| Friday, October 24, 2025 |
| Construction set for Hotel Madelon after ground breaking | |
 | The Crossroads District is officially on its way after a ground breaking on Thursday, Oct. 23. Representatives from Mississippi State and the City of Starkville gathered to ceremonially break ground and acknowledge the work that has gone into making the highly anticipated hotel possible. "We've never had anything like this," said John Rush, President and CEO of the MSU Foundation, "Now you're gonna see this five story hotel and go 'hey there's something I wanna go see'." The hotel will be feature five stories, 122 rooms and a rooftop viewing area where visitors can see the MSU campus. It is set to be finished by the summer of 2027. |
| A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Starkville | |
 | One by one, city leaders and economic developers lined up with golden shovels to break ground on a new hotel. "It is a great opportunity to get a crowd together and get excited about the largest hotel development in the city of Starkville," said John Rush, President and CEO of MSU Foundation. The 122-room Hotel Madelon will serve as an anchor for the planned Crossroads development. It is the first phase of a four-phase project designed to draw people to the city to visit and live, and help improve the city's bottom line. “If you come in here for just a football or basketball game, you slip in on highway 12 and 82, and you slip out, and you really do not see what great things we have to offer,” said Rush. “This hotel will be a magnet on the hillside, that will naturally make those visitors go, ‘Hey, what is that?’ and they will naturally go and see all that we have to offer as a city.” Chairman of the board of the MSU Foundation, Rodger Johnson, said he hopes this will also strengthen the connection between town and campus. "It is going to change the whole aura and atmosphere that we have here," said Johnson. "It is going to be a great addition to the community, and I think it will tie the University and community even more together than they have been." |
| Starkville, MSU break ground on Crossroads District boutique hotel | |
 | Starkville hosted one of its most important groundbreaking ceremonies in recent years. City and Mississippi State University leaders broke ground on a new, multi-million dollar boutique hotel on Thursday afternoon. Hotel Madelon will serve as the anchor and centerpiece of the city's new district, called the Crossroads District. The 122-room boutique hotel will feature a rooftop bar, lounge and full dining services. It's set to open in the summer of 2027. The hotel's construction is the first phase of the Crossroads District's development. The district will sit between the university's campus and the well-known Cotton District. "This particular project is incredibly important to the gateway for Starkville and the university," Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said. "I see this as a real touchstone of where we come together, and so it is incredibly exciting to me to see this happening." |
| MSU to host special Howell at the Moon event | |
| Mississippi State's Department of Physics and Astronomy, along with the Astronomy Club, plans to host a special event just in time for Halloween. Friday, October 24, from 7 pm to 9 pm, the annual "Howell at the Moon" will allow attendees to see the Moon, Saturn, and maybe even a glimpse of Comet Lemmon. Dr. Claire Geneser said multiple telescopes will be set up, and the dome will be open Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes. "Sharing science with the community is part of what we do here at MSU. We're very proud to share our telescopes, and we're very proud to talk about science. If your children are interested in astronomy, please encourage them to attend this event because we want to talk to them about things that we do and the research we do at MSU. We hope this event will inspire young people to pursue the knowledge that science can give us. You know, not just astronomy, but even the physics involved with astronomy and the other sciences involved with studying the stars," said Geneser. Clouds or rain could cancel the viewing. |
| Columbus, Starkville sales tax collections off to promising start in Fiscal Year 2026 | |
 | In the first month of Fiscal Year 2026, Columbus and Starkville are already ahead of last year's sales tax revenues with 2.21% growth in Columbus and 7.13% growth in Starkville compared to last October. The cities' budget cycle began Oct. 1. Starkville budgeted FY 2026 sales tax collections at $10.3 million, while Columbus budgeted $12 million. West Point's budget cycle began July 1. Sales tax diversion run on a three-month window. Taxes are collected by retailers in the first month, sent to Mississippi Department of Revenue the next and then disbursed to cities and counties the third. Therefore, October reported collections reflect sales from August. Starkville collected $924,394 this month, up from October 2024 collections of $862,852. This marks a 34.96% increase from September collections of $684,935. The city saw a rise this month in collections of both its restaurant sales tax diversions, which assist in funding for economic development and tourism, and its tourism sales tax, which funds the Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as parks, compared to October 2024. |
| Four Delta men arrested in Starkville on gambling charges | |
| Four men were arrested Wednesday at Walmart Supercenter for gambling. Two of the suspects also face firearms charges. Tyreek Tutwiler, 25, Kennedy Hope, 26, Cedrick Ginn, 25, all of Indianola, and David Lee, 22, of Sunflower, were each charged with gambling, according to a press release issued Thursday from Starkville Police Department. Police responded to Walmart on Highway 12 West on Wednesday after receiving a report of a "suspicious incident." The press release did not specify the suspicious activity or how it related to gambling. Neither did Sgt. Brandon Lovelady, public information officer for the police department, when reached by The Dispatch on Thursday. Lee and Tutwiler were also charged with possession of a machine gun conversion device in addition to the gambling charge. The incident is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact SPD at (662) 323-4131 or Triangle Crime Stoppers at (800) 530-7151. |
| Higgins launches consulting firm after LINK departure | |
| Joe Max Higgins, former CEO for the Golden Triangle Development LINK, has started his own economic development consulting firm called 2EQLAST. Registered with the secretary of state's office in September, Higgins said the business will focus on advising companies and communities on site development, infrastructure planning and implementing industrial and commercial projects. The name, Higgins said, matches the license plate he's had on his car for years, and means coming in second equals coming in last. The work will span the Southeast primarily, he said. But won't include the Golden Triangle, for now at least. Higgins said he is prohibited from doing "any economic development work for any of the communities" in the region until 2027. Higgins was fired from the CEO position in August after the LINK's 13-member Executive Committee determined "a leadership transition is in the best long-term interest of the organization and the region we serve." Days later, the Executive Committee, chaired by Bain Nickels, issued a statement saying it was "compelled to remove" Higgins from the position after learning of workplace behavior and speech over an extended period that "do not reflect the values of this organization and the communities we serve." That conduct, the statement said, went "well beyond profanity, and if known, would harm every member of this community." |
| Lemuria Books celebrates 50 years of service with birthday bash | |
 | Lemuria Books, an icon of the book-loving community in the South, celebrated 50 years of business with a birthday party open to all. The deep red storefront beckoned those to wander inside the bookshop and crane their necks upward to peruse the stuffed, floor-to-ceiling shelves. Inside, signed pictures from authors consumed any available wall space that could be found. Lemuria Books began in 1975 when its owner, John Evans, opened a bookstore out of a converted apartment in The Quarter. A then 25-year-old Evans and his wife, Mel, had married only six months prior to the first location's opening. Lemuria's size was tripled just two years later, after the bookstore moved to Highland Village. This new location's opening came right before the 1979 Pearl River flood, which devastated the area. In 1988, Lemuria's third and final move to Banner Hall allowed a boom in both business and inventory space. According to the Lemuria team, each book carried on the store's shelves was hand-chosen for the customer base. "I've seen three generations -- maybe even seen four generations - coming into this bookstore, and that's one of the most rewarding parts of an old business and being in business for that long. Especially when grandparents and parents and children come in to the store together," Evans said. |
| Southeastern Timber Products opens $123 million expanded facility in Choctaw County | |
| Southeastern Timber Products has officially expanded its operations in Choctaw County. According to Gov. Tate Reeves, the family-owned and operated manufacturer of southern yellow pine lumber, timber, and decking products opened its expanded facility in Ackerman on Wednesday. The project marked a corporate investment of $123.4 million and created dozens of new jobs. The company added to its sawmill to increase production capacity from 120 million board feet per year to 300 million board feet per year. To facilitate the project, Southeastern Timber Products installed a new sawmill line, new dry kilns, and storage facilities. "Today, we opened Southeastern Timber Products' $123 million expanded facility in Choctaw County," Reeves stated on Wednesday. "It's creating 40 new jobs and helping loggers and timber owners in at least 15 counties. This is what Mississippi Momentum looks like!" |
| South Mississippi lands funding for state's first regional push to boost military economy | |
 | South Mississippi is forming the state's first regional organization designed to support defense and military installations, a move business leaders say is long overdue in a region that relies economically on military spending. Gov. Tate Reeves on Thursday announced the creation of a public-private partnership known as Mission 3, which stands for military, defense and community. The nonprofit has hired its first director, Col. Paul Drake, who retired in 2022 from the U.S. Army War College and has an extensive background in the military. "Mississippi is the most military friendly state in all of America," Reeves told a crowd gathered in Biloxi for his midday news conference during an aerospace defense gathering at the Golden Nugget in Biloxi. “We have an incredible opportunity in front of us,” said Sen. Scott Delano, who pushed to secure a $325,000 grant from the Legislature in 2024 for a statewide military support program. “It is an extremely competitive marketplace.” The Cyber Center being developed at Keesler Air Force Base, which Delano also championed, is a good example of how a military mission can bring in more business, attracting cyber companies involved in the field. |
| MAIS, MHSAA leaders share perspectives with House Education Freedom Committee | |
| The Mississippi House Education Freedom Select Committee held its third hearing on Thursday at the state Capitol as lawmakers continue to consider ways to expand school choice in the state. The information gained through the hearings will be used to draft legislation during the 2026 legislative session. First to address the committee this week was Barrett Donahoe, the executive director of the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools. He said the organization supports educational choice but advised against attaching requirements to funding for private schools. Donahoe told lawmakers that the organization operates differently from public schools and should not have the same requirements as government-funded schools. His members worry that linking requirements to public schools would "destroy the agility" of independent schools. Three areas where Donahoe said Mississippi should not force requirements on private schools are in admission standards, accountability, and curriculum and instruction. Members of MAIS also worry that accepting state money with additional requirements could mean losing curriculum and instruction freedom. Donahue described that concern as a "non-negotiable for us." |
| Federal judge sides with Mississippi, 14 other states in ruling against Biden-era attempt to broaden Title IX | |
| U.S. District Court Judge Louis Guirola has ruled that the Biden-era Department of Health and Human Services exceeded its statutory authority when it interpreted Title IX to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and then implemented regulations concerning gender identity and "gender affirming care." The lawsuit challenging the Biden administration Title IX rule change was filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Mississippi by a coalition of 15 states which included Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia. As previously reported, the Biden Administration's rewrite of the Title IX final rule broadened the law to prohibit discrimination based on "sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics." However, the original intent of the 1972 law was to give women an equal playing field in educational attainment, particularly at public schools and institutions of higher learning that receive federal financial aid. Certain presidential administrations supportive of the LGBTQ movement have used Title IX to expand protections and access for people who identify as lesbian, gay or transgender. |
| Flood insurance program on partial hold with government shutdown | |
 | The federal government shutdown has entered its third week. One program affected is the National Flood Insurance Program. Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney spoke with MPB about what folks in Mississippi should know, and he said priority one for people with an existing NFIP policy is to keep paying those premiums. "The bottom line is, pay your premium, keep it current," he said. "Don't worry if you have flood loss: the NFIP will pay you from the funds they have now." If you have a mortgage on a property from a government-backed lender, and you're in a flood zone, you're required to have flood insurance -- either with the NFIP or a private insurer. Chaney estimates that in Mississippi, the NFIP writes about 50,000 policies right now. But with the shutdown, they're not writing new ones or renewing policies. If you're behind on renewals, though, he said the program has given folks an 120-day window to get back on track. "They will give us 90 days plus an additional 30 days to pay up if you're behind on your renewal," Chaney said. For people looking to buy a new flood insurance policy, things are a little trickier. Sometimes the NFIP is cheaper than private insurers, making buying properties in those flood zones tricky. |
| Federal judge in Mississippi admits staff used AI to draft inaccurate order | |
| A federal judge in Mississippi has admitted that his staff used artificial intelligence to draft a flawed court order, after months of speculation and an inquiry from a U.S. senator. U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate sent a letter on Tuesday to the director of the Administrative Office of the Courts in response to an inquiry from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. Wingate acknowledged that his law clerk used an AI program to compose an order that paused the enforcement of a state law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Mississippi public schools. The order, issued July 20, was factually inaccurate -- naming defendants and plaintiffs that weren't parties to the case, misquoting state law and referencing a case that doesn't exist -- which led the Mississippi Attorney General's Office to raise concerns. Months later, Grassley sent a letter to Wingate, asking him to address the errors and the speculated use of AI. Wingate finally acknowledged that one of his law clerks used an AI program called Perplexity to analyze publicly available information from the docket to craft the order. But Wingate emphasized no privileged or sealed information was used. Wingate says he still does not plan to restore the original order to the docket, in an effort to avoid confusion. |
| Inflation edged up in September, report shows | |
 | New data released Friday showed inflation heated up in September to a pace not seen since January, according to the first dataset to be released during the government shutdown. The September consumer price index showed prices rising at a 3 percent annual rate -- up slightly from 2.9 percent in August and above April's post-pandemic low of 2.3 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gasoline prices, which edged down over the past year -- providing some relief to consumers -- nonetheless jumped 4.1 percent in September and were the largest factor in a 0.3 percent monthly increase. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy and is seen as a steadier gauge of underlying pressures, eased slightly to a 3 percent annual rate. The report offers the only official glimpse of the economy this month amid the government shutdown, highlighting the continuing impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs on consumers, some of which began to take effect in August. Though the 3 percent pace was slightly below economists' expectations, Friday's report is the latest to demonstrate that inflation hasn't gone away and remains stubbornly above pre-pandemic norms. |
| Wall Street heads for records following an encouraging update on inflation | |
 | U.S. stocks are heading for records on Friday after an update on inflation came in a bit less painful than feared. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% and was on track to top its all-time high, which was set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 411 points, or 0.9%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.2% higher. Both were also rising toward records. The data on inflation is encouraging because it could mean less pain for lower- and middle-income households struggling with still-high increases in prices every month. Even more importantly for Wall Street, it could also clear the way for the Federal Reserve to keep cutting interest rates in hopes of giving a boost to the slowing job market. The Fed just cut its main interest rate last month for the first time this year, but it's been hesitant to promise more relief because lower rates can make inflation worse, beyond goosing the economy and prices for investments. Following the inflation report, traders upped bets to a near certainty that the Fed will cut rates at its next two meetings, including one next week. |
| 'Throw of the iron dice': Inside Trump's most perilous foreign trip yet | |
 | President Donald Trump departs Friday on the riskiest foreign trip of his second term. Unlike his highly choreographed foreign trips to Europe and the Middle East, where leaders were eager to fête the president, his weeklong trip through Asia is replete with potential pitfalls. An anticipated meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea could defuse yet another economy-roiling trade war between the two nations, but the outcome -- or whether the meeting will even take place -- is far from certain. Trump could return celebrating deals that will strengthen U.S. ties in the region -- or, if talks with Xi collapse, confronting an escalating trade war likely to rattle markets, ripple through supply chains and expose how dependent the U.S. remains on China for critical minerals. The White House has said the two leaders will meet Thursday, but China has yet to confirm the meeting. "This is one of the riskiest trips any president of the United States has taken," said Steve Bannon, Trump's former White House chief strategist. "The Chinese Communist Party has declared open economic warfare against America, so this is what they call a throw of the 'iron dice.' This is as high stakes as it gets." But China isn't the only potential trouble spot. |
| Trump to turn focus to soybeans on Asia trip -- not shutdown | |
 | President Donald Trump is soon slated to be 5,000 miles from Washington talking soybeans and tariffs, possibly hamstringing any efforts to end the government shutdown. With Republican and Democratic lawmakers digging into their positions about how to revive the federal machine, perhaps only presidential prodding could help end the funding stalemate. But as Trump prepares to leave for Asia late Friday night, the shutdown is set to roll on without a solution in sight. "Given the power the president has over congressional Republicans, he is the key to how this shutdown ends," G. William Hoagland, a former aide to Senate GOP leadership, said in a Wednesday email. "Being out of the country need not prevent negotiations going forward in his absence, but it is likely to further prolong any major agreement until he returns. Speaking to reporters Wednesday evening, Trump predicted: "I think we're going to make a deal on soybeans and the farmers." One major issue that could complicate a soybean deal is Xi's frustration with Trump's fentanyl tariffs and the American president's demands that the Chinese government cut off all flows of the illicit opioid into the United States. |
| China's next 5-year plan puts focus on tech and consumers as trade wars drag on economy | |
| China's leaders are vowing to reduce its reliance on foreign advanced technology and spur stronger domestic demand as it weathers "high winds" amid elevated trade tensions with the U.S. An outline of the ruling Communist Party's blueprint for the next five years was laid out in a 5,000-word communique released Thursday after a four-day top level meeting in Beijing, just days ahead of planned talks between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump. Five-year plans are a throwback to the days of Soviet-style central planning. China still relies heavily on them to map out policy priorities and decide on funding. Party "plenum" meetings like the one held this week also are used to rally the party rank-and-file around Xi's leadership. Thursday's announcement signaled no major policy shifts. Despite mounting trade tensions, China intends to remain a global manufacturing power while building stronger economic growth at home. |
| Trump lashes out at cattle ranchers after beef policy uproar; advocates cite 'betrayal' | |
| The ongoing back-and-forth between the Trump administration and Midwestern cattle ranchers escalated Wednesday, with the president saying in a Truth Social post that ranchers "don't understand" industry dynamics, and the national cattlemen's association accusing him of "undercutting" American ranchers by pursuing beef imports from Argentina. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association sent out a press release Wednesday with the headline "President Trump Undercuts America's Cattle Producers." The release called Trump's plan a "misguided effort to lower the price of beef in grocery stores." Colin Woodall, the organization's CEO, said that the group's members "cannot stand behind the President while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers by importing Argentinian beef in an attempt to influence prices." Beef prices have risen steadily this year as demand has increased and supply has been limited in part because U.S. cattle inventory has been at its lowest levels in decades. Rep. Don Bacon of the Omaha-area 2nd Congressional District, a vocal critic of Trump's tariff policies, told The World-Herald that Trump's social media post about ranchers benefiting from tariffs was "a bit of a false reality." Bacon said he hasn't talked to any Nebraska ranchers who feel that tariffs have helped them. |
| 'A slap in the face': Ranchers feel betrayed by Trump's plan to buy Argentine beef | |
 | This year, Destinee Weeks and her husband, who manage a herd of about 250 cattle in northern Oklahoma, began to see a profit for the first time in a decade. So Weeks was shocked and dismayed when she learned President Trump was looking to import more beef from another country. " It feels like a slap in the face to rural America," she said. "It makes you feel invisible and overlooked." Beef prices have been soaring in the U.S. as a result of a shrunken cattle supply. On Sunday, Trump suggested buying beef from Argentina could be one way to lower costs. It comes as the president already agreed to a $20 billion currency swap to boost the South American ally's struggling economy. Despite days of verbal clashes between president and ranchers, the White House on Wednesday confirmed plans to quadruple the tariff-rate quota for beef imports from Argentina. The U.S. already imports a record amount of beef from other countries, including Argentina, according to David Anderson, a livestock economist at Texas A&M University. The challenge with relying on foreign meat to bring down prices is that the U.S. is the world's largest consumer of beef. Anderson said it's unlikely that Argentina has nearly enough supply to satisfy America's appetite. "They just don't have the kind of supplies that they could export to us that would make much of a noticeable impact on U.S. beef prices to consumers," he said. Anderson added that ultimately, it will take time for beef prices to stabilize. |
| Trump Says He Is Terminating Trade Negotiations With Canada | |
 | President Trump said late Thursday he was terminating trade negotiations with Canada, pointing to a television advertisement sponsored by the Ontario government that features Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs. "Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED," Trump wrote on social media shortly before 11 p.m. The president claimed that Canada "fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs." Trump argued the ad was designed to interfere with the Supreme Court and other courts as they weigh the legality of his far-reaching tariffs. The White House didn't respond to a request for more information. The threat to cut off negotiations is just the latest in a series of trade disputes between the U.S. and Canada -- a monthslong saga that has seen Trump threaten to cut off talks before but eventually relenting after concessions from Ottawa. It comes two weeks after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Trump at the White House. While there were some signs of progress, no concrete agreement was announced. The ad uses audio from a 1987 radio address delivered by Reagan. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said on social media on Thursday night, shortly before Trump's comments, that the ad misrepresented Reagan's address. |
| Can Ken Burns Win the American Revolution? | |
 | It was a brilliant early fall morning in upstate New York, and Ken Burns was back on the battlefield. He had just driven two hours from his home in New Hampshire to a rolling meadow outside Saratoga Springs, where the view has changed little since the Continental Army scored its first major victory over the British in 1777. After climbing onto the porch of an 18th-century farmhouse, he started delivering his now-familiar spiel to a small group of journalists and local officials. "The American Revolution is encrusted with the barnacles of sentimentality and nostalgia," he said. But his six-part, 12-hour documentary about the subject, which debuts on PBS on Nov. 16, will aim to strip that away -- and hopefully bring some healing to our own fractured moment. "We say, 'Oh we're so divided,' as if we're Chicken Little and this is the worst it's ever been," he said. "But the Revolution was a pretty divided time. The Civil War was a pretty divided time. Almost all of American history is division." Maybe storytelling, he said, can "help short-circuit the binaries we have today." The remarks were pure Burns -- the kind of sunny all-American optimism that thrills his admirers, and draws eye-rolls among skeptics. But "The American Revolution," which Burns directed with Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, is arriving at a moment when even attempting to bring a unifying story to a broad American middle feels like a radical act. |
| Ole Miss podcast sparks conversations connecting research with real life | |
 | To help prevent others from experiencing loss from substance abuse as he did, University of Mississippi student Tyler Barber serves as the host for "The Mayo Lab Podcast" helping fellow students with their overall well-being. Students helping students and learning from one other is what it is all about. Part of the William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing, the Thomas Hayes Mayo Lab was created in 2022, following Mayo's death from fentanyl poisoning. It launched "The Mayo Lab Podcast" in February 2023. Listenership for the fourth season is up 32%, putting it on track as the best performing season thus far. The podcast initially included only experts' voices and focused on substance abuse and mental health. Barber wants to widen the focus to reach more students with topics ranging from depression and social media to ADHD and substance misuse and everything in between. "It could be anything from academic struggles to something going on at home that's affecting a student's ability to be present as a student -- just anything that a student could possibly be going through; that's what we want to talk about," Barber said. |
| Southern Miss celebrates Homecoming 2025 in Hattiesburg | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi celebrates autumn's favorite Hattiesburg-area traditions with the annual Homecoming celebration, set from October 20 through 25. The theme is "There's No Place Like Homecoming," the weeklong celebration features the induction of the 2025 Alumni Hall of Fame members, student-centered events, the Homecoming parade and Eagle Walk, and culminates with the Golden Eagles' Sun Belt Conference football matchup against the University of Louisiana Monroe Warhawks. The Southern Miss Homecoming Court will also be presented during halftime of the game. This year's Homecoming parade grand marshal is Dr. Lachel Story, a Southern Miss faculty member, administrator and alumna, selected by the SGA committee in recognition of her longstanding service to the university. "We wanted to honor Dr. Story and her service to the university throughout her tenure here, as we've all seen firsthand the impact she's had on students during her time as dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions," said SGA President Leah Johnson. |
| Auburn TPUSA to host Trump family members, Tuberville at Neville Arena on Nov. 5 | |
| On Oct. 15, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) announced via Instagram that Benny Johnson, Eric Trump, Lara Trump and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville will speak for the upcoming "This is the Turning Point Tour" event on Wednesday, Nov. 5 in Neville Arena. The event, hosted by the TPUSA chapter at Auburn University, is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m., with doors opening at 5:00 p.m. Tickets for the event are free and on a first-come, first-served basis. Students get priority in reserving tickets, and general attendees can join a waitlist. The tickets can be found on the TPUSA website. On Sept. 10, TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a campus debate event at Utah Valley University. Before his passing, Kirk and the TPUSA team planned on hosting college events through the fall. The "This is the Turning Point Tour," which started on Sept. 22 at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with speaker Michael Knowles, is making 11 stops. The Auburn event, which is the second-to-last stop of the tour, will follow a stop at the University of Mississippi on Oct. 29, where Erika Kirk and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance are the keynote speakers. |
| UAB opens multi-million-dollar genomic medicine and data sciences building | |
 | UAB on Thursday cut the ribbon on a multi-million-dollar biomedical research and innovation center that it says will turn information into commercial applications, new drugs and help launch medical startups. The 175,000-square-foot Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building sits on Seventh Avenue South between 19th and 20th Street. It features a distinctive double-helix design in homage to the building blocks of life itself. UAB President Ray Watts said the building is a "launchpad for discovery." "The people who work in this unique, world-class facility will drive innovations that improve lives locally and worldwide and position UAB and Alabama as global leaders in precision medicine and data sciences," Watts said. The project was funded through a $50 million investment from the State of Alabama through the Public School and College Authority, making it the largest-ever investment from the state in a university facility. Research initiatives there will tackle cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and addiction, employing data science, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, genomic engineering and lab science. |
| LSU committee invites six people to apply to be university's next president | |
 | The LSU Presidential Search Committee invited six potential candidates to be the university system's next president, including interim President Matt Lee and McNeese State University President Wade Rousse. Search firm SSA Consultants presented the committee with a list of 30 interested people, and arranged them into different levels of qualification. At the end of Thursday's meeting, the committee voted 11-4 to invite a half-dozen to apply, including Lee; Rousse; Julius Fridriksson, vice president of research at the University of South Carolina; Giovanni Piedimonte, vice president of research at Tulane, and Dr. Robert Robbins, former president of the University of Arizona. A sixth person on the list whose name and background information remained confidential was invited to apply, should they publicly identify themselves by Oct. 29, when interviews are scheduled. Christel Slaughter, president and CEO of search firm SSA Consultants, said the firm reached out to more than 30 individuals, with 17 of them at SEC schools. LSU Boyd Professor Suzanne Marchand, who teaches history, spoke in her individual capacity but said her thoughts were indicative of her fellow Boyd professors. She asked the committee to prioritize a president with experience in research scholarship. |
| Reading Between the Lines on Compact Responses | |
 | Multiple universities have rejected President Trump's proposed Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, but they have taken different approaches to turning down the commander in chief. Some have declined pointedly, while others struck a more delicate balancing act. To be sure, leaders of the institutions invited to sign the compact have found themselves squeezed by both internal and external forces, under pressure from the federal government to approve the deal and from faculty and other campus constituents to reject it. Both public and private universities have also faced political pressure from state lawmakers, who in some cases urged them to sign and in others have threatened to strip funding if they do. Most of the nine universities originally invited to join the compact rejected it on or before the Oct. 20 deadline to provide feedback -- well ahead of Nov. 21, the final date for making a decision. Their responses, released to the public, ranged from pointed to demure; in some cases, institutional leaders emphasized their core values in rebutting the proposal, which promised to grant preferential treatment in exchange for freezing tuition, capping international enrollment and suppressing criticism of conservatives, among other demands from the U.S. Department of Education. |
| U. of Arkansas chancellor dispels myth of most students being from Texas at Little Rock Rotary meeting | |
| The chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville went out of his way Tuesday to dispel a myth about his school's campus during the weekly meeting of the Little Rock Rotary Club at The Clinton Center. Contrary to a growing popular belief in Northwest Arkansas and despite a perceived increase in Texas license plates seen around Fayetteville, he said there are not more Texans on campus than Arkansans. "That's not true," said Charles Robinson. "I think people go around the university, they see those cars or those Texas license plates, and they think, 'Oh, my goodness, 70% of your students are from Texas." In reality, Robinson shared that students from the Lone Star State only account for 27% of the current 34,175 students who are currently seeking a degree from the university. "That's good size, good chunk," Robinson admitted. "You know, Texas is like athletics. It shows up everywhere, right?" Of those 34,175 students -- which is a school record -- a record 16,658 are from Arkansas, a 10% increase from 2019. As part of an effort to increase in-state attendance in the coming years and also reach an 80% graduation rate (it's currently 71%), Robinson said the university plans to limit the admittance of Texas students even more than it does now. |
| USM police remind fans to stay safe ahead of homecoming weekend | |
 | As Southern Miss gears up for homecoming this weekend, thousands of fans are expected to fill campus for a full day of events. University police are reminding everyone to celebrate responsibly while keeping safety at the top of the mind. "Our message this week is to be safe, know that there's going to be security on campus, know there's going to be safety on campus," USM Police Department Chief Rusty Keyes said. "And, my main goal this week is to make sure everybody has fun, but at the same time, stay safe and secure." Keyes said the biggest challenge will be traffic. With the homecoming parade, Eagle Walk and a Sun Belt Conference football game all happening Saturday, drivers should plan for extra time getting around campus. With extra officers from multiple agencies on campus, Keyes is reminding attendees to stay aware and report anything suspicious. "Know your surroundings," Keyes said. "You know, be safe. Just make wise decisions that day. But if you see something, that's what I'm encouraging. If you see something, say something to us. There'll be plenty of officers on campus." |
| Faculty panel answers legal questions regarding academic freedom, university terminations | |
| Students and faculty discussed academic freedom once again Wednesday evening at a panel hosted by the University of Tennessee's chapter of the American Association of University Professors. The AAUP hosted the discussion as an educational opportunity for faculty to clear up confusion. "I know a lot of faculty -- non-tenure track faculty, even tenure faculty like myself -- who are afraid, on the one hand, definitely uncertain about where we stand with free speech laws on and off campus, and in some cases angry," Todd Freeberg, professor of psychology and neuroscience and UT's AAUP president, said. The panel consisted of head of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Robert Kelchen, Executive Director of the Baker School's Institute of American Civics Josh Dunn and law professor William Mercer. Each professor agreed that the shifting political climate, and differences between university policy and the administration's actions, have led to confusion over how much freedom faculty members truly have. "Things are changing pretty rapidly around us," Kelchen said. "Some people, I think, realize that, and others, they're doing their research and teaching, and they may not fully understand just what's going on in terms of academic freedom and free speech." The discussion pointed to the overarching question that faculty members have been asking for the past month: Where is the line? "That's part of the problem, is where do you draw this line today?" Dunn said. |
| Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education seek $426 million budget increase from Legislature | |
| The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education on Thursday unanimously approved a request for an additional $426 million from the state Legislature for next budget year. Regents said they will need hundreds of millions more on top of their over $1 billion current legislative allocation for deferred maintenance, workforce development programs and research projects. The agency's request includes $347 million in one-time requests, $21.5 million to pay for legislative initiatives and increasing the agency's base operating budget by $57 million, an increase of 5.5%. The $57 million increase to the base operating budget includes $13.5 million to meet "critical workforce" needs in education, health care and engineering. They also want $43.5 million for student success programs like scholarships, student support, campus safety and "performance-based formula allocations." "Our budget request reflects continued investment to meet growing workforce needs in STEM, education and health care," said board Chair Courtney Warmington in a statement. "Increasing college degree completion in high-demand fields remains public higher education's top priority." |
| Black enrollment is waning at many elite colleges after affirmative action ban, AP analysis finds | |
| After decades of gradual growth, the number of Black students enrolling at many elite colleges has dropped in the two years since the Supreme Court banned affirmative action in admissions, leaving some campuses with Black populations as small as 2% of their freshman class, according to an Associated Press analysis. New enrollment figures from 20 selective colleges provide mounting evidence of a backslide in Black enrollment. On almost all of the campuses, Black students account for a smaller share of new students this fall than in 2023. At Princeton and some others, the number of new Black students has fallen by nearly half in that span. Princeton sophomore Christopher Quire said he was stunned when a recent welcome event for Black freshmen filled just half the room. Last year, it filled up so quickly that they needed to find extra chairs. "If this trend continues, in three years this campus will be as Black as it was in the Civil Rights era," said Quire, a member of the campus' Black Student Union. "It feels like tying our feet together and telling us to restart." Some colleges downplayed trends spanning just two years, yet it raises questions about who should get a spot at elite campuses that open doors to the upper echelons of American life. |
| A Backlash Is Growing Against Another Elite College Practice: 'Legacy' Admissions | |
| The conservative advocate who dismantled affirmative action is joining forces with a center-left Democrat and a Duke University economist to challenge another sacred cow in elite-college admissions: preferential treatment for the offspring of alumni. "Legacy applicants have done nothing meritorious to earn this advantage," wrote Edward Blum, education analyst Richard Kahlenberg and economist Peter Arcidiacono, a political independent, to the Education Department recently, urging officials to track legacy in admissions and analyze the impact. Blum, a conservative, spearheaded the lawsuit against Harvard College that helped lead the Supreme Court to strike down affirmative action in 2023, while the other two men testified against the practice. Their efforts add to an accelerating bipartisan push to ban legacy preferences in admissions as America focuses more on who gets into college and why. The scrutiny on a hereditary leg up has intensified since the 2023 Supreme Court ruling, which ended most race-based admission preferences and prompted new questions about other nonmerit-based special treatment. Now, the debate around legacy preferences -- and in some cases, advantages for children of donors -- is heating up further given that President Trump has placed meritocratic admissions at the center of his higher-education agenda. |
SPORTS
| Magnolia Mornings: MSU announces enhanced gameday safety measures following shootings in state | |
| Ahead of its homecoming celebration this weekend, Mississippi State has announced additional gameday safety enhancements to build on those previously made public before the 2025 football season. "In light of the recent gameday-related tragedies at several Mississippi high schools and colleges, I am pleased that our fans and visitors have positively received the 2025 gameday policies we implemented at the start of this season," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. "I commend the Special Events and Gameday Committee and MSU Athletics for their foresight in enhancing our gameday experiences with an eye toward increased safety. The safety of our students, fans, visitors and staff remains our highest priority." Gameday patrons are reminded that weapons of any kind beyond controlled access points are strictly prohibited. Fans are encouraged to carry a valid photo ID, fully cooperate with law enforcement and security personnel, and observe clear bag policies to help ensure a safe and enjoyable gameday experience. |
| Mississippi State reveals new gameday safety measures for 2025 season | |
 | Mississippi State University (MSU) President Mark E. Keenum announced additional gameday safety enhancements for the 2025 football season. Officials said there will be additional safety measures beginning with this weekend's Texas game, including additional surveillance cameras, additional security presence and increased internal monitoring and checkpoints. "It's important that all of us work together in following our existing safety policies, and perhaps most importantly, if you see something, say something," said MSU Vice President for Strategic Communications Sid Salter. "Fans, visitors and staff are encouraged to share information with law enforcement by calling or texting 662-325-2121 or calling 911." Weapons of any kind beyond controlled access points are strictly prohibited on MSU's campus. Fans are encouraged to carry a valid photo ID, fully cooperate with law enforcement and security personnel, and observe clear bag policies to help ensure a safe and enjoyable gameday experience. |
| MSU Athletics informs business owners about NIL future | |
| Name, image, and likeness has become a major opportunity for college athletes and businesses to generate more revenue. Starkville area businesses got to hear about the potential impact of NIL from the MSU Athletic Department. Mississippi State Athletics is collaborating with the Starkville Partnership to use name, image, and likeness as a way to maximize its brands. MSU Deputy Athletics Director Greg Phillips said it's essential to present information about NIL to area business owners. "We want the businesses to understand what a direct benefit there is in partnering with great student-athletes like Josh Hubbard, how it helps their brand," Phillips said. "Then, also the clear indirect benefit of the people that are drawn to Starkville through successful teams and how the NIL partnerships drive them." "So what's good for the university is good for the city of Starkville and Oktibbeha County," Mike Tagert, Greater Starkville Development Partnership President said. "Any time businesses have an opportunity to work with student athletes on advertisement, every single business out there has some component of advertisement, whether it be social media, television, radio, print ads, or whatever they may be. All of those different forms of advertisement can benefit from the use of student athletes." |
| What to watch for: Mississippi State vs. No. 22 Texas | |
| Davis Wade Stadium will host Mississippi State in SEC action again this Saturday with the visit of No. 22 Texas. The Bulldogs (4-3, 0-3 SEC) lost in heartbreaking fashion on the road last week, falling 23-21 at Florida with a late comeback attempt thwarted by an interception in the final seconds. Quarterback Blake Shapen and the offense got the passing attack going again in Gainesville, but will hope for more end product against Texas at home this weekend. The Longhorns (5-2, 2-1 SEC) have had a rough go of it this season, beginning as they ended last season with a suffocating loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes and having their own tough trip to The Swamp end on a sour note. A slow-moving offense hasn't stopped Texas from bouncing back the last two weeks, though, winning 23-6 in the Red River Rivalry and 16-13 in overtime on the road at Kentucky. The meeting on Saturday has the potential to turn into a defensive affair, but both offenses have the potential to break out. |
| Sarkisian says he needs to do 'a better job' with struggling offense for No. 22 Longhorns | |
| The mantra around the Texas offense under coach Steve Sarkisian used to be "All gas, no brakes." The Longhorns now seem to be stuck in the mud, and Sarkisian on Monday was blaming himself for driving the preseason No. 1 into the ditch. Texas beat Kentucky 16-13 in overtime last week but had to overcome one of the worst offensive games of Sarkisian's five-year tenure. The No. 22 Longhorns managed just 179 total yards against the Wildcats in the latest slog behind first-year starting quarterback Arch Manning and a rebuilt offensive line. For the third time this season, the Longhorns managed only one offensive touchdown. Texas ranks just 77th nationally in passing offense, 79th in total offense and scoring offense and 88th in third down conversions. Sarkisian draws up the game plans and calls the plays on game day. "I've got to do a better job," Sarkisian said. "I look in the mirror first." Texas (5-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) plays at Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3) on Saturday. It will be Texas' fourth consecutive game away from home. "Obviously, we want to play better offense all the way around," Manning said. |
| Texas football: How Arch Manning can apply last year's lessons against Mississippi State | |
| One year ago, Arch Manning flashed the form against Mississippi State that has sent Texas football fans into a frenzy ever since the quarterback's arrival on campus in 2023. Facing the Bulldogs in just his second career start, Manning threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns on 26-of-31 passing and added another 33 yards and a score on the ground. Statistically speaking, the game remains a high-water mark for Manning during his three seasons and eight career starts at Texas. He's yet to throw for more yards in a single game, and the 83.9% completion rate and 193.2 passer efficiency rating from that contest remain second only to this season's 55-0 win over Sam Houston, when he connected on 85.7% of his throws and compiled a passer efficiency rating of 256.5. But this is a different Mississippi State defense,Texas coach Steve Sarkisian asserted. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in both interceptions (10) and takeaways (13). And it's certainly a different Texas offense considering the Longhorns are coming off their worst yardage production in a decade with 179 in last week's 16-13 overtime win at Kentucky. "They have some principles that remain the same from a year ago, but they've evolved," Sarkisian said. "They're playing a lot more confidently, especially in the back end. Their ability to attack the football definitely jumps off the tape." |
| MSU baseball hero and Catholic priest visits Tupelo to raise money for good cause | |
| A Mississippi State baseball hero who now serves as a Catholic priest spent Thursday in Tupelo to raise money for a good cause. Father Burke Masters visited St. James Parish to raise money for Catholic Charities. "Catholic Charities does amazing work in the whole community," he said. "You don't have to be Catholic to receive the support of Catholic Charities. They serve the poor no matter what denomination you're in. They do great work around the world." Masters works and lives in his home state of Illinois, but his stamp on Mississippi history will live on forever. Masters starred on the baseball diamond at MSU in the late 80s and early 90s. He famously hit a postseason grand slam in 1990 that helped propel the Bulldogs to the College World Series. "It's one of those times when I was in the zone," he said of the grand slam. "So I was 6-6 and hit a grand slam. It wasn't a walk-off grand slam, but it helped us win the game. It helped us win the series to go to Omaha. It's one of those moments that I think God gave me that moment to say baseball is not gonna be your future, but this will be a way to evangelize." |
| Tommy Kelly, a big man with big dreams, has turned around Lanier's football team | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: Knolyn Bailey, a bright-eyed, just-turned-16-year-old, 10th grade running back, has grown up attending football games at Lanier High where his mother teaches. Most years, he says, there was little to cheer where the Bulldogs were concerned. "We usually got blown out," Bailey says. "It was a sight to see, not in a good way." That's an understatement. ... And that brings us to one of the most startling developments in Jackson Public Schools football history. The current Lanier Bulldogs are a perfect 8-0 heading into a Friday night showdown at Florence. Despite moving up to Class 5A, the Bulldogs have out-scored opponents 282-62. Bailey has run for 1,540 yards and 15 touchdowns. Surely, Richard Wright, the famous author and a Lanier grad, would have loved to write this story. Lanier, the proud little school on Maple Street, celebrates its 100th year of existence with its best football team ever. You can't miss the biggest -- and I mean, BIGGEST reason -- for this sudden success. He is 6-feet, 6-inch, 315-pound Tommy Kelly, the former Mississippi State and NFL standout, who towers over nearly all his Lanier players. |
| Mississippi Gulf Coast to host 2026 USA Triathlon College Club National Championship | |
| The Mississippi Gulf Coast will be the home to next year's USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championship and related events. CLASH Endurance, an endurance sports event company, announced Wednesday that the state's coastal region will host the swimming, biking, and running event from March 27-29. In addition to some of the country's most competitive collegiate athletes, folks with a competitive drive from across the U.S. and more than a dozen countries will take part in triathlons, duathlons, swims, and events varying in distance. "Stay and Play" will be the triathlon's theme, inviting the public to experience the various entertainment, culture, and history that coastal Mississippi has to offer. The swim will utilize a protected saltwater course in the gulf adjacent to the newly rebuilt Gulfport Municipal Marina. The controlled bike course will take athletes east from Jones Park along Beach Boulevard toward Biloxi on a flat and fast ride. A scenic run will wind through a variety of Gulfport's coastal neighborhoods. Each year, USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships bring together more than 100 clubs for two days of competitive racing and high-energy displays of school spirit. |
| From Deion to Dabo: College football chefs please every palate | |
| Michael Johnson was trying to find a way home. In 2019, Johnson was the executive chef of the Seattle Seahawks, but he wanted to get back to Baton Rouge, where his children and their mother lived. One late night, Johnson dove into a job search that yielded a surprising result. "I googled 'executive chef Baton Rouge,' and the first job that popped up was a listing for the executive chef of LSU Athletics," Johnson said. "I like to tell people that God found me this job." Johnson has helped head up the LSU performance nutrition center, which opened in July 2019, has around 50 employees -- 35 of them report to Johnson -- and feeds athletes three meals, five days of the week. For the first three years of his time in Baton Rouge, Johnson also traveled with the football team to ensure quality control. Johnson is one of a handful of executive chefs around the country who work directly with a college football team or athletic program. His headshot, along with the sous chefs', is featured on the school's athletic directory. A search through Power 4 school directories revealed that only 21 programs publicly feature a chef of some kind on their staff, and only 10 of those are in-house employees, including chefs at Colorado, Georgia, Clemson and Missouri. |
| U. of South Carolina ordered to hand over document related to athlete revenue sharing lawsuit | |
 | A South Carolina judge has ruled that the state's flagship university must turn over some documents relating to its revenue sharing agreements. The order comes after Frank Heindel, a former grain merchant and open records advocate, sued the University of South Carolina after they blocked his freedom of information request seeking records of the school's revenue sharing agreement with its football team. The revenue sharing agreement stems from a court settlement earlier this year, which saw many major universities commit to dividing up a pool of $20.5 million among its athletes from 2025 to 2026. The new order in the USC case dated Oct. 23 and signed by circuit court judge Daniel Coble does not require the university to release revenue sharing agreements, but it does require the school to release a confidential affidavit they submitted to the court. Lawyers for the school submitted the affidavit to argue that they had met their obligation under South Carolina's freedom of information law when they said that they had no documents in response to Heindel's request. |
| Former Alabama QB AJ McCarron to run for Alabama lieutenant governor | |
 | A former Alabama football quarterback is looking to enter politics. A.J. McCarron, who played for the Crimson Tide from 2009-13 and who led Alabama to two national championships as a starter in 2011 and 2012, announced Thursday, Oct. 23, he was running for Alabama lieutenant governor in 2026. "Even as a kid, I loved football because there was something special about joining the fight, taking charge and motivating others to win," McCarron said in his announcement. McCarron added "Alabama's conservative and cultural values are under attack from every direction," and that he's getting "off the sidelines" to run for lieutenant governor. "When coach (Tommy) Tuberville is governor, I'll be the quarterback who helps pass his conservative outsider agenda," McCarron said. In his college career, McCarron had 9,019 passing yards, 77 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. He played seven seasons in the NFL and played in 19 total games. |
| College football traditions: 'Nebraska Nice' fans pride themselves on being friendly to visitors | |
| A gaggle of Nebraska fans was lined up behind a barricade near the tunnel leading to the visitors' locker room, waiting for Houston Christian's players to come through moments after they lost to the Cornhuskers by more than seven touchdowns. "Chin up, chin up," Braxton Adrian told the players as he slapped hands and patted shoulder pads. "Thanks for coming out. Good luck with the rest of your season." Win or lose, the 26-year-old welder from Lincoln is there to greet visiting players on their way off the field. An older cousin who took him to his first game in 2006 told him it was the right thing to do. "Since then it's been something I always do no matter what section of the stadium I'm in," Adrian said. "I always make my way around and congratulate them." The toxicity of fandom is well known across sports, from the hooligans of soccer to the keyboard warriors who go after athletes on social media and the derisive chants that players can hear on the sidelines. Sportsmanship doesn't always get much attention, though there are great fans across the country. Nebraska has a specific tradition that dates back decades. The warmth of the fans did not go unnoticed by Akron coach Joe Moorhead, whose team lost 68-0 at Nebraska last month. "Usually when you drive in on the team bus, and they know you're coming in, you get the double bird salute," he said. "The Nebraska fans are wishing you luck and are super polite and friendly." |
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