month removed the directors of about a dozen preventive health programs from their posts, according to staff members who were laid off. The layoffs included roughly 20 people in the Offices of Preventive Health and Health Disparities, many of whom were program leaders. Some worked at the health department for nearly two decades. Terminated directors included those responsible for leading chronic disease prevention, diabetes, cardiovascular health, cancer, school health, tobacco control, injury and violence prevention, heart disease and stroke prevention, and oral health programs, among others. Mississippi has one of the highest rates of preventable diseases in the country, including heart disease, hypertension, obesity and diabetes. These conditions disproportionately affect Black Mississippians, and contribute to the state's high infant and maternal mortality rates. The decision to lay off staff members was made largely due to federal funding reductions, State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney said after the Board of Health meeting Oct. 8. |
| Agreement reached on land surrounding Jackson airport | |
| The Jackson City Council approved an agreement between Rankin County and the city regarding land surrounding the Jackson Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport on Tuesday, by a 5 -2 vote. Councilmember Tina Clay asked City Attorney Drew Martin if Jackson would lose tax revenue with the agreement. "In reality, we are only getting the sale value of the land?" she asked. "We will only get funds from sales and development. We will not receive any from taxes, the revenue we need to grow. So, we are cutting off revenue?" Martin explained that the incorporation status of that land is the only change. The agreement allows Jackson, Pearl, and Flowood to legally include portions of the land within their municipal boundaries for purposes of planning and taxation. Mayor John Horhn said the agreement represents a major step forward for cooperation and shared economic growth in the Jackson metro area. "It is important for the public to understand that this agreement does not transfer or surrender any City of Jackson property. The City of Jackson continues to own all airport lands, including the surrounding acreage," he said. After the council meeting, the Mayor's Office issued a statement saying that for Jackson, the agreement is an opportunity. |
| Trump defends tariffs to cattle ranchers, calls for lower prices | |
 | President Trump on Wednesday sent a message to cattle ranchers defending his tariff policies and urging American ranchers to lower their prices. "The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don't understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil," Trump posted on Truth Social. "If it weren't for me, they would be doing just as they've done for the past 20 years -- Terrible!" "It would be nice if they would understand that, but they also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!" he added. Trump has imposed steep tariffs on imports from Brazil, which is a major exporter of beef to the U.S. The president's post came as he has faced pushback from some Republican senators for his proposal that the U.S. could import beef from Argentina to boost the South American nation's economy. |
| Cattle farmers are worried about the president's suggestion to import more Argentinian beef | |
| If you have beef on your grocery list, your bill may have risen recently. President Donald Trump is suggesting the answer could be importing more beef from Argentina. Local cattle farmers are pushing back on the idea. "More beef does not mean that you're going to have a lower price," explained Gale Martin, a proud cattle farmer. Gale said he is concerned about the talks of bringing in more beef from Argentina. He also questions the safety of that meat. The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President Mike McCormick said he is worried for what it will mean if the Argentinian beef plan moves forward. "If this policy goes much further, again, what the cattle rancher is going to hear is, 'We better sell out now and be done with this, because our government is telling us that we can't be profitable,'" said McCormick, who is also a cattle farmer. "That's not allowed, and that's just not the free market system." |
| Trump Says East Wing of White House to Be Torn Down to Build Ballroom | |
 | The White House is tearing down the East Wing as President Trump moves to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, he said, making the demolition more extensive than previously known. The decision to demolish the more than 100-year-old area of the White House -- which traditionally hosts the offices of the first lady -- is likely to add to public blowback over the project, which has come under criticism from Democrats, historians and some members of the public. The president said he decided to tear down the East Wing after consulting with architects. "It was a very small building," Trump said of the East Wing, adding, "In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure." The main structure of the White House won't be touched, the president said. The president also said the cost of the ballroom would be $300 million, an increase from the White House's previous estimate of $250 million. White House officials have said the ballroom will be at least 90,000 square feet with capacity for more than 650 seats. The ballroom will be funded by private donations, Trump has said. It is part of Trump's broader remodeling of the White House, which has included changes to the Oval Office and other high-profile rooms. Trump also has proposed a large white arch in a traffic circle near Arlington National Cemetery. |
| Musk doubles down in fight with Trump administration, risking his empire | |
 | Over the next several years, Elon Musk aims to take astronauts to the moon using a 403-foot rocket, launch a fleet of autonomous vehicles that lack a steering wheel or pedals, and turn millions of existing Teslas into self-driving cars overnight. Musk has acknowledged his ambitions require overcoming regulatory hurdles, roadblocks presented by NASA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Throwing caution to the wind, Musk took aim at the man overseeing each one of those agencies in X posts this week -- Transportation Secretary and acting NASA administrator Sean P. Duffy -- igniting a new public feud with the Trump administration through an official who possesses direct oversight of his business empire. "Having a NASA Administrator who knows literally ZERO about rockets & spacecraft undermines the American space program and endangers our astronauts," Musk said in an X post on Wednesday. Behind the scenes, his business decisions appear to express even more defiance. |
| Kristi Noem pledged to boost the nation's cybersecurity. She gutted it instead. | |
 | Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promised to prioritize a "comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to cybersecurity." But over the last nine months, a key cybersecurity agency under Noem's command has had its staffing slashed by more than a third, axed funding for election security programs and scaled back its support to state and local governments to protect against cyber threats. "There's a real disconnect between the public messaging about cybersecurity and the reality on the ground," said an employee of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is housed under DHS. This person, like others interviewed for this article, was granted anonymity for fear of retribution. Lawmakers and those within the cyber community who work closely with CISA to defend the nation's critical infrastructure from hackers say the Trump administration's cutbacks have weakened our cyber defenses, particularly as adversaries such as China and Russia have intensified their assaults on U.S. networks. "The administration keeps undermining CISA, which serves at the forefront to defend our infrastructure and private sector from cyberattacks," said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), chair of the House Armed Services Committee's cyber subcommittee and a frequent critic of the Trump administration's policies. "Our vulnerability to our adversaries' cyberattacks grows and we have handicapped ourselves in defending against these attacks." |
| Is UM Ready For JD Vance And Erika Kirk? Students React To TPUSA Event Lineup | |
 | Vice President of the United States JD Vance and CEO of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Erika Kirk, widow of organization founder Charlie Kirk, will be the featured speakers during the Wednesday, Oct. 29 stop on the "This is the Turning Point Tour" at the University of Mississippi. The event is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion. The event at UM, which originally was to feature Charlie Kirk on TPUSA's "American Comeback Tour," was reframed after his murder during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University last month. This is the only planned stop for both Vance and Erika Kirk on this tour. Students have expressed varying degrees of interest in Vance and Kirk's appearance on campus. Sophomore exercise science major Ellie Denton views the event as an exciting opportunity to see the vice president and engage in political discourse. "Not everyone gets to see the vice president every day, and I think it's a great opportunity for students to share their opinions with one another," Denton said. "I mean, we're all from the South, you know, 'God's country,' so it's really neat." Senior sports and recreation administration major Rhodes Canfield expressed his admiration for Vance and the Turning Point movement. Some students, such as junior communication sciences and disorders majors Anna Kate Keast, are not enthused by the upcoming visit. "I won't be going," Keast said. "But I will be going to drag bingo that day." |
| Local Mississippi Valley State University alumni chapter raises over $40K for scholarships | |
 | Members of the Mississippi Valley State University Alumni Association of Northeast Mississippi pooled together over $40,000 in contributions during their school's homecoming weekend, money that will fund scholarships to the school. Gary McGaha, president of the local chapter of the Mississippi Valley Alumni Association, and Vice President Henry Cobb said they were proud to present a check for $41,220 to the college where they spent their undergraduate studies, adding that on top of the donation, Cobb also received the Alumnus of the Year award. "This is a first for the northeast chapter," McGaha said. "It feels exciting, but it feels even better because it is an honors program." Cobb, a retired Tupelo High School automotive instructor, graduated from MVSU in 1967, while McGaha, a retired higher education administrator of multiple colleges and programs across the South, including Kentucky and Georgia, graduated in 1972. Both said they were highly involved with the alumni association since their graduation. |
| How a U. of Tennessee professor found a revised unpublished work by Virginia Woolf | |
 | Tucked away in the Longleat House in Wiltshire, England, a typed manuscript of three largely dismissed short stories written by Virginia Woolf sat alone, revised and edited. Its existence was only known by the archivists taking care of the estate. No one thought to check for it. That was until Urmila Seshagiri, a Distinguished Professor in Humanities at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, came looking for it, learning about the document in 2018 while pursuing an unrelated project. Several years and a pandemic later, Seshagiri traveled to the estate to lay eyes on the document itself, and she compiled the stories into "The Life of Violet" for readers around the world. The stories are a faux biography of Woolf's friend Mary Violet Dickinson, a tall woman by Victorian Age standards (standing 6 feet, 2 inches tall) who defied social norms. Dickinson was an inspiration for Woolf, and the author wrote several fun short stories about her friend. A collection of the works written in 1907, titled "Friendships Gallery," is bound at the New York Public Library. Seshagiri had read it before and said it is "quite well-known and regarded as largely insignificant in Woolf's writing." |
| Texas Republicans are redefining higher ed. It's creating confusion about free speech on campuses | |
| At colleges across Texas last month, a series of viral campus videos, abrupt professor firings, confusing teaching restrictions and sudden course audits came in such rapid-fire succession that before the fallout was over at one public university, another scandal was upending norms at a school hundreds of miles away. Many students and professors say the ground has shifted on speech and scholarship, creating confusion about what they can say, study and teach in the very places they once saw as centers of open inquiry. But that changed atmosphere didn't happen overnight. Texas Republicans have been building toward it for years. Long before the Trump administration began targeting institutions of higher learning, Texas officials passed laws, threatened universities with funding cuts and waged social media warfare aimed at combating what they described as a pervasive bias against conservative opinions. The pressure prompted regents at systems across the state to install top school administrators more aligned with state leaders. No hire illustrates that more than the Texas Tech University System choosing Brandon Creighton, a former Republican senator who wrote many of the laws now transforming higher education, to become chancellor later this year. "As a leading Carnegie R1 research institution, our mission is to educate the next generation of doctors, lawyers, engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and innovators -- not to engage in ideological or political battles," Creighton said in a statement to The Texas Tribune on Tuesday. |
| MUNCH goes public: The campus research kitchen is now offering food to everyone | |
 | A little-known kitchen on campus called MUNCH is tucked between a lactation space and a storage room in the basement of Gwynn Hall. The MU Nutrition Center for Health Research Kitchen, also known as MUNCH, plays a vital role in some of the University of Missouri's most important health studies. The kitchen has helped researchers manage diets for nutrition and medical studies for 10 years, providing precisely measured meals to patients and others. Now, MUNCH is unveiling a new program called ChefZou, where anyone in the community can purchase a meal for lunch or prep meals for the week right in the research kitchen. The kitchen staff will sell whatever was developed in the research studies that week, such as taco salad or chicken Parmesan. Jen Anderson, a senior research specialist and director of the dietetics program at Mizzou, said that for years, research participants have salivated over the chef's food. The most-frequent question they hear is whether the chef can cook for them all the time. That chef is Kenny Williams, who oversees the projects and maintains the high standards of accuracy, taste and safety. Williams said the kitchen's mission is to prepare controlled meals for feeding studies that measure how diet affects health. His team cooks and packages food for studies for those who need diets with meticulously measured special ingredients to athletes needing fuel for high-impact sports. |
| The Trump Agenda: U. of Virginia Will Adopt Trump's Interpretation of DEI in Federal Deal | |
 | The University of Virginia on Wednesday reached an agreement with the Trump administration to suspend five investigations into allegations that the university's diversity policies and programs violated civil-rights law. In a community message, Paul G. Mahoney, the interim president, announced that through 2028, UVa will send the U.S. Department of Justice quarterly updates on its efforts to comply with federal law and to "apply July 2025 Justice Department guidance as relevant, to the extent consistent with judicial decisions." That guidance articulates the Trump administration's broad view of the Supreme Court's 2023 decision to ban race-conscious admissions, arguing that it should be interpreted to outlaw a wide range of practices that reference race or identity. (The ruling itself only mentions admissions policies.) The university did not agree to external monitoring, and Mahoney assured community members that UVa would not be disadvantaged in competing for federal funding. Additionally, UVa did not admit to violating the law. In return, the Justice Department is suspending its probe of UVa, which resulted, most notably, in the resignation of James E. Ryan as president in June. Unlike Columbia and Brown Universities, which struck deals with the government earlier this year, UVa will not have to pay money to the government or an outside entity. |
| In Fourth Week, Federal Shutdown Increasingly Hinders Higher Ed | |
 | As the federal government shutdown entered its fourth week Wednesday, some colleges, universities and researchers are feeling the added strain on a system that's faced a string of major disruptions since Donald Trump retook the presidency in January. "What always happens is the longer it goes on, the more impacts you start to see," said Tobin Smith, senior vice president for government relations and public policy at the Association of American Universities. Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, said the shutdown means continued financial uncertainty, not just for institutions and researchers -- who may struggle with financial planning if grants aren't being renewed, as well as with cash flow -- but also for students who rely on Federal Work-Study and other student aid. "It adds to the uncertainty with respect to who gets hired [and] what programs are going to move forward in the next academic year or the next semester, even," she said. The furloughs at the Education Department might cause students "to either drop out of college or not attend in the first place because there are fewer staff to respond" to their questions, she said. That's one major worry among "a whole host of concerns that are raised by the current situation." |
SPORTS
| Ethan Pulliam living the dream with Bulldogs | |
| There is a small percentage of young kids around the country that truly get to live their athletic dreams out like Ethan Pulliam. Growing up in the shadows of Davis Wade Stadium and Dudy Noble Field, Pulliam dreamt of one day playing for the Bulldogs. He was a star of several different sports at Starkville High School and earned his way into opportunities both with the Diamond Dawgs and the Bulldog football team. Now the starting punter for State as a second-year player, Pulliam never takes a day for granted. "It means a lot with me living here and growing up all my life. Kind of seeing everything from the ground up with who has all been here. Not just the punters, but players like Nick Fitzgerald and Tyler Russell. Just growing up and hearing those names and me being in this position now has always been my dream as a kid," Pulliam said. "For one, I feel like it's a blessing from the Man above. Without Him, I don't think it would be possible. Two, my coaches trusting me all throughout camp and during the season, it shows that they trust me to go out there and execute whatever call we do. It's a really great opportunity, so I enjoy the most of it." |
| Three keys to victory for Mississippi State against No. 22 Texas | |
| Mississippi State is back at home for its next SEC test, a visit from No. 22 Texas and one of the best defenses in FBS. The Bulldogs (4-3, 0-3 SEC) have yet to seize their moment to end a now 15-game losing streak in conference play that dates back to 2023, but the group will get another shot this Saturday with the crowd on their side against a college football blueblood. It may go against what many Starkvillians value, but hostility is going to be key here. A 3 p.m. game doesn't always produce the most raucous crowd, but the one against Tennessee did its part even with the large gathering of orange in the eastern block of the stadium. The cowbells are always ringing, and the conference rule of when they should or shouldn't be ringing is sometimes treated as just a suggestion, but the crowd should do its part to help interrupt a visiting offensive unit that has struggled to operate on the road. At the defending national champions, Arch Manning looked like a rookie going against a seasoned NFL defense. Now, much of that was because the Buckeyes defense features several players who will become highly regarded NFL draft picks, but the crowd of more than 100,000 did its part too. The same was true in Gainesville, where more than 90,000 Gator fans were on the young quarterback for all six sacks, two interceptions and fumble created by the Florida defense. That inhospitable approach must continue to the defense. |
| Gabe Jackson Named 2025 SEC Football Legend | |
| The Southeastern Conference and Mississippi State proudly announce that Gabe Jackson will be honored as State's 2025 SEC Football Legend. A dominant force on the offensive line for the Bulldogs from 2010 to 2013, Jackson's decorated career at Mississippi State set the stage for a standout professional career in the NFL that spanned a decade. Jackson was a four-year starter at left guard for the Bulldogs, starting all 52 games in his career and was considered the top guard prospect for the 2014 NFL Draft by ESPN.com. He was a first-team All-American by Bleacher Report, a second-team All-America selection by Walter Camp, USA Today and Athlon Sports, a two-time first-team All-SEC honoree, and capped his career by winning the C Spire Conerly Trophy as the top collegiate player in Mississippi, becoming just the third offensive lineman ever to earn the award. Selected by the Oakland Raiders with the 81st overall pick in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Jackson went on to start 132 of 136 games played during his 10-year professional career. The class will be honored at the 2025 SEC Football "Weekend of Champions" December 5-6 in Atlanta. |
| Women's Golf: Weed, Whateley Earn Top Three Finishes At The Ally | |
| The Mississippi State Bulldogs concluded their fall season at The Ally at Old Waverly Golf Club on Wednesday with a fifth-place finish at 3-over par. Avery Weed and Samantha Whateley led the way for State, as both earned T3 finishes. Weed posted a 2-under round in the final day of action to complete a 71-69-70 scorecard at The Ally. Weed has now shot under par in 11 of her 12 rounds played this season, including all seven of her last rounds played. Six of those 11 rounds were in the 60s. Weed has now placed in every position inside the top four this season in just four tournaments. Whateley earned her second career top three finish. After concluding the opening round in a tie for 50th, she shot a combined 10-under par on her next two rounds, including a 4-under performance on Wednesday to climb all the way to third. Whateley has now fired off six par or better rounds this season. Five of those rounds were shot in the 60s, which is one off her single season best of six that she shot last season. Florida earned the team title at The Ally for the third consecutive season at 26-under par, while Arkansas' Abbey Schutte earned individual medalist honors with a 9-under performance. |
| Giants name Tennessee's Vitello manager, gambling on a college coach with no professional experience | |
 | The San Francisco Giants hired University of Tennessee coach Tony Vitello as their manager on Wednesday for his first job in professional baseball. San Francisco president of baseball operations Buster Posey made an unprecedented gamble on a coach with no previous experience in the pros. The 47-year-old Vitello will make the jump after spending his entire career in the college ranks. "Tony is one of the brightest, most innovative and most respected coaches in college baseball today," Posey said. "Throughout our search, Tony's leadership, competitiveness and commitment to developing players stood out." Posey said the Giants look forward to the energy and direction Vitello brings, given that his passion for baseball aligns with the club's values. Seeking a new voice and direction after the Giants missed the playoffs for a fourth straight year, Posey said he wouldn't rule out anyone in his search for a leader with what he called an "obsessive" work ethic and attention to detail. In Vitello, the Giants will have a colorful and brash manager. The NCAA suspended Vitello twice during his Tennessee tenure. Vitello was earning $3 million a year and signed a five-year extension in 2024 that includes a $3 million buyout. |
| Louisiana colleges have started paying athletes millions. They won't say who gets how much | |
 | College athletes at public universities across Louisiana are expected to receive at least $20.7 million in compensation this year, records and interviews show, after a landmark NCAA settlement in June allowed them to begin collecting paychecks directly from their schools. LSU has earmarked $18 million in direct payments to its athletes, a senior athletic administrator said, 90% of which will go to football and men's basketball players. Among Louisiana's remaining public schools, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the University of Louisiana at Monroe and McNeese State have said they'll pay players more than $2.7 million, according to payroll records and athletic officials for those schools. The payments are a turning point in college sports. But sports legal analysts and some members of a state task force covering the subject say the so-called "revenue sharing" arrangements raise a number of concerns and unanswered questions. |
| College Athletes Will Soon Be Allowed to Bet on Pro Sports. Experts Fear It's a Slippery Slope. | |
| Starting November 1, the National Collegiate Athletic Association will no longer ban college athletes from betting on professional sports. The change comes as colleges are struggling to navigate a world where it's easier than ever for their students to gamble. Councils overseeing policy changes in Division II and Division III gave the green light for the move on Wednesday, after a similar committee in Division I signed off two weeks ago. The NCAA says the change will help the association focus on a more important realm of enforcement: stopping college athletes from betting on college sports. But some experts are concerned that the rule change will effectively encourage more gambling at a moment when the hobby is increasingly prevalent across higher ed. Timothy D. Sands, president at Virginia Tech and chair of the DI board of directors, said in a statement that the NCAA is making this change to focus on rules that directly relate to the fairness of college sports. More than 30 states have legalized sports betting since 2018, when the Supreme Court overturned a near-nationwide ban on the practice. Now, people can bet on nearly any element of all sporting events from their phones. Sports betting has exploded in popularity among people of college age, particularly young men. |
| NBA Head Coach Arrested in Illegal Gambling Probe | |
| Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were each arrested on Thursday morning in connection with a sweeping investigation into illegal gambling and rigging games in the NBA, several people familiar with the matter said. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York had been investigating whether Rozier had conspired with gamblers to manipulate his performance in a March 2023 game in which he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets, The Wall Street Journal reported in January. Rozier was arrested in Orlando, while Billups was arrested in Portland. Billups's arrest was in connection with illegal gambling, not sports betting, the people familiar with the matter said. The NBA has been dogged by gambling scandals for more than a year and had already seen Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter banned from the league for life for conspiring with gamblers to fix his performance in NBA games. But Billups is by far the most prominent figure to be swept up in the federal investigation, having coached Portland since the 2021-22 season. Before he became the Trail Blazers' coach, Billups, 49, carved out a Hall-of-Fame NBA career as a player. Known by the nickname "Mr. Big Shot," Billups made five All-Star teams. |
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.
