| Wednesday, October 29, 2025 |
| Imaginarium Creativity, STEAM Discovery Center open for young learners at MSU | |
 | Mississippi State University is sparking imagination and innovation in young minds through its new Imaginarium Creativity and STEAM Discovery Center on campus. STEAM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, art and math. Now open at 129 Morgan Ave., the Imaginarium is more than a science center -- it's a creative laboratory that encourages children to become problem-solvers, makers and future innovators. From building earthquake-resistant structures and exploring constellations to watching drawings come alive on an interactive wall, the center features hands-on, guided activities for children in grades K-8. Sareh Karami and Mehdi Garemani, faculty members in MSU's Department of Counseling, Higher Education Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations, launched the Imaginarium to give children and families in rural areas of the Magnolia State access to hands-on STEAM activities that foster learning, creativity and critical thinking skills. In addition to its activities for children, the center is designed to provide professional development opportunities for teachers. Its interactive exhibits and educational programs align with state academic standards. The center also offers MSU educational psychology students valuable field experience. |
| Scares and service come together at Theatre MSU's haunted house | |
 | Cobwebs, fake blood and skeletons will decorate the theater at Mississippi State University's McComas Hall for a haunted house from Thursday to Saturday. This will be the second year Theatre MSU has hosted the free event. Kiki Efantis, president of Alpha Psi Omega, a theater honors society, said the event will be a typical haunted house walk through, complete with costumed actors, flashing lights and spooky decorations. In lieu of entry tickets, Theatre MSU is asking attendees to bring donations for Starkville Strong, including canned goods, hygiene products and monetary donations. Efantis said part of APO's mission is to give back to the community through large-scale events. Starkville Strong Executive Director Brandi Herrington said residents are in need of canned vegetables, fruit and meat. She said they've received a "record number" of food requests from residents in recent months. In conjunction with the haunted house, Theatre MSU will also perform "Night of the Living Dead Live," a comedic retelling of the cult classic, in McComas Hall. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, with a midnight showing on Halloween. A 2 p.m. matinee will also be held Nov. 2. |
| Smaller root size marks state's sweet potato crop | |
| As president of both the Mississippi and U.S. sweet potato councils, Caleb Englert knows the impact this year's expected below average crop will have on the state's growers. "Just like any farmers out there, they're feeling the pressure from the banks, the crops and the low prices," Englert said. "Some growers are throwing Hail Marys hoping to live to fight another year. "Everybody's heart and soul go into putting the crop in, and when all odds are against you with labor and inputs, you just have to take the wins when you can," he said of this year's tough growing season. Englert farms about 150 acres of sweet potatoes in Chickasaw County. While the immigrant labor force has been under political scrutiny in recent months, he said Mississippi growers have had no interruptions from immigration issues because the state's farmers use the H2A program to get legal farm hands. "We go through the right channels," Englert said. "It's too much of a risk to run and not do it the right way." Lorin Harvey is the sweet potato specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service working at the Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station in Pontotoc. He said the state's sweet potato crop was about 70% harvested by mid-October, but sizes were small, leading to fewer pounds harvested per acre. "We definitely had a bumper crop last year, and this year will end up being below average. Several operations have reported a 20% to 30% drop in yield compared to last year's crop," Harvey said. "It's a combination of things." |
| Accountability gaps loom over Talking Warrior Water Association | |
| An annual Talking Warrior Water Association meeting descended into chaos Monday evening after members raised concerns about bylaw violations, financial discrepancies and a lack of communication between the association and its customers. At one point, board president Joe Williams resigned, but he was later reinstated. The meeting eventually adjourned with no action, rescheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 4 at The Ellis Events Center on Williams Road. Much of the discussion centered on disagreements between Williams, who also is the District 5 Oktibbeha County supervisor, and Kim Moreland, an association member and Ward 1 Starkville alderwoman. Talking Warrior is one of several rural water providers in Oktibbeha County, serving residents southwest of Starkville city limits located in parts of the Old Highway 25 overpass, Cedar Grove Road, South Lake Road, Longview Road and Bethel Road. Last year, District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, introduced a bill that would have allowed the Mississippi Public Service Commission to determine whether rural water associations with territory lying within Starkville could adequately serve their certificated areas. If not, Starkville Utilities could assume service for properties within city limits. That effort arose from capacity issues with Clayton Village Water Association, which has the certificate for territory the city annexed in 2022. Talking Warrior and Rockhill are the only other two rural water associations with territory inside Starkville. The bill died without a vote, but Roberson said he expects a rural water reform bill to be pushed in the next session. |
| Charities stepping up to help Mississippians impacted by upcoming SNAP pause | |
| Local charities are stepping up to help hundreds of thousands of Mississippians slated to be affected by a lack of food-assistance benefits being delivered in November. The Mississippi Department of Human Services announced Friday that a funding lapse caused by the ongoing federal government shutdown will halt the upcoming round of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from being divvied out. Roughly 385,000 Mississippians rely on food assistance through SNAP, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Of those who receive benefits, 67% are families with children. While the state is encouraging families looking to meet their food needs during the pause in SNAP benefits to visit the Mid-South Food Bank in north Mississippi, the Mississippi Food Network in central Mississippi, and Catholic Charities in south Mississippi, another major nonprofit is taking donations to supply food pantries statewide. Extra Table, founded by the popular Mississippi restaurateur Robert St. John, recognized that thousands upon thousands of tables in underserved and underprivileged areas of the state could soon be occupied by empty plates if action is not taken soon. To make matters worse, the organizations dedicated to feeding the hungry are seeing surges in foot traffic at levels never before seen, meaning shelf-stable items are beginning to dissipate as demand rises. |
| By the Numbers: Why trick-or-treaters may bag more gummy candy than chocolate this Halloween | |
 | Ghouls, goblins ... and gummy bears. Trick-or-treaters may find more fruity candy than chocolate among their Halloween handouts this year. That should be fine with younger consumers, who have been gravitating for years toward non-chocolate candies like gummies, freeze-dried treats and other sweets that come in a variety of shapes, colors and flavors. Last year, 52% of the total volume of Halloween candy sold in the U.S. was made of chocolate, according to Dan Sadler, a principal for client insights at the market research company Circana. But in the 12 weeks ending Oct. 5, chocolate accounted for 44% of the Halloween candy sold in the U.S. Prices may be part of it. Global cocoa prices more than quadrupled between January 2023 and January 2025 due to poor harvests in West Africa, where 70% of cocoa is produced. Chocolate candy is lot more expensive as a result. Chocolate Halloween candy in the U.S. cost an average of $8.02 per pound in the 12 weeks ahead of Oct. 5, while non-chocolate candy cost an average of $5.77 per pound, Sadler said. |
| Developer moves proposed Lafayette County asphalt plant, 'for the sake of peace' with neighbors | |
| The developer behind a controversial proposed asphalt plant announced on Tuesday he will seek to build it in the Lafayette County Industrial Park, not next to the small community of Taylor as originally planned. The developer, J.W. McCurdy, announced this change after residents and the owners of a nearby farm vocally opposed the plans, and fought rezoning efforts before the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors. "Our (original) site on (Mississippi) 328 is an outstanding industrial node, and that's not changing, but I'm also happy to change for the sake of peace," McCurdy said in a press release, adding, "We're going to make this work, just in a new location." During public meetings over the last month, locals showed up in droves to protest the proposal to rezone the land from agricultural to heavy industrial use, arguing the plant would threaten the sanctity of neighboring Falkner Farms and the "bucolic" nature of Taylor. McCurdy said he will withdraw the rezoning application. The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors will not vote on the proposal which was previously scheduled to take place on Monday. During an Oct. 20 meeting, the board had tabled its decision after hours of public comments. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson visited the Falkner family last week and shared photos of the visit on social media. In a letter to the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors, Gipson asked the Board "to consider the agricultural impact the zoning change could have." |
| Tens of Thousands of White-Collar Jobs Are Disappearing as AI Starts to Bite | |
 | The nation's largest employers have a new message for office workers: help not wanted. Amazon.com said this week that it would cut 14,000 corporate jobs, with plans to eliminate as much as 10% of its white-collar workforce eventually. United Parcel Service said Tuesday that it had reduced its management workforce by about 14,000 positions over the past 22 months, days after the retailer Target said it would cut 1,800 corporate roles. Earlier in October, white-collar workers from companies including Rivian Automotive, Molson Coors, Booz Allen Hamilton and General Motors received pink slips -- or learned that they would come soon. Added up, tens of thousands of newly laid off white-collar workers in America are entering a stagnant job market with seemingly no place for them. A leaner new normal for employment in the U.S. is emerging. Large employers are retrenching, making deep cuts to white-collar positions and leaving fewer opportunities for experienced and new workers who had counted on well-paying office work to support families and fund retirements. Nearly two million people in the U.S. have been without a job for 27 weeks or more, according to recent federal data. Behind the wave of white-collar layoffs, in part, is the embrace by companies of artificial intelligence, which executives hope can handle more of the work that well-compensated white-collar workers have been doing. Investors have pushed the C-suite to work more efficiently with fewer employees. Factors driving slower hiring include political uncertainty and higher costs. |
| In Mississippi, Democrats Hope New Maps Lead to Statehouse Wins | |
 | In the Deep South, in crimson Mississippi, Democrats are sensing a rare opportunity to make inroads on Tuesday, an Election Day test of sorts for a national party that may soon have no choice but to find ways to win Southerners back. The state will hold seven special elections on Nov. 4 for seats in the Mississippi legislature, prompted by redistricting ordered by the courts to give Black voters more representation. If Democrats flip two seats in the Senate, they would break the Republican supermajority in Jackson, the state capital. That may not make a material difference in governing, since Republicans control the governor's office and both chambers of the legislature. But it would bolster a broader attempt by Democrats to rebuild in the South as the Supreme Court considers ending Voting Rights Act protections for majority Black and Latino districts. Those districts, in state legislatures and in Congress, are practically the only ones held by Democrats, and Democrats are pleading for a role in redrawing them. Mike Hurst, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, described some of the races as a "dogfight," but he predicted that his party's organizational muscle and policies would translate into victory. "Democrats can go out there, brag about how much they're going to spend and beat their chests if they want to, but Republicans are going to just beat them at the polling booth," said Mr. Hurst, who also serves as the general counsel of the Republican National Committee. "I think they're wasting their money." |
| Mississippi Senate focuses on teacher pay, absenteeism as House ponders school choice | |
| While the school-choice debate continues to simmer in the Mississippi House, the Senate Education Committee is focusing on raising teacher pay and combatting chronic student absenteeism. The Senate panel on Tuesday heard from a charter school researcher and others during a seven-hour meeting, the committee's second hearing this month. The hearing also centered around the challenges facing traditional public schools -- which superintendents said would only get worse if "school choice" is expanded in Mississippi. "School choice" refers to a number of policies that give parents more educational options outside of traditional public schools, including private schools, often funding those opportunities with taxpayer dollars. House leaders have vowed it'll be the key issue of the 2026 legislative session and are already working on a draft bill. That bill could spell disaster for Mississippi schools, the four superintendents warned the Senate committee. The school leaders from Oxford, Jackson, Greene County and Scott County said they feared school choice would siphon money and resources away from traditional public schools. Instead, they asked lawmakers to consider investing in the state's existing education system by continuing to support early education, career and technical education opportunities and student mental-health resources. |
| Senate committee asks Jackson mayor to whittle down requests ahead of legislative session | |
| During the Senate Select Committee on Capital City Revitalization this week, Jackson Mayor John Horhn and legislators agreed that local and state governments should work together to revive the capital city. State Senator Walter Michel (R) said legislators have the same desire as the residents of Jackson. "We want tourists to come to Jackson. We want people to live in downtown Jackson," he said. Jackson, which has a population of about 144,000, has been plagued by crime, infrastructure issues, and blight. Horhn testified that Jackson is somewhat hindered by being the home of state government buildings, churches, and institutions of higher learning, as those buildings are tax-exempt. Michel and other senators on the committee agreed to consider further assistance in the upcoming session. However, the committee suggested that Jackson focus on a few issues before coming to lawmakers. Michel said it is important for Horhn to "whittle [the request] down to a few issues that he thinks we can help him with in the upcoming session." |
| Report: Government shutdown will cost the economy up to $14 billion | |
 | The U.S. economy will lose between $7 billion and $14 billion due to the federal government shutdown, according to a new report released Wednesday by Congress's nonpartisan bookkeeper. Federal workers missing paychecks and the interruption of food benefits for low-income Americans are expected to temporarily lower gross domestic product by 1 to 2 percentage points in the fourth quarter of 2025, the Congressional Budget Office reported. Output is expected to spring back once the government reopens and services resume, reversing most of the economic slowdown. But the hours lost by furloughed federal workers would permanently impact real GDP -- an effect that would get worse the longer the shutdown drags on. "In CBO's assessment, the shutdown will delay federal spending and have a negative effect on the economy that will mostly, but not entirely, reverse once the shutdown ends," CBO director Phillip Swagel wrote in a letter to House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), who requested the analysis. If Congress agreed to reopen the government this week, the economy would lose $7 billion by the end of 2026 compared to if there had not been a shutdown, according to CBO. |
| Trump seems to close the door on trying for another term | |
 | President Donald Trump is seemingly conceding that he can't run for another term after months of teasing that he might find a way to stay in office. Trump -- speaking to reporters Wednesday on Air Force One as he flew to South Korea for the next stop in his Asia tour -- said "it's pretty clear" that he isn't allowed to run again under the Constitution, a conclusion reached by legal scholars, critics and even Speaker Mike Johnson. The president made the statement begrudgingly, and seemed to still hold out some hope that he could stay in office beyond the end of his term in January 2029. "Based on what I read, I guess, I'm not allowed to run," he said. "So we'll see what happens." The president has repeatedly hinted at trying to find a way around the 22nd Amendment, which limits a presidency to two terms or one if they served more than two years of another's term. As he flew from Malaysia to Japan he told reporters he would "love" to seek a third term and at times has adorned his White House desk with red-and-white Trump 2028 baseball caps. Johnson poured cold water on the idea in a press conference Tuesday, telling reporters that Trump knows he can't run again and only does so to irritate critics. "It's been a great run, but I think the president knows, and he and I've talked about, the constrictions of the Constitution," the speaker said. |
| Donald Trump says trade deal with South Korea is 'pretty much finalized' | |
 | President Donald Trump said he "pretty much" completed a trade deal with South Korea on his weeklong Asia trip, before heading into more trade talks with China's President Xi Jinping. "We made our deal, pretty much finalized it," Trump said Oct. 29 at a dinner with South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung and other regional leaders. In response to a question, he also said: "We came to a conclusion on a lot of very different items." The two countries had unveiled a trade deal in July in which South Korea offered to invest $350 billion into the United States, in exchange for a lower tariff rate of 15%. Trump announced the deal on July 30 on social media as "a Full and Complete Trade Deal." But the countries were deadlocked for months about the structure of those investments. "Prospects were not bright even last night, and there was dramatic progress on the day," Kim Yong-beom, South Korea's top presidential policy chief, told reporters, without providing further details. The Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's main state news organization, attributed progress in trade talks to Trump rather than its own country's leaders. |
| China Outlines 5-Year Plan to Double Down on Global Tech Ambitions | |
| Days before meeting President Trump in South Korea, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping laid out the next stage in a strategy of long-term competition with the United States and the West that centers on securing a global lead in advanced manufacturing and technology. The plan makes clear that Beijing wants to double down on industrial and technological strength even as its trading partners worry that China's expanding exports are undercutting their own industries. China must "seize the window of opportunity to consolidate and expand our strengths, break past bottlenecks and surmount weaknesses, to gain the strategic initiative in intense international competition," Mr. Xi told the party's Central Committee -- its council of several hundred senior officials -- last week, according to a statement that was released Tuesday. Mr. Trump is trying to use punishing tariffs to press manufacturers of vehicles, electronics and other goods to shift from China to the United States. Other industrial economies, including Japan and South Korea, worry that China's growing exports are squeezing their companies. Many economists have also urged China to devote much more spending to building a social safety net so its citizens have the confidence to spend more. But an outline of China's next five-year plan, covering 2026 to 2030, shows that Mr. Xi's vision of national strength in the face of tough global competition remains focused on manufacturing and innovation, which he believes will bring more prosperity to the country's people. |
| Younger Americans less concerned about political violence and free speech threats: AP-NORC poll | |
| In the tumultuous political climate marked by this year's assassinations of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah and Democratic legislators in Minnesota, younger adults are less worried about political violence than older adults, according to a new AP-NORC poll. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults are concerned about political violence directed at conservatives or liberals, the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found, but anxiety about violence on either side of the political spectrum is lower among young adults. There's also a substantial partisan divide, with Republicans and Democrats expressing high concern about violence against their own side -- and fewer saying they're worried about violence against the other side. When it comes to fundamental rights, U.S. adults are most likely to say that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are facing a major threat. Fewer Americans see threats to the right to vote and the right to bear arms. U.S. adults who identify with a party are more likely to be worried about violence against organizations or figures that share their ideology, while most independents are not highly concerned about political violence in general. |
| MacKenzie Scott donates $42 million to Alcorn State | |
| Alcorn State University received its largest single gift since being founded 154 years ago, officials at the HBCU announced Tuesday. A $42 million unrestricted donation was made by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. It's Scott's second major gift to the university in recent years after previously donating $25 million in 2020. Today marks a historic moment for Alcorn State University as we celebrate the largest single donation in our university's history," Alcorn State University President Dr. Tracy M. Cook said in a release. "We are immensely grateful for Ms. MacKenzie Scott's continued investment in Alcorn, our students, and mission to create access. I also extend my deepest gratitude to our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters who champion our mission every day. Your unwavering commitment and belief in Alcorn State University make milestones like this possible." Scott's gift to Alcorn State four years ago supported faculty endowments, scholarships, and capital projects aligned with the university's strategic plan. Dr. Marcus D. Ward, senior vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the ASU Foundation, Inc., said Scott's latest gift will accelerate "student success, campus sustainability, and enrollment growth." |
| From a prison kitchen to MUW's Welty Gala | |
| Award-winning chef and bestselling author Jeff Henderson brought more than recipes to Mississippi University for Women last week. Before headlining the 2025 Welty Gala on Friday evening, Henderson stepped into the MUW Culinary Arts kitchen -- apron on, energy high -- to share lessons, laughs and life stories with culinary students. He blended advice about cooking with reflections on the road that led him there. "Everything I talk about is about perseverance, grit and survival," Henderson said during an interview Friday afternoon on MUW's campus. "The lessons I learned growing up in poverty taught me that when you fall down, you have to get back up. The only way you can fail is if you quit." Henderson, known for his Food Network show "The Chef Jeff Project" and his memoir "Cooked: My Journey from the Streets to the Stove," began his culinary career in an unlikely place – behind bars. After serving nearly a decade in federal prison, he discovered a passion for cooking that would eventually land him an executive chef position at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Now, Henderson uses his platform to inspire others, especially young people, to find purpose through their passions. "I tell my students all the time: Look the part, show up early and be prepared," he said. "You can't control everything in life, but you can control how you present yourself." |
| VP Vance, Erika Kirk to speak at Ole Miss for Turning Point USA event | |
| Carrying on with her husband's plans. Charlie Kirk's wife, Erika, is set to speak alongside Vice President J.D. Vance at Ole Miss on Wednesday as part of the Turning Point USA speaking tour. Turning Point USA says this event is a way of honoring Kirk's mission and legacy. The event begins at 5:00 p.m. at the Pavilion at Ole Miss. Ole Miss was one of the schools next on the list for the speaking tour that Kirk was on before his tragic death in Utah. Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA as a teenager and eventually grew it into a large organization for young conservatives on college campuses. The Young Democrats of Ole Miss will also be hosting the 'Mississippi Rise Up Town Hall starting at 5:00 p.m. Organizers say this is a counter-event to Turning Point USA's event at the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union. Officials also said that campus operations are continuing as normal throughout the day and are asking people to be mindful and avoid disruptions. Additionally, access to classrooms, residence halls and private events is restricted, and drone flights are prohibited anywhere on campus. |
| Toyota initiative helps inspire future educators, enhances classroom experience | |
 | In a role reversal of sorts, student teachers from the University of Mississippi School of Education were in a classroom learning ways to inspire their own student one day. More than 60 students visited Toyota Mississippi's Experience Center and toured the manufacturing plant as part of the Learning Beyond the Classroom interactive experience on Tuesday. They got a hands-on introduction to the famed Toyota Production System and how its principles can inspire and enhance classroom teaching. "We're bringing several of our elementary and special education students to visit the plant to see hands on how people here are actually using improvement science and kaizen training to actually build Toyota cars," said David Rock, the dean of the UM College of Education. "I think it's really important for our pre-service teachers to see what's actually happening in a 21st century manufacturing plant. It's truly going to blow their minds, and they can actually translate that with what they do inside the classroom today." Kaizen is a Japanese concept which asserts small, even trivial, improvements can cumulate into significant positive results, eventually improving all aspects of a company's operations. |
| UMMC opens a new medical facility for children with complex health needs in Jackson | |
 | The Alyce G. Clarke Center for Medically Fragile Children has finally opened in Jackson. It's located on a campus off of Ridgewood Road. The center's namesake Alyce G. Clarke was the first Black woman to serve in Mississippi's Legislature. She advocated for the legislation to create the center for years and says the facility's opening is a blessing. "It's been a long time coming and it's a much needed program," Clarke said. The 20-bed facility has brightly colored furniture. Children's books line the shelves. Cribs and baby walkers sit beside medical equipment and oxygen. The center is designed to care for patients of Batson Children's Hospital with complex health needs between the age of one month up to 18 years old. "These are children who have complex care needs," Dr. Mary Taylor, the chair of pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, said. "They don't necessarily require hospitalization and don't necessarily require minute to minute medical management, but they have maybe technical needs like the need for a ventilator for example or some special feeding equipment. Those types of things that might require them to be in a hospital setting or in a skilled nursing setting." Dr. Taylor says while some patients may need to stay in the center for years, others may need only weeks or months. |
| 'Aggressive' monkeys leaving Tulane escape in Mississippi crash, killed by authorities | |
 | Monkeys leaving Tulane University's primate research center on the northshore Tuesday were captured and killed after they escaped a transport truck that crashed on Interstate 59 in Mississippi, according to the Jasper County Sheriff's Department. The truck flipped near mile marker 117, allowing some of the monkeys to escape. The Sheriff's Department did not say how many monkeys escaped or how many were "destroyed," though some that were unable to break free from their cages will be returned to Tulane's research center. Tulane spokesperson Michael Strecker said the monkeys involved were not being transported by Tulane officials and were not infectious, despite initial reports from the Sheriff's Department claiming the monkeys were infected with COVID-19, hepatitis C and herpes and required personal protective equipment for handling. Strecker did not respond to questions about how many primates escaped or why the local authorities killed them. "Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery," Strecker said in a prepared statement. "The primates in question belong to another entity and are not infectious." |
| LSU Presidential Committee set to interview four candidates Wednesday as it moves toward decision | |
 | The LSU Presidential Search Committee is set to interview at least four candidates to be the university system's future president, as the board quickly moves toward selecting finalists. Interim LSU President Matt Lee; McNeese State University President Wade Rousse; Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte, vice president of research at Tulane University, and Dr. Robert Robbins, former president of the University of Arizona, are set to be interviewed at the committee's meeting Wednesday. Last week, the committee invited a total of six people to interview; should they accept, they were required to make themselves publicly known by Wednesday. The other two invited candidates were Julius Fridriksson, vice president of research at the University of South Carolina, and a person whose name and biographical information were redacted from the public. It is not clear if the two are still potential candidates or if they have withdrawn. Before the scheduled interviews, the agenda lists an item to consider additional applicants. According to the posted agenda for Wednesday's meeting, the committee is expected to choose finalists in the presidential search. After the committee selects finalists, a series of town halls is planned across campus on Oct. 30 and 31 and Nov. 3. The schedules include forums with staff, faculty and students, along with invitation-only meetings for student leaders and campus and athletic administrators. |
| Following in the Footsteps of Charlie Kirk? | |
| Brilyn Hollyhand began by thanking the students in the room. For their courage. For their boldness. For their obvious interest in saving the country. "Tonight is a testament. You can kill a man, but you cannot kill a movement," Mr. Hollyhand said. "And every single one of you are a part of that movement." Mr. Hollyhand was referring to the assassination of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. He spoke that evening, a little more than a month since the shooting, to 100 or so college students who had gathered for an event hosted by the Clemson University chapter of Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization Mr. Kirk founded. Standing at the front of a brightly lit classroom in a T-shirt that read "JESUS SAVES," Mr. Hollyhand, 19, painted a dire picture of the political moment. Speaking in the gentle affect of a youth group pastor, Mr. Hollyhand suggested that Gen Z was driving a political breakdown that could be described only as a "civil war." "When our generation gets frustrated with politics, what do we do?" Mr. Hollyhand said. "We shoot somebody or scream at somebody. We don't know how to have a civil discourse." His solution? Just have a conversation. The proposal, a bit of Kirk-lite thinking, was the centerpiece of the optimistic, if fuzzy, political pitch Mr. Hollyhand has been making for the past month to his fellow Gen Z conservatives during his "One Conversation at a Time" tour of college campuses across the South. |
| $1B lands Oak Ridge not one, but two supercomputers | |
 | The U.S. Department of Energy's largest multi-program science and technology lab in Oak Ridge stands to gain not one, but two new supercomputers by the end of the decade through a $1 billion public-private partnership. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use these supercomputers -- the previously announced Discovery and the newly announced Lux -- to help answer questions on topics like fission, fusion and precision medicine. Advanced Micro Devices and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are collaborating with the Department of Energy to bring the supercomputers to Oak Ridge soon, and the partnership is being sealed with more than $1 billion in investment, according to an Oct. 27 news release from the energy department. Lux is set for installation by early 2026, while Discovery should come online by 2028. Discovery will replace the lab's Frontier, which was the world's fastest supercomputer until 2024 when Livermore National Laboratory's El Capitan knocked it down to second place. ORNL has hosted generations of supercomputers. About a year after a supercomputer is installed, plans for its replacement ramp up. |
| HBCUs Ramp Up Security After Threats, Campus Shootings | |
 | Shootings at two historically Black universities this past weekend -- and other HBCUs earlier this month -- disrupted homecoming events and left campuses reeling. The incidents came at a time when students and staff were already on edge, after violent threats caused lockdowns at multiple HBCU campuses last month. HBCU leaders across the country have been ramping up campus security measures in response. On Saturday, someone fired a gun on campus during homecoming weekend at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, killing a visitor from Delaware and injuring six people, including a current student and an alum. University leaders suspended classes Monday for a "day of healing and reflection." Gunshots near Howard University in Washington, D.C., also left four individuals injured Friday night, though Howard officials confirmed in a statement that no one involved in the confrontation, or hurt by it, was affiliated with the institution. Earlier this month, three people carrying firearms -- including one who fired his weapon -- were arrested during homecoming at Southern University and A&M College in Louisiana, though no one was hurt. Shootings at South Carolina State University's homecoming killed a 19-year-old woman visiting campus and injured another homecoming attendee. The victims and an individual arrested for possessing a firearm weren't students, but the campus remained unsettled. Two shootings also broke out at Mississippi HBCUs, Jackson State University and Alcorn State University, during October homecoming events, killing one victim at Alcorn State. |
| The helicopter parents are taking over college Facebook groups | |
| They've packed the car and moved their kids into their dorm. But some college parents aren't ready to let go, and Facebook is where it all plays out. One parent wanted to email their child's professors before the semester began to introduce themselves and open a line of communication. Another questioned how to handle their daughter's boyfriend visiting her dorm and considered involving his parents. Others asked where they can check their child's grades. Across the country, thousands of parents are joining Facebook groups for their child's school with names like "Clemson University - Parents & Families" and "NYU Class of 2026 Parents and Families." In an age where technology offers parents constant connection, the spaces are meant for advice. Most of the posts on these forums are asking for tutor recommendations, help finding a fall apartment lease or advice on course selections. Others are easily Googleable, but harmless questions asking when graduation is, if there are printing services on campus and if university health services will treat a sinus infection. But some of the requests go too far, says Dr. Julie Lythcott-Haims, former dean of freshmen at Stanford University and author of "How to Raise an Adult." "You're effectively occupying the student's lane and pushing your own student out of it," Lythcott-Haims says. "Am I depriving them of having those very experiences because I'm so afraid that they are so incapable that I'm choosing to do it all for them?" |
| What College Students Are Worried About Right Now | |
| Colleges and universities across the country are under extreme pressure, financially and politically. Their students are feeling stressed out, too. Students are juggling not just homework, but often jobs and families. Artificial intelligence is changing how they study and how they are taught. Seniors worry about being sent into an uncertain world after graduation. On top of everything else, students fret about the political turmoil swirling around them. And some are lonely. The New York Times traveled to campuses around the country and spoke in phone interviews with over 60 students, including undergraduates and graduate students. At community colleges, public universities and private colleges, students talked about how changes happening in higher education and in society more broadly are affecting them. Many said there's a lot to love about college: kindhearted professors and new friends, having access to health care, the thrill of learning every day. Most said they had no doubt their degree would be worth the cost of tuition. Here's what is on their minds. |
| NIH scientists avoid 'banned words' to keep their research funded | |
| For months, Vanderbilt sociologist Tara McKay had waited for the notice that her grant had been renewed for another year, a signoff that had always been routine. Instead, while sick at home, she got a panicked phone call from her program officer at the National Institutes of Health that she had 24 hours to alter the language of her grant title -- otherwise it would be at risk of not being funded. McKay is familiar with the notion that partisan politics can have a deep impact on science and health. The grant, after all, was tracking the ripple effects of the decision by Tennessee's Republican governor to reject nearly $9 million in federal funding for HIV prevention. It was initially titled "A Multimethod Assessment of the Clinical, Economic & Social Impact of the Rejection of Federal HIV Prevention Funds in Tennessee." Now she and her collaborator felt compelled to remove mention of the governor's decision and describe their work as evaluating the "Impact of Evolving HIV Prevention and Care Strategies in Tennessee." While wording changes may seem trivial amid the Trump administration's broad upheaval of federally funded research, such compromises can alter the course of projects and the questions scientists address. They can also be demoralizing. To McKay, that new title "de-partisans" the rejecting of funding -- reframing the political decision to turn away HIV funds. But she felt it was better than losing the grant. "If that project ended, basically the state gets a free pass, right?" she said in an interview. |
| Higher ed groups push for colleges to be exempt from $100K H-1B visa fee | |
| Nearly three dozen higher education organizations are urging U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to exempt colleges from the new $100,000 fee for H-1B visa petitions, arguing in an Oct. 23 letter that these employees do work "crucial to the U.S. economy." President Donald Trump caught the higher education sector by surprise when he announced the large fee last month. Large research universities heavily rely on the H-1B visa program to hire international scholars. Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, said in the Thursday letter that colleges' H-1B workers educate domestic students for "high-demand occupations, conduct essential research, provide critical patient care, and support the core infrastructure of our universities." Trump shocked the higher ed world sector on Sept. 19 when he declared that new petitions for H-1B visas must come with a $100,000 payment to be processed. Yet colleges were left unsure which of their workers would be impacted amid scant details on the new policy and mixed messages from administration officials. The federal government is facing at least two lawsuits over the fee. Mitchell contended that exempting colleges from the new fee would be similar to the higher education sector's current exemption from the cap on H-1B visas, which are awarded via a lottery process. |
| Federal Judge Indefinitely Blocks Trump's Latest Layoffs | |
| A federal district court judge indefinitely blocked President Trump's most recent round of staff cuts Tuesday, saying his actions were likely unlawful and that the plaintiffs had a good case for arguing they were politically motivated. The order, issued in San Francisco by Judge Susan Illston, built on an existing temporary restraining order. Now, while the remainder of the case is argued in court, the Trump administration will be barred from finalizing any of the estimated 4,000 layoffs that were announced across agencies on Oct. 10. At the Education Department, nearly 500 employees were laid off. Those cuts spared the Office of Federal Student Aid but essentially gutted the Office of Postsecondary Education and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The agency, which had already taken a major blow back in March, was down to about 2,400 employees before this round of layoffs. Illston, who was appointed by Bill Clinton, noted at the hearing that she would clarify the ruling in writing later Tuesday. But in essence, she said federal agencies "are enjoined from issuing any more RIF notices," according to Government Executive. |
| Higher Ed Lobbying Drops in Third Quarter | |
| Beleaguered by the Trump administration's efforts to reshape higher education to align with conservative policy priorities, major universities continue to spend heavily on lobbying efforts to protect their interests. While lobbying expenses over all have boomed during 2025 compared to last year, spending fell in the third quarter, according to an Inside Higher Ed analysis of major research universities. Members of the Association of American Universities spent less in the third quarter of 2025 than in either of the first two quarters, racking up more than $8.6 million in lobbying costs, compared to $9 million in the first quarter and more than $10 million in Q2. AAU's member institutions have already spent more than $27.8 million combined on lobbying this year. Among individual AAU members, Johns Hopkins University spent the most on lobbying in the third quarter, shelling out $390,000. JHU spent $170,000 in the first quarter and $380,000 in Q2, for a total of more than $940,000 so far this year. In addition to research funding and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, common areas of focus noted in lobbying disclosure forms include appropriations, student visas and immigration, among other concerns that college officials have raised in private conversations with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. |
| The Enduring Success of Piney Woods School: The historically black boarding academy in Mississippi is a model worth seeking to emulate. | |
| Jason Riley, an opinion columnist at The Wall Street Journal, writes: It's no revelation that Dixie has long lagged other parts of the country -- be it economically, educationally or otherwise -- or that Mississippi has long been the region's poster child for underachievement. A defining feature of Mississippi's past was its violent and persistent opposition to black civil rights. It's where 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched in 1955. It's where segregationists rioted over black Air Force veteran James Meredith's attempt to integrate the University of Mississippi in 1962. During Jim Crow, Mississippi's black voter-registration rate was the lowest in the region. The good news is that Mississippi, which is home to the highest percentage of black residents of any state, has made admirable strides, especially regarding educational achievement. Ten years ago, it ranked 49th among fourth-graders in reading proficiency on the National Assessment for Educational Progress. Currently, it ranks ninth. Among low-income students, it ranks first. Among black students, it ranks third. Bravo. Mississippi is also home to the Piney Woods School, which was founded in 1909 to educate the descendants of former slaves and is now the nation's oldest historically black boarding school. |
| Political winds | |
| Raymond Barranco, a professor of sociology at Mississippi State University, writes in The Dispatch: In a previous op-ed, I argued that the primary purpose of higher education is to introduce students to new ideas and equip them with the tools to evaluate those ideas critically. With 18 years of experience teaching at the college level, I can confidently say that the topics covered in a college classroom are grounded in science and research -- not curated to reflect the shifting social and political climate outside the university. Unfortunately, in today's polarized environment, educators are increasingly pressured to ensure classroom instruction aligns with current political trends. But this is not our job. Our role is to teach students how to think, not what to think. Being an educator is both a privilege and a profound responsibility. My colleagues and I take this responsibility seriously, striving to teach with integrity and rigor. In a time when truth itself is contested and polarization threatens to consume our future, our students deserve more than half-measures or political soundbites. |
| Mississippi Must Prioritize the Preservation of Farmland | |
| Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson writes: Mississippi is -- and has always been -- an agricultural state. Agriculture with its related agribusiness, forestry and manufacturing processes constitutes the top industry in Mississippi, as well as our state's top employer. More than that, farming, conservation and the rural way of life are inextricably woven into the very fabric of who we are as Mississippians. Whether it's the Mississippi Delta, home of the most productive soil on planet Earth, or the beautiful rolling farms of the hills, the pastures and farms of Central Mississippi, the vast woodlands of Southwest Mississippi or the produce farms and nurseries of South Mississippi, the family farm represents nothing less than our way of life. It's a way of life that includes respect for the land, conservation practices, hunting and fishing and raising our families to love the great Mississippi outdoors. But I hear a recurring theme from the people: the farm as a way of life is at risk in Mississippi. Generational changes, retiring farmers, foreign investors, corporate conglomerates, a global trade imbalance, solar and wind farms and other land use developments have resulted in the constant loss of farmland to other uses. The downturn in global commodity prices has placed our row crop producers in particular risk of loss. Once lost, that farmland can never be regained. And God isn't making any more land. |
| Shutdown impact requires understanding of reliance on federal funds | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: Understanding how the current federal government shutdown affects Mississippi requires at least a fundamental understanding of the state's reliance on federal funds. According to Governing Magazine and the State Policy Network's Center for Practical Federalism, Mississippi depends on federal sources for 44.3% of total state revenues -- ranking the state seventh in federal dependence nationally behind Louisiana (51.6%), Arizona (49.2%), Missouri (46.3%), Wyoming (46.2%), Alaska (45.1%), and Montana (44.7%). The analysis is based on U.S. Census data. Notably, COVID saw Congress send increasing amounts of federal funds to the states during the pandemic and the years that followed, driving federal aid from 31.4% of total state spending to 37% in 2023, a year in which the federal government disbursed $1.05 trillion to the states. That context matters now more than ever. With the federal government in shutdown mode, Mississippi's heavy reliance on federal dollars places the state in a precarious position. While the political theater in Washington may seem distant, the consequences are anything but abstract for thousands of Mississippians. |
SPORTS
| Lebby, Bulldogs shift focus to Arkansas team that is also hungry for SEC win | |
| Mississippi State is back on the road in SEC play this week, still searching for its first conference win for two years. The Bulldogs (4-4, 0-4 SEC) can't afford to dwell on what could have been. Their next opponent is as hungry and desperate for a conference win as they are, and recent history is indicative of the struggles both programs have faced. Arkansas' last SEC win came in 2024, a 58-25 throttling of MSU in Starkville to secure bowl eligibility. MSU's last SEC win came in 2023, a 7-3 outing in Fayetteville during a season that both fanbases are happy to leave in the past. The 2025 season is in danger of becoming just that once again, as both teams are running out of chances to turn things around. Like the Bulldogs, the Razorbacks have had their own struggles this year and have yet to get in the win column in conference play. At 2-6, 0-4 in SEC play, Arkansas has turned to former head coach Bobby Petrino as interim coach after parting ways with Sam Pittman in September. It's not a successful football program at the moment, but it is still a program that has scored 30 or more points in all but two games. |
| Senior Canon Boone confident in Mississippi State offensive line moving forward | |
| Mississippi State's offensive line has experienced mixed results this season and injuries have played a role in that. But the Bulldog linemen have taken steps forward the past couple of weeks and are hoping to keep that momentum going. Earlier this week, Mississippi State senior center Canon Boone met with the media to discuss the offensive line and what needs to happen the rest of the way. Naturally, there are mistakes to clean up from the overtime loss to Texas but Boone feels like better days are ahead, starting this weekend at Arkansas: Q: When you look back at the Texas film, what sticks out? Boone: First of all, there's a lot of good. For the most part, I thought we played out butts off. Protection-wise, I think we were a lot better than we were the past few weeks. That's definitely something we emphasized last week and it definitely showed up. Obviously, there's a couple of things early in the game where we couldn't get the run game going. We picked it up later in the game but if we had gotten it started earlier, I think it would've helped us a lot. Other than that, we just really need to start fast. It's something we've got to work on. |
| MSU looking to prove itself at Arkansas | |
| It looked as if Mississippi State had shown what it was, until it didn't. The Bulldogs have lost four straight games after starting the season 4-0 for the first time in a decade. Now with four games left on the schedule and a bowl game still within reach, MSU has some fire. "I think we've got a pissed-off football team, a team that isn't hanging their head, is not feeling sorry for themselves, a football team that is ready to go prove that we're a good football team," coach Jeff Lebby said. "That's my charge, because we have a good football team. We've got a tough football team." Being able to finish games doesn't come down to just one player or one thing. It comes down to all the players, the coaches who give the players something to execute, and, perhaps most importantly, those players trusting in their abilities in big moments. "Everybody has an incredible responsibility and ownership and accountability," Lebby said. "And fixing these things to be able to go be plus one, and, in the moment, not letting the pressure of the moment trap you from going and playing free and fast and trusting yourself to go make the play that you made in the second quarter." The next opportunity will require a seven-hour road trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas. |
| Near-miss losses troubling for MSU | |
| Jeff Lebby knew he was taking on an immense challenge when he accepted the Mississippi State head coaching job in late November 2023. Lebby, who had been a successful offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and part of the Art Briles and Josh Heupel coaching trees, replaced Zach Arnett, who lasted just one year as Mike Leach's replacement after his untimely death. The Bulldogs were not in a good place at the time and are still battling to recover. They have not won a conference game under Lebby, and none since a 7-3 win at Arkansas two years ago. But they have gotten oh so close to that big breakthrough. The near-misses include a 41-34 overtime loss against Tennessee on Sept. 27 and another overtime loss against preseason No. 1 Texas last week, when the Bulldogs held a 31-14 lead entering the fourth quarter before falling 45-38. Those games were in front of the bell ringers in Starkville, Miss. The next chance for the Bulldogs (4-4, 0-4 SEC) to snap their 16-game SEC losing streak is Saturday at 3 p.m. at Reynolds Razorback Stadium against struggling Arkansas (2-6, 0-4), which has lost six in a row. "They've been in a lot of close games and not found a way to win so it should be a real good football game," said Arkansas interim, Coach Bobby Petrino, who rated the Bulldogs "much better" in Year 2 under Lebby. |
| Bulldogs gear up for new season with exhibition with No. 2 Cougars | |
| It's almost basketball season in Starkville once again, and Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans got a look at his group against one of the best teams in the country in an exhibition on Sunday. The Bulldogs flew out west to take on No. 2 Houston in a high-intensity warm-up game for both programs. "Everyone treats these opportunities differently, I'm a fan of seeing what we have up and down the roster," Jans said to MSU media after the game. "We've got a lot of new players, like most people in the country, but we get a couple of these opportunities, like to throw them in the deep end and see how they react, see how they compete, or don't, for that matter." Jans got to see plenty of his roster in action against the Cougars, with 10 players getting 10 or more minutes on the court. Hubbard, as usual, led the team in points, scoring 18 on 6-16 from the field and 2-7 from beyond the arc. He was also 4-7 from the free-throw line. MSU hits the floor to begin the 2025-26 campaign against North Alabama at Humphrey Coliseum on Nov. 4. |
| SEC lobbying to overturn NCAA ruling allowing college players to bet on pro sports | |
| In a memo sent to the NCAA last week, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey urged the association to rescind its decision to permit college athletes to wager on professional sports, describing the move as a "major step in the wrong direction." After a discussion about the issue during their in-person meetings on Oct. 13, the SEC presidents and chancellors are "clear and united" that the NCAA's move should be reversed, Sankey writes in the two-page letter, which was obtained by Yahoo Sports. Any concerns over the previous policy to prohibit athletes to bet on all sports should be addressed not "through a wholesale removal of the guardrails" but "careful refinement" of the policy, the SEC contends. The reversal of the ban threatens the "integrity of competition" and makes athletes more "vulnerable" to exploitation, Sankey writes. "What might begin as casual betting can quickly spiral into something far more serious." "The SEC's Presidents and Chancellors believe the NCAA should restore its prior policy -- or a modified policy -- communicating a prohibition on gambling by student-athletes and athletics staff, regardless of the divisional level of their sport," Sankey says in the letter. |
| NCAA delays rule change allowing athletes to bet on pro sports | |
| The NCAA is delaying a rule change that will allow athletes and athletic department staff members to bet on professional sports. The Division I Board voted Tuesday to push back the effective date of the sports betting legislative change, moving it from Nov. 1 to Nov. 22, one day after the close of a membership rescission period. A rarely used rule allows 30 days for each Division I school to vote to rescind a proposal if it is adopted by less than 75% of the Division I cabinet. The original vote to approve betting was under that threshold earlier this month. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent a note to NCAA president Charlie Baker on Saturday expressing concerns about the rule change. Even if the rule on betting on professional sports changes, that doesn't alter the NCAA rule forbidding athletes from betting on college sports. The NCAA also prohibits sharing information about college competitions with bettors. This comes less than a week after an NBA coach and a player were arrested in a takedown of two sprawling gambling operations that authorities said leaked inside information about NBA athletes. |
| Mississippi's AD prepares again to keep Lane Kiffin with big coaching jobs available | |
| Mississippi's athletic director might go pretty far to keep Lane Kiffin away from Florida, LSU or any other high-profile college football job opening. But Keith Carter seems done attending hot yoga class with his coach. "He didn't go this week," Kiffin said with a grin during his weekly press conference. "He went in for the first time against Georgia but he says he's not going now because we lost." Both men have other priorities, anyway. Kiffin and the No. 7 Rebels (7-1, 4-1 SEC) host South Carolina (3-5, 1-5 SEC) on Saturday to continue their chase for a conference title and a berth in the College Football Playoff. For Carter, it's the annual contract negotiation process as he tries again to turn away suitors for Kiffin. Kiffin has a six-year contract that has already been extended twice since 2022 and is scheduled for another renewal in early December that stretches into the next decade. Kiffin is set to make $9 million this season, 10th-highest in the country, and Carter has repeatedly said Ole Miss will do what it takes financially to keep Kiffin in Oxford. Carter said earlier this month he'd already been talking with Kiffin's agent, Jimmy Sexton, and would "be proactive with working out a deal with Lane and Jimmy." |
| House Settlement Appeal Argues Title IX Violated by Payments | |
| Attorneys representing current and former members of Division I rowing, volleyball, and swim and dive teams filed opening briefs this week asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to reverse U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken's approval of the settlement between the NCAA, power conferences and current and former D-I athletes represented by the House, Carter and Hubbard antitrust litigations. If the Ninth Circuit agrees, the multibillion-dollar settlement that has dramatically remade college sports would be tossed and the three cases returned to the docket. Amateurism would be back. But Grace Menke, who was a Yale rower, and her nine objectors-appellants face challenging odds. Wilken had significant discretion in determining that the settlement is, as required under the law, "fair, reasonable and adequate" and that it adequately addresses economic harms caused by alleged violations of antitrust law. On behalf of the objectors, Steven F. Molo and other attorneys insist that the settlement's damages and injunctive relief features violate Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal funding. |
| MLB working with sports gambling firms to ban baseball 'micro prop' bets, Gov. DeWine says | |
| Major League Baseball is working with gambling companies to ban "micro prop" betting from the sport, Gov. Mike DeWine said in an Oct. 28 interview with The Dispatch. The MLB commissioner's office told DeWine on Oct. 28 that they "thought they had an agreement" with all of the sports gaming companies, except for one, to ban the bets, he said. Micro prop bets are wagers on highly specific actions that occur during a sporting event, often controlled by just one player. This could include how many strikeouts a pitcher gets or how many innings they last. "These micro prop bets are just very dangerous. They're really a great threat to the integrity of sports. And they can occur in baseball, but they can also occur in other sports as well. And they do occur in other sports as well," DeWine said. In-game betting, which micro prop bets are a variety of, made up more than half of the money wagered on FanDuel and DraftKings in recent financial quarters, The New York Times reported. DeWine's conversation with the MLB comes just days after FBI Director Kash Patel announced that a sitting NBA head coach, a current player and a former player had been arrested for an alleged illegal gambling scheme. |
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