| Thursday, January 8, 2026 |
| Outsourcing of road planning draws debate among aldermen | |
 | Debate over the cost and necessity of outsourcing Starkville's roadway maintenance planning sparked a divided vote among aldermen during the board's regular monthly meeting Tuesday evening at City Hall. The discussion unfolded after Ward 6 Alderman and Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins asked to pull an item from the consent agenda that would approve a $57,500 payment to Civil-Link, a Southaven-based engineering firm, to update the city's roadway maintenance improvement plan. The city began working with Civil-Link in 2023 when the firm developed a 10-year assessment identifying streets across Starkville most in need of repair through a rating system based on the road's age and condition. Mayor Lynn Spruill spoke in favor of the continued use of Civil-Link, arguing the data-driven approach has saved the city "millions," a statement Ward 2 Alderwomen and Budget Chair Sandra Sistrunk echoed. Perkins, over an impassioned seven-minute monologue, spoke against it, calling the cost a "liberal expenditure" and arguing the work should be done in-house. City Engineer Cody Burnett said to do the surveying in-house now would require his staff to ride all 315 lane miles with a GoPro camera and a notepad to manually rate the condition of each road. "It takes a lot of time to ride every street, to video every street, to rank every street and Civil-Link can do that in about 10 days," Burnett told The Dispatch on Wednesday. "So cost-per-time is a factor for us. But as the technology gets better, we're going to be able to do this with equipment that's already out driving the streets anyway. ... We're just not quite there yet." |
| Mary Means Business: Starkville TBT Butcher Shop closes shop in Starkville till further notice | |
| Without much notice, The Blind Tiger on Poorhouse Road has officially closed. Owner Artie Sutherland announced on social media earlier this month that though the close was sudden, he has future plans for the Starkville shop. "I apologize to our wonderful customers for the abruptness and inconvenience," he posted. "It was an unwanted surprise to all of us at TBT too." TBT Butcher Shop and Seafood Market opened in Starkville in 2021, bringing fresh seafood from the coast. Folks, don't worry. Sutherland is on the hunt for the next place to open TBT. "We have several opportunities for another location we are aggressively pursuing and hope to have an announcement sooner than later on where that will be," he posted online. If you have an itch for seafood or poboys in the meantime, Sutherland said gift cards can be used at TBT Butcher Shop and Seafood Market in West Point at 58 Hwy. 45 Plaza. Also, thanks to folks who shared the message, TBT recovered the stolen trailers that went missing in December. |
| Reeves proposes shifting Mississippi apprenticeship oversight to state control | |
 | As Mississippi prepares for growing workforce shortages, Gov. Tate Reeves is proposing a change that would put the state -- rather than the federal government -- in charge of overseeing registered apprenticeship programs. The recommendation, included in the governor's fiscal year 2027 executive budget, would convert the Office of Apprenticeship into a State Apprenticeship Agency. While apprenticeships would continue operating the same way for workers and employers, state leaders say the shift would allow Mississippi to more directly shape training programs tied to high-demand jobs, economic growth and long-term workforce needs. If approved, the proposal would shift oversight of registered apprenticeships from the federal government to the state, without changing how programs operate day to day. Employers would still hire workers directly and provide paid, on-the-job training paired with classroom instruction through community colleges or other education partners. Tanya Neely, director of the Office of Apprenticeship at the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, said the transition reflects years of preparation as the state has expanded its role in workforce development. |
| Mississippi revenue collections exceed estimates by $164.3 million halfway through fiscal year | |
 | As lawmakers get down to work for the 2026 legislative session, appropriators received some welcome news Wednesday as they plan for the next state budget amid increased requests for funding. Mississippi is now halfway through its current fiscal year and state revenue collections are thus far exceeding estimates by $164.3 million. The Legislative Budget Office (LBO) reported that the December collection numbers came in $74.2 million, or 12.99 percent above the revised revenue estimate. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee unanimously revised the Fiscal Year 2026 total state revenue collection downward by $75 million, or about 1 percent, in November, lowering it from $7.627 million to $7.552 million. LBO reported that the fiscal year-to-date total revenue collections through December 2025 are $178.9 million, or 5 percent above the prior year's collections for the same period. December General Fund collections were $81.8 million, or 14.52 percent above the prior year while corporate income tax collections also exceeded the prior year by $71.9 million. |
| Mississippi House proposes ambitious package of school choice reforms | |
| The kitchen sink. It's arguably the only thing missing from the Mississippi House of Representatives long awaited school choice proposal. Among the proposals contained in the omnibus bill, HB2, are: An Education Savings Account that would allow a first year limit of 12,500 students to access their state allotted funds for private school tuition; The loosening of restrictions and aid to support transfers between public schools; A lottery-based support structure for homeschool families and the inclusion of the Tim Tebow Act to allow homeschool students to participate in public school extracurriculars; An expansion of eligibility and support for Mississippi's existing ESA for children with special needs and its dyslexia scholarship; A rework of the authorization framework for new charter schools; An expansion of Mississippi's literacy and math support through MDE aimed at sustaining current 4th grade gains through the 8th grade; and A pay raise for teachers' assistants, among other provisions. |
| Mississippi school-choice battle begins: House unveils omnibus plan. Senate wants teacher raise, opposes vouchers | |
| As the Senate passed a teacher raise and several other plans on Wednesday, the House unveiled its long-awaited omnibus education package aimed at greatly expanding school choice in Mississippi and reshaping the state's education system. The fight over school choice, policies that often give families public dollars to pay for private schools or other alternatives to public education, has been brewing in Mississippi for years and reached a fever pitch in recent months. The two chambers of the Legislature drew lines in the sand Wednesday, setting up a battle in the weeks or months ahead. While the Senate wants a tweak to allow more public-to-public school district transfers, the House is pushing for wide-ranging changes, including letting parents spend public money on private schools. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Education Chairman Dennis DeBar said vouchers or other means of spending tax dollars on private schools won't fly in the Senate. The House's gargantuan 553-page bill is expansive, covering everything from curriculum changes to athletics eligibility for homeschooled students. |
| House committee passes certificate of need bill, eyes further changes | |
| The state House Public Health and Human Services Committee approved the same certificate of need bill language from last year's legislative session Wednesday, minus a provision that led Gov. Tate Reeves to veto the legislation. The bill, which will make it easier for medical facilities to make capital improvements, now goes to the full House for a vote. The early vote will give the committee an opportunity to propose additional changes later in the session to the law, which requires medical facilities to apply for a "certificate of need" from the Mississippi State Department of Health before opening or adding new medical services, said committee Chairman Rep. Sam Creekmore, a Republican from New Albany, who authored the legislation in both years. "The goal was to get it to the governor as quickly as possible," Creekmore told members of the State Board of Health during a Wednesday meeting following the vote. The group convened separately to consider possible changes to the certificate of need law. "I promised the committee today that there would be more (certificate of need legislation) coming," he said. |
| With Horhn as mayor, lawmakers show greater appetite to support Jackson's needs | |
| With the position of Jackson mayor now held by a former colleague, many state lawmakers say they're more eager than ever to help the metro area. But their ideas this session of how to do so might not be cutting-edge. "We're focusing on what we think are achievable, nonpartisan issues that don't come with a big-dollar ask," said Sen. David Blount, a Democrat from Jackson. Help for Jacksonians with unpaid water bills, revitalizing the downtown economy and boosting the Capitol Police budget appear to be on the table. Before the 2025 session, the House created a special committee on revitalizing Jackson, which ushered in legislation aimed at aiding the capital city, including laws to ban public camping, limit panhandling, hasten squatter removals and streamline developer efforts to eliminate blight. The Senate followed suit later, creating the Senate Study Committee on Jackson in October. But in a Legislature dominated by rural lawmakers, requesting more funding for one city, even if it is the state capital and the largest, can be a challenge. |
| Senior Navy, Marine Corps leaders visit Ingalls in Pascagoula | |
| Ingalls Shipbuilding welcomed Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith on Wednesday to the HII Pascagoula facility. The senior military leaders toured the Coast shipyard and gained insights into HII's workforce initiatives while discussing Ingalls' role in delivering the U.S. Navy's "Golden Fleet" of advanced surface combatants. Phelan, 79th Secretary of the Navy, said Ingalls represents the ingenuity and commitment required to meet the Navy's current and future needs. "The shipbuilders I met today are on the front lines of American strength -- men and women whose hard work protects our national security, underwrites our liberty, and sustains the way of life we are sworn to defend," Phelan said. "There is no maritime dominance without their skill, innovation, and relentless commitment to excellence." It was recently announced by Phelan that Ingalls was selected to design and construct the Navy's future Small Surface Combatant platform, leveraging the proven design of the Legend-class National Security Cutter. The Pascagoula yard is also actively supporting early engineering and design discussions for the Navy's next Battleship, which is part of the broader "Golden Fleet" effort supported by President Donald Trump to modernize and leverage state-of-the-art capabilities. |
| Ingalls Shipyard shows Navy secretary it has workers and capacity for Golden Fleet | |
 | Ingalls Shipbuilding hosted the Secretary of the Navy and other top military leaders Wednesday and showed them the shipyard has the capacity and workforce to build a share of the nation's Golden Fleet. With ships under construction around them and a dolphin surfacing nearby, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle and Commandant of the Marine Corps General Eric Smith toured the Pascagoula shipyard and answered questions from the media. They want ships built quickly, they said, but they also want quality and the most advanced capabilities. "Obviously we want to do better, faster," said Phelan, who told the media he was impressed with the workers and advanced manufacturing he saw Wednesday. "One thing people don't say -- our shipbuilders are as important as the sailors and marines who are going out to the fight," he said. He called the workers at Ingalls "a real national treasure and national asset." After touring the shipyard, Smith said, "The quality of these ships is unbelievably good." |
| House moves to override Trump vetoes | |
 | The House will attempt to override President Trump's vetoes of two GOP-backed bills Thursday, a move that could showcase GOP division. Veto override votes are standard procedure, and a matter of high privilege in the House that forces the vote. A White House official said that the votes do not indicate any disunity with the White House and House GOP. But lawmakers may be inclined to break with the White House, seeking to appease their constituents back home and bolster their reelection prospects. It also sets up a loyalty test for congressional Republicans, who can use the vote to register their support for the president. The two bills concern niche issues: one to fund a pipeline delivering clean water to southeastern Colorado and another granting the Miccosukee Tribe authority to manage part of the Florida Everglades. The bills were seen as so bipartisan and uncontroversial that they passed through Congress by voice, without a recorded vote. Both bills passed the House in July and the Senate in December. But the issues intersect with Trump's political grudges in the two states. |
| Could House control change party hands before November? | |
 | The unexpected death of California Republican Doug LaMalfa is a sad reminder of the fragility of the GOP's House majority on Capitol Hill. In 2024, House Republicans won a 220-215 majority. But that's with all of the seats filled, and that margin has fluctuated over the past 12 months with four deaths and four departures. In fact, Republicans began the 119th Congress at 219 seats, with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz resigning before lawmakers were sworn in. LaMalfa's death coupled with the resignation of Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene leaves the House at 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats. Yet the GOP majority is functionally narrower with Indiana Republican Jim Baird recovering after a car crash and presumably unable to make it to Washington for votes. Meanwhile, Democrats have two vacancies of their own. While it's still unlikely that control of the House will switch party hands before the November elections, it can't be ruled out completely. Republicans are still emboldened by the 2024 results that saw them win the White House, flip the Senate and retain the House, but Speaker Mike Johnson's grip on the House continues to be precarious. Even though the vacant seats have so far opened up in safe Republican or Democratic territory, the timing of those vacancies still has an impact on chamber control and Republicans' ability to pass legislation. |
| Trump proposes massive increase in 2027 defense spending to $1.5T, citing 'dangerous times' | |
 | President Donald Trump on Wednesday proposed setting U.S. military spending at $1.5 trillion in 2027, citing "troubled and dangerous times." Trump called for the massive surge in spending days after he ordered a U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and spirit him out of the country to face drug trafficking charges in the United States. U.S. forces continue to mass in the Caribbean Sea. The 2026 military budget is set at $901 billion. Trump in recent days has also called for taking over the Danish territory of Greenland for national security reasons and has suggested he's open to carrying out military operations in Colombia. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ominously warned that longtime adversary Cuba "is in trouble." "This will allow us to build the 'Dream Military' that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe," Trump said in a posting on Truth Social announcing his proposal. Meanwhile, Trump on Wednesday also threatened to cut off Pentagon purchases from Raytheon, one of the biggest U.S. defense contractors, if the company did not end the practice of stock buybacks and invest more profits into building out its weapons manufacturing capacity. |
| Trump's Plan to Run the Hemisphere Scares Friends and Puzzles Foes | |
 | resident Trump's new "Donroe Doctrine" -- loudly proclaimed by the seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the president's assertion that Washington now "runs" the Latin American country -- seeks to establish U.S. hegemony over the entire Western Hemisphere. The question America's adversaries and allies are asking themselves in the aftermath of the Caracas raid is whether this embrace of 19th-century-style imperial thinking also means a pivot away from the rest of the world that would give China and Russia greater sway in their neighborhoods. "It's not a world dominance that Trump is trying to achieve, but a hemispheric dominance," said German lawmaker Norbert Röttgen. "His worldview seems to be thinking in categories of spheres of influence---and dominance by those in other hemispheres who are the most powerful there, irrespective of rules, laws and alliances." Russia and China, which have invested tens of billions of dollars and considerable diplomatic capital in the Maduro regime, have reacted with restraint. In part, that is because they hope Washington will now be more accommodating of their own aspirations in Europe and Asia, respectively, either by design or because of inherent limits on American resources. |
| Trump team drafting executive order on affordability | |
 | The White House is drafting an executive order broadly targeted at addressing Americans' frustration with the cost of living, including a push to allow people to dip into their retirement and college savings accounts to afford down payments on homes. The document, according to two people familiar with its drafting, is also expected to include an action previewed by President Donald Trump on Wednesday that would move toward banning large investors from acquiring single-family homes. Some of the policies may need backing by Congress, and it's unclear what level of support they would have among lawmakers. "Senate Democrats tried to do this last year. Republicans blocked it," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) posted on X, referring to Trump's push to limit institutional investors' ability to buy more single-family homes. Still, Trump's political stance on these matters could scramble Democrats' messaging heading into the 2026 midterm elections as they argue that they are most focused on easing pressure from the high cost of living. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a key representative of the more populist wing of the GOP, voiced his support for loosening restrictions on the use of 401(k)s for homebuying. |
| Fresh protests after ICE agent kills woman in Minneapolis | |
| Tensions are high in the Twin Cities after a federal immigration agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman Wednesday morning in south Minneapolis. The incident poured gasoline on an already contentious standoff between local and federal officials, and Minneapolis was once again thrust into the national spotlight. Protesters clashed with immigration officials on Jan. 8 outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. Public school classes are canceled in Minneapolis for the rest of the week, and other demonstrations are planned. The woman was identified by her mother as Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good. At a news conference, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterized the incident as an act of domestic terrorism on the part of the driver, alleging she "weaponized" her vehicle against federal officers. At a news conference, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterized the incident as an act of domestic terrorism on the part of the driver, alleging she "weaponized" her vehicle against federal officers. Republican President Donald Trump, in a statement on the incident, said the driver "viciously ran over" the ICE officer, though several videos captured by bystanders do not support that claim. Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz, both Democrats, took issue with the administration's version of what happened. |
| In reversal, U.S. loosens guidance on alcohol | |
 | Thousands of people pause their cocktail consumption and embrace Dry January every year. The percentage of Americans who say they drink alcohol has hit new lows. And more and more, researchers warn we should stay away from drinking all together. But the ongoing debate over the health harms of alcohol took a turn Wednesday after the United States dropped its long-standing guidance to consume no more than one or two drinks per day. It marks a pull back in messaging for the federal government -- under President Joe Biden, the U.S. surgeon general recommended adding cancer warnings to alcohol products, and reassessing limits on alcohol consumption. During a news conference rolling out new U.S. dietary guidelines on Wednesday, Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said people should drink judiciously. Then he added it is a "social lubricant that brings people together" and "there's probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way." Critics scoffed at the characterization, saying Oz was echoing talking points from the alcohol industry. Public health advocates said the government's new messaging was vague and glossed over the harms of alcohol. |
| AI Models Are Starting to Learn by Asking Themselves Questions | |
 | Even the smartest artificial intelligence models are essentially copycats. They learn either by consuming examples of human work or by trying to solve problems that have been set for them by human instructors. But perhaps AI can, in fact, learn in a more human way -- by figuring out interesting questions to ask itself and attempting to find the right answer. A project from Tsinghua University, the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (BIGAI), and Pennsylvania State University shows that AI can learn to reason in this way by playing with computer code. The researchers devised a system called Absolute Zero Reasoner (AZR) that first uses a large language model to generate challenging but solvable Python coding problems. It then uses the same model to solve those problems before checking its work by trying to run the code. And finally, the AZR system uses successes and failures as a signal to refine the original model, augmenting its ability to both pose better problems and solve them. The team found that their approach significantly improved the coding and reasoning skills of both 7 billion and 14 billion parameter versions of the open source language model Qwen. Impressively, the model even outperformed some models that had received human-curated data. A key challenge is that for now the system only works on problems that can easily be checked, like those that involve math or coding. As the project progresses, it might be possible to use it on agentic AI tasks like browsing the web or doing office chores. This might involve having the AI model try to judge whether an agent's actions are correct. |
| Institute for Marine Mammal Studies Accepting Applications for Spring 2026 Internships | |
| The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport announced that they are accepting applications for its Spring 2026 internship programs in both the Research and Animal Care departments. IMMS officials said the internships are designed to provide hands-on, real-world experience for individuals interested in marine science, animal husbandry, and related career paths. Interns will gain practical skills while working closely with experienced professionals across multiple disciplines. The Research Internship focuses on an ongoing photo-identification project involving wild dolphins in the Mississippi Sound. Interns will assist with fieldwork and data processing related to the long-term study. The Animal Care Internship centers on the care and training of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, California sea lions, and large parrots. Duties include food preparation, daily cleaning, facility maintenance, and other foundational animal care tasks. The application deadline is Feb. 15. More information and application details are available at imms.org/internship. |
| State Superintendent releases annual report for K-12 schools | |
| Mississippi State Superintendent of Education Dr. Lance Evans released his annual report this week, outlining the state's educational achievements during the 2024-25 school year. The report states graduation rates and the number of third graders passing reading assessments are making gains. Within the Magnolia State, 431,931 students were enrolled in public school classrooms staffed by 32,540 teachers. According to the report, the average amount spent per student based on the average enrollment was just more than $14,500. Within the state there are 141 public school districts, of which three are run by the state. There are also 10 charter schools in operation. Statewide, the graduation rate in Mississippi was 89.2 percent during the 2024-25 school year. More than a decade ago in 2013, that rate was at 74.5 percent. Dual credit and dual enrollment saw increases over the past nine years, from 6.6 percent in 2016 to 17.3 percent in 2025. Of those who enrolled, 96.3 percent passed those courses to earn college credit while still attending high school. |
| Texas A&M Bans Plato Excerpt From a Philosophy Course | |
 | In Martin Peterson's "Contemporary Moral Issues" course at Texas A&M University at College Station, students examine social problems such as abortion, capital punishment, and global hunger through the lens of various philosophical theories. This semester, those can't include his planned readings of Plato. On Tuesday Peterson received an email from the chair of the philosophy department telling him he must excise two one-day units on race and gender ideology and the Plato readings that were to be part of those. Peterson says the ban on those units didn't surprise him, given that the system has curtailed the teaching of such topics. What did shock him was that the ban included readings from Plato's Symposium. "What kind of university, or what kind of philosophy department, do we have if I'm not allowed to talk about Plato?" Peterson asked Wednesday morning, shortly after he had emailed his department head, Kristi Sweet, to say that he would replace those sections with a discussion of academic freedom and free speech. "Plato invented the concept of the university, founded the Academy. Of course philosophers should be allowed to talk about Plato." |
| Plato Censored as Texas A&M Carries Out Course Review | |
 | At least 200 courses in the Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences have been flagged or canceled by university leaders for gender- or race-related content as the university undertakes its review of all course syllabi, faculty members told Inside Higher Ed. This is just the beginning of the system board–mandated course-review process. Faculty were required to submit core-curriculum syllabi for review in December, and some faculty members have yet to receive feedback on their spring courses, scheduled to begin Monday. So far, queer filmmakers, feminist writers and even ancient Western philosophers are on the chopping block. One faculty member -- philosophy professor Martin Peterson, who is supposed to teach Contemporary Moral Problems this spring -- was asked by university leadership to remove several passages by Plato from his syllabus. In an email from department chair Kristi Sweet, Peterson was given two options: either remove "modules on race and gender ideology, and the Plato readings that may include these," or be reassigned to teach a different philosophy course. "Your decision to bar a philosophy professor from teaching Plato is unprecedented ... You are making Texas A&M famous -- but not for the right reasons," Peterson said in his response to Sweet, which he shared with Inside Higher Ed. |
| About 200 Texas A&M courses could change due to new restrictions on teaching gender, race | |
| Faculty at Texas A&M University were told this week that roughly 200 courses in the College of Arts and Sciences could be affected by a new system policy restricting classroom discussions of race and gender, the implementation of which has already led administrators to direct a philosophy professor to remove Plato readings from a core course. The changes are being made days before the semester begins and after some students have registered to attend. The Texas Tribune obtained emails sent by college administrators showing the policy has already led to courses being cancelled or renumbered to remove them from core curriculum credit, with professors directed to alter course content or teach different classes. Emails sent by college administrators Tuesday show that an introductory sociology course on race and ethnicity was canceled, a communications course on religion and the arts was renumbered and stripped of core curriculum credit, and a philosophy professor was told to remove Plato readings and other material related to race and gender from a core course or be reassigned. "This is what happens when the board of regents gives university bureaucrats veto power over academic content," said Lindsie Rank, director of campus rights advocacy at the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression. "The board didn't just invite censorship, they unleashed it with immediate and predictable consequences." |
| Oklahoma lawmaker's resolution aims to hold colleges accountable | |
| A newly filed resolution at the state Capitol could send shockwaves into Oklahoma higher education. The resolution, which you can read in its entirety here, would allow state lawmakers to freeze state funds for those universities. "We're just hearing story after story, year after year of higher education in the universities and institutions in Oklahoma as well as nationally just constantly pushing some unscientific agenda, sort of political agenda," state Rep. Gabe Woolley, R-Broken Arrow, said. "It's not really aligning with what the majority of Oklahomans have voted for and asked for." The push comes after a University of Oklahoma student, Samantha Fulnecky, received a zero grade on an essay after claiming religious discrimination. The story made national headlines with echoes of religious discrimination nationwide. Following an investigation, the teaching assistant who graded Fulnecky's paper is no longer allowed to teach at OU. Woolley stood on Fulnecky's side, saying he wants Oklahomans to be able to hold higher education accountable. Because the resolution would require a constitutional change, it would go to a vote of all Oklahomans. |
| Austin Peay professor awarded $500k after firing over Charlie Kirk comments | |
 | Days after being reinstated to his position, a theater professor at Austin Peay State University will receive a $500,000 payout as part of a settlement following his firing in September due to comments he made on social media about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. A lawyer for Professor Darren Michael confirmed to The Tennessean that Michael will receive $500,000, as well as reimbursement for therapeutic counseling services, as part of a settlement agreement with the Clarksville university. David King, Michael's attorney, confirmed that while the settlement closes the chapter on restoring Michael's employment, they are "exploring future options" against those who "interfered with (Michael's) First Amendment rights." Michael was reinstated to his position at the school on Dec. 30, 2025, three months after he was originally fired due to comments he made on social media about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, after the school admitted to not following its termination policy. Michael is one of many people across Tennessee and the nation seeking First Amendment vindication after commenting on Kirk's legacy in the wake of his death. |
| Brown students documented a campus shooting in real time on Sidechat | |
| When a gunman began firing inside an academic building on the Brown University campus, students didn't wait for official alerts warning of trouble. They got information almost instantly, in bits and bursts -- through phones vibrating in pockets, messages from strangers, rumors that felt urgent because they might keep someone alive. On Dec. 13 as the attack at the Ivy League institution played out during finals week, students took to Sidechat, an anonymous, campus-specific message board used widely at U.S. colleges, for fast-flowing information in real time. An Associated Press analysis of nearly 8,000 posts from the 36 hours after the shooting shows how social media has become central to how students navigate campus emergencies. Fifteen minutes before the university's first alert of an active shooter, students were already documenting the chaos. Their posts -- raw, fragmented and sometimes panicked -- formed a digital time capsule of how a college campus experienced a mass shooting. |
| College Dining Halls Embrace Plant-Forward Menus | |
| Not long ago, chalky tofu and limp lettuce constituted some of the only vegetarian meal options available at campus dining halls. But that's changed in recent years as more colleges and universities have set broader sustainability goals, which often include pledges to offer more plant-based foods. Nowadays, students have access to more adventurous plant-based dishes, such as cauliflower ceviche, japchae and sesame tempeh, to name just a few. Over the past decade, dozens of colleges and universities have vowed to provide more plant-based meals, including Smith College, the University of North Texas and the University of California, Los Angeles. In November, the University of California, Riverside -- where meatless meals already make up about 45 percent of its dining options -- became one of the latest universities to commit to expanding its meatless offerings, pledging to make 50 percent of meals plant-based by 2027. While such pledges are rooted in sustainability goals, they've also led to the creation of more diverse and healthier menu options -- both things students have called for. And regardless of students' motivation for consuming more plant-based food, prioritizing such options at campus dining halls -- which feed millions per year -- has the power to affect environmental change at scale. |
| Why Cyberattacks in Higher Ed Keep Proliferating | |
| Colleges now exist in a world where one human slip-up or system vulnerability can lead to a disastrous data breach that impacts thousands of people's personal data. In the past two months, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and Princeton University have fallen victim to hacks. Earlier in 2025, so did Columbia University, Dartmouth College, and New York University. Those recent headlines have made higher ed's cybersecurity infrastructure seem particularly inadequate. Officials at Penn, Harvard, and Princeton have said in recent statements that they responded as quickly as possible to remove the hackers' access to internal systems, and that they were stepping up security protocols. All three institutions attributed the breaches to social engineering, the umbrella term covering various forms of identity impersonation. Both Harvard and Princeton said a phone-based phishing attack was the culprit. The reality, tech experts say, is that colleges are constantly being bombarded with cyberattacks. Powered by artificial intelligence, these strikes have become more sophisticated. And there's only so much that campus IT departments can do. Universities are particularly hard to defend because they function like small cities, said Mike Corn, who has worked as a chief information security officer in higher education for two decades and now serves as an executive strategic consultant at Vantage Technology Consulting Group. Most members of a campus community use their own phones and laptops to log into their institution's network, he added, creating plenty of potential entry points for hackers. |
| Trump Wanted to Slash Scientific Research Funding. So Far, Congress Has Said No. | |
| Congress this week indicated that it will keep funding steady at three key scientific agencies, effectively rejecting the White House's effort to slash their appropriations. Nearly one year after President Trump began his push to upend the research enterprise, the latest news, coupled with a string of other recent wins for academic-science advocates, suggest that the desire to withhold familiar levels of research funding to colleges may be frustrated for the time being. Legislators have struck a deal on a trio of bipartisan appropriations bills -- for the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Department of Energy -- that call for the agencies' 2026 funding levels to remain relatively stable, Science reported. Under the bills, NSF would see a 3.4-percent budget cut and NASA a 1.1-percent decrease, as opposed to the 55-percent and 47-percent slashes recommended by the Trump administration last May. The Department of Energy's Office of Science, meanwhile, stands to receive a 2-percent bump in its budget. Trump had sought a $1-billion reduction. Lawmakers have shown resistance to those steep cuts, which Nature reported would only allow the NSF to disburse about one-quarter of the grants it does now. In a Monday statement, Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who serves as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the new bills would "spur scientific research necessary to maintain U.S. competitiveness." |
SPORTS
| Men's Basketball: The Final Horn: State 72, Oklahoma 53 | |
| Mississippi State extended its winning streak to six straight and advanced to 2-0 in conference play as it took down Oklahoma 72-53 at Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday night. The game was knotted at 27 at halftime with the Bulldogs scoring all of their points inside the 3-point line in the opening half. As the game wore on in the second half, MSU seized momentum and sparked a 14-1 run to take a 49-39 lead at the 9:36 mark. Later on, a Josh Hubbard surge helped to give the Bulldogs a 65-49 lead, and State kept up its suffocating pressure on defense from there to hold on and seal the victory. Hubbard led the way for Mississippi State with 30 points to go along with three assists and two steals. Hubbard has scored 68 points combined throughout the first two SEC games. Jamarion Davis-Fleming also made a big impact off the bench with eight points, a season-high 10 rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes off the bench. The Bulldogs will aim to stay perfect in SEC play as they travel to Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and will air on SEC Network. |
| Hubbard scores 30, Mississippi State tops Oklahoma 72-53 for sixth straight win | |
| Josh Hubbard racked up 30 points, Achor Achor grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds, and Mississippi State took down Oklahoma 72-53 on Wednesday. Hubbard was 11-for-22 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free-throw line for the Bulldogs (10-5, 2-0 Southeastern Conference), who won their sixth straight game. It was his third 30-point outing of the season and second in a row. He ranked seventh in Division I in points per game (22.5) heading into the matchup. Quincy Ballard and Ja'Borri McGhee chipped in with 10 points each and Jamarion Davis-Fleming grabbed 10 rebounds. The teams battled throughout the first half, heading to the locker rooms tied at 27. Mississippi State pulled away with a 14-1 run early in the second half, and closed the game on a 12-4 run. Mississippi State visits Kentucky and Oklahoma visits Texas A&M, both on Saturday. |
| How more Josh Hubbard magic pushed Mississippi State basketball win streak to six | |
 | Josh Hubbard crossed up his Oklahoma defender at the top of the key, hesitated, dribbled to his right and lifted for a pullup jump shot. The Mississippi State basketball star guard drew a foul as his jumper swished for a bucket. He was officially in takeover mode. It was amid Hubbard's 12 points in a three-minute stretch late in the second half at Humphrey Coliseum. Coach Chris Jans, standing just a few steps to Hubbard's right during the jump shot, unleashed a powerful fist pump as MSU dashed ahead by 13 points. Hubbard scored 30 points again to help the Bulldogs (10-5, 2-0 SEC) to a 72-53 win over the Sooners (11-4, 1-1) on Jan. 7. "I don't need to keep talking about how hard he works and all that, but why not?" Jans said. "Because he deserves it. He's about the right stuff, he puts the time in and he works on his craft." "He's developing now as a scorer," Jans said. "He's always been a scorer, but the levels of scoring, the finished package that he has with the high releases and floaters and being able to take more quality shots, even if he takes a big number of shots like he's done the last couple of games." |
| MSU wins gritty conference home opener | |
| In its sixth straight win, Mississippi State put on the kind of performance that would have made Babe McCarthy proud. The Bulldogs put on a defensive clinic and dominated the paint on offense to beat the Oklahoma Sooners 72-53 on Wednesday night at the Humphrey Coliseum. "If I had my druthers," Bulldogs coach Chris Jans said, "that's the way we'd play." The win came despite the Bulldogs shooting 2 for 15 (13%) from three-point range and 0-for-12 in the first half. The Bulldogs outscored the Sooners in the paint 36-18 and out-rebounded them 46-35. Oklahoma came into Wednesday averaging an SEC-low 9.2 turnovers per game, but turned it over 13 times against the Bulldogs. "This was, at least one of our better defensive games that we've had all year long," Jans said. "We have so much respect for Coach (Porter) Moser and their team." Mississippi State will head to Kentucky for its next game on Saturday. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. on the SEC Network. |
| Bulldogs beat OU after Hubbard seizes game in winning time | |
| Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard had the ball in his hands with a nine-point lead and a ticking clock when he saw what he'd gotten only in short supply on Wednesday: a one-on-one matchup. Oklahoma's Nijel Pack was pressing up on the junior Bulldog, needing a stop to keep his time alive at Humphrey Coliseum. He had defensive help waiting behind him, and he would need it, but there wasn't much left to be done. Hubbard was locked in on winning his matchup in winning time. "I think that goes back to playing my brothers one-on-one," Hubbard said after the game. "I think everybody has that one-on-one game in them, but you've got to get it on the court here and there. Just taking advantage of it, and having that confidence to go one-on-one." He entered his dance, feigning right, left, and right again as space opened up. By that point he was past Pack and pulling up from mid-range. Sooner forward Tae Davis had left his man to put a hand up. Pack even came in late with another hand, fouling Hubbard, but it didn't bother the MSU guard one bit. The shot was good, and so was the and-one, and the Bulldogs were pulling away. |
| Women's Basketball: Bulldogs Return To Humphrey Coliseum For Thursday Night Contest Against #20 Tennessee | |
| The Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-2) look to win their 12th straight game inside of Humphrey Coliseum when they take on the #20 Tennessee Lady Volunteers Thursday. Tipoff for the game is set for 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. At home this season, State is averaging 86.9 points per game on 49.4 percent shooting and is outscoring opponents by 32.2 points per game. Tennessee moved to 10-3 on the season and 2-0 in the SEC after defeating the Auburn Tigers, 73-56. Talaysia Cooper (17.5) and Janiah Barker (13.0) have led the Lady Vols in scoring through the first two games of conference play. Throughout the entire season, Cooper is averaging 14.9 points while Barker averages 14.4. The last 10 meetings between the two teams have been split 5-5. |
| 'An opportunity to learn from it and bounce back' | |
| Some coaches aim for a short-term memory approach after a tough loss, but that's not the case at Mississippi State this week. The women's basketball team suffered a humbling defeat to No. 8 Oklahoma on Sunday, falling 95-47 in Norman in by far the team's worst performance of the season. It ended a 10-game winning streak for the Bulldogs, who are now 14-2 on the season and 1-1 in SEC play. And it doesn't get any easier, with No. 20 Tennessee in Starkville tonight. "It sucked. I hope they had a bad taste in their mouth on the bus ride, the plane ride home," MSU head coach Sam Purcell said of the Oklahoma loss. "I hope they didn't sleep well, because that's what competitors do. We're competitors, I've been clear about this. I've got a great group of young women that I love, and we're trying to take this program to another level. That's what this is, it's the SEC. This week, it's two teams that played in the Sweet Sixteen, who just played a potential Final Four team. You want this. It's an opportunity to learn from it and bounce back and get to playing your best basketball come March." In order to turn a page, the Bulldogs have to learn from their mistakes. |
| Baseball: Reese Tabbed Preseason First Team All-American | |
| Mississippi State's Ace Reese wrapped up his 2025 season with five All-America honors and now begins his junior campaign with a first team Preseason All-America honor from Perfect Game. Reese started 57 games at third base for the Diamond Dawgs last spring and led the team with a .352 batting average, 80 hits, 18 doubles, 21 home runs, 66 RBIs, 163 total bases and a .718 slugging percentage and ranked in the top seven in the Southeastern Conference in each of those categories. His homer total was also the eighth-most in a single season in school history. Perfect Game named Reese a third team All-American last season. He received first team honors in 2025 from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as well as second team accolades from D1Baseball, Baseball America and the American Baseball Coaches Association. The native of Canton, Texas was also tabbed as the SEC Newcomer of the Year, a first team All-SEC selection and produced 25 multi-hit games, 20 multi-RBI games and five multi-homer games during his first year at MSU. |
| Pippa, mother of Jak, MSU's 'Bully XXI,' dies at age 13 | |
| Long before her son became the face of Mississippi State athletics, Queen Pippa was simply a six-week-old bulldog brought home to fill a quiet house and an empty nest. Nelson's Duchess Philippa, known affectionately as "Pippa," died Jan. 5 at the age of 13, leaving behind a legacy that stretched from her family's home to the heart of Mississippi State University and far beyond the football sidelines. Pippa came into the Nelson family in December 2012, just as Tammy Nelson's youngest child, Josh, left for MSU. What began as companionship quickly grew into something deeper. Though breeding Pippa was never intended to lead to Mississippi State, fate intervened. While attending a taping of "Dawg Talk" at Buffalo Wild Wings, Josh Nelson struck up a conversation with Lisa Pritchard, who encouraged the family to consider breeding Pippa. The result was history in maroon and white. Pippa was bred twice to Bully XXI Champ, producing Jak -- officially Bully XXI -- who would go on to serve as Mississippi State's beloved mascot, along with two other puppies, Lizzi and Fitz. Nelson credited Brookhaven Animal Hospital, Dr. Ryan Case and others for recognizing how special Pippa was, and thanked Mississippi State University and Pritchard for believing in her journey. |
| Jerry Jones wants to be the owner with the most Super Bowls, but the Cowboys have a long way to go | |
| Jerry Jones hasn't even sniffed an NFL championship in the past 30 of his 37 years as owner, president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys. Yet the 83-year-old still has the goal of retiring as the owner with the most Super Bowl titles, despite New England's Robert Kraft having twice as many as Jones' three. "Got work to do," son Stephen Jones, the executive vice president of personnel, said at the club's season-ending news conference Wednesday. "I've got work to do," Jerry Jones repeated. "But at least I'm up to the second rung of the ladder. My goal is to have retired and won a Super Bowl as an old man." The defense is pretty much a mess, soon to have its fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons after Matt Eberflus became the third since 2020 to last just one year. The offense is among the NFL's best, with Dallas (7-9-1) missing the playoffs in a full season from quarterback Dak Prescott for the first time since 2019. It was one of Prescott's best seasons, too -- third in yards passing and fourth in touchdowns. "I don't have that many drafts left," Jones said as reporters around him chuckled. "The bottom line is that, yes, this is very important. We want to while Dak is playing the game and got it down the way he's got it, we want to get out here and basically do better than what we did this year. So the combination of those things give us the incentive to, dare I say it, bust the budget to try to get something done now, yes. We'll do some dramatic things." |
| Demond Williams Jr.'s case will test viability of signed contracts | |
| Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr.'s announcement Tuesday night that he plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal sent shockwaves through college sports. Four days earlier, he'd signed a contract to return to Washington, which was set to pay him in the mid-$4 million range and put him near the top the market for college football. Washington continues to pursue legal action, per sources, to enforce the contract. Williams' declaration online that he is leaving quickly became a touchstone for a sport and system where there's already significant skepticism over the viability of signed contracts. What happens next with Williams will speak volumes about the future of college football and the enforceability of contracts, providing a bellwether for this new era of college sports. "This is a very bright line," a high-ranking college official said. "Are we going to respect each other's contracts? This is a very simple thing. If we can't protect this, nothing else matters." The situation can be boiled down to a simple point that has been a running issue and an embarrassment for college sports: Can contracts be enforced? |
| ESPN Sets Ad Sales Record as Buyers Flock to a Wild and Woolly CFP | |
| Advertisers who've been on the fence about buying time in the College Football Playoff National Championship had better give Jim Minnich a call, like, right now if they've decided to go forward with an in-game investment. Earlier this week, the SVP of revenue and yield management at Disney Advertising said he was on the brink of a sellout of the Jan. 19 title tilt, which is expected to put up big ratings numbers regardless of the final matchup. "We're very well sold," Minnich said during a phone interview. "We've got a couple avails left in Friday night's game [the Peach Bowl], and for the championship game, we're down to a unit or two. I don't want to say I'm completely sold out just yet, but we're in a much better position than we've been in years past." Media buyers say that securing one of the remaining 30-second ad units in the championship game will cost in the neighborhood of $2 million, and while nothing to sneeze at, the scatter rate is a steal compared to Indiana quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza's $2.6 million NIL valuation. "In college football right now, there are no dynasties, and that's really opened up this year's market," Minnich said. "Parity matters." |
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