| Tuesday, January 20, 2026 |
| MSU's Rader receives national award for book on fear of crime | |
 | Mississippi State University Professor Nicole E. Rader has received the 2025 Robert Jerin Book Award for her 2023 publication, "Teaching Fear: How We Learn to Fear Crime and Why It Matters." The award, presented by the Division of Victimology of the American Society of Criminology, recognizes a book that contributes significantly to scholarship on victims and victimization. "Teaching Fear" examines how fear of crime is learned and reinforced by families, schools and media, and how it influences behavior, perceptions of safety and broader social outcomes. The book was published by Temple University Press. The Robert Jerin Book Award is one of the Division of Victimology's highest honors, recognizing work that advances understanding of victimization and shapes future research. Rader's book was cited for its research rigor, relevance across audiences and its impact on discussions of crime and fear. |
| In memoriam: Vietnam POW, former airport director, passes away at 90 | |
| Every one who has served in the military has a story to tell – some more interesting than others, naturally. But few had a story to match that of Gene Smith, a Vietnam War fighter pilot was shot down over Hanoi and survived serious injuries and torture during his almost 2,000 days as a prisoner of war. The retired lieutenant colonel, who also served as director of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport for 20 years, died Jan. 16, just one day short of his 91st birthday, in his adopted hometown of West Point. For all he endured, Smith held no bitterness over his ordeal. To the contrary, he shared his grim account of his Vietnam experience with humility and uncommon humor. Over the years, it was a story Smith told over and over at civic club meetings, POW/MIA and Columbus Air Force Base events. "He was very well-known in Air Force circles," said Mike Hainsey, who like Smith transitioned from an Air Force pilot and administrator to director of Golden Triangle Regional Airport. Smith said he relied on faith to endure the ordeal. "Faith in God, faith in your country, faith in your family and faith in your fellow POWs," he said. "I never did think I wouldn't get out of there." A Delta native, Smith grew up in Tunica and attended Mississippi State University, where he earned an engineering degree and served in the Reserve Officers Training Corps before attending flight school. |
| Teen turns himself in for shooting at Starkville Sonic | |
| A Sturgis teen is behind bars following a Sunday morning shooting at Sonic Drive-In, located at 913 Hwy. 12 W. Jakobe George, 19, is charged with attempted murder, according to booking information available on the Oktibbeha County Jail website. An email from Starkville Police Department said George turned himself in Monday. Police responded at 10:47 a.m. Sunday to the shots-fired call at Sonic Drive-In and determined a firearm was discharged during an altercation, an SPD press release said. No injuries were reported but a vehicle was hit by gunfire. The participants in the altercation knew each other, the press release said. SPD took several persons of interest into custody Sunday, ranging in age from 16 to 19, and additional charges may follow as the investigation remains active. Anyone with information about this case can contact SPD at (662) 323-4131. |
| Winter weather could impact Mississippi later this week | |
 | Forecasters are warning Mississippians to prepare for the possibility of winter weather and dangerous cold late this week and into the weekend, as confidence grows that freezing temperatures and precipitation could overlap across much of the state. The National Weather Service says conditions appear increasingly favorable for a potential winter storm, particularly in north and central Mississippi, where cold air is expected to be firmly in place as moisture moves into the region. In north Mississippi, forecasters say it is still several days too early to pin down exact impacts, but the combination of very cold air and incoming precipitation raises the risk for winter weather. Officials cautioned that the forecast will continue to evolve. Central Mississippi could also see hazardous conditions next weekend, with overnight lows in the 20s and daytime highs in the 30s to low 40s, according to the National Weather Service. Sleet and freezing rain are considered the most likely precipitation types, though snow remains possible. Forecasters stressed that small temperature changes of just one or two degrees could significantly affect whether areas see freezing rain, sleet or snow, making confidence in exact outcomes difficult at this stage. |
| Canadian consul general highlights trade to governor, business leaders | |
 | As economic tensions between Canada and the United States continue to be strained, one member of Canadian leadership is reaching out to Mississippi leaders to keep relationships positive. Rosaline Kwan, the Consul General of Canada to the Southeast United States, visited Jackson on Jan. 14 and 15 to visit with political and business leaders. Canada is Mississippi's largest trading partner as the state currently imports nearly $2 billion in products every year, according to connect2canada.com. This was Kwan's second visit to Mississippi in recent years. Her first was in 2024 in Biloxi for the Southeastern United States-Canadian Provinces Alliance Business Forum. But this was her first visit to Jackson. "So, we started a great conversation there around the similarities between our businesses here, the Canadian business here, and Mississippi, and part of that conversation led to the conversation that we had (this week)," Kwan told the Clarion Ledger. During her visit, Kwan said she met with Gov. Tate Reeves, leaders of the Mississippi Development Authority as well as leaders of the newly formed Mississippi Business Alliance. She said she also met several legislators during the visit. She said much of her visit focused on a number of areas, but in particular, the area of energy. |
| American Furniture Manufacturing sold to Memphis private equity group | |
 | For the fifth time in its history, American Furniture Manufacturing has been sold -- this time to a Memphis-based private equity group. SouthWorth Capital Management, which describes itself as a family office specializing in lower middle market investments, announced it had acquired American Furniture and its subsidiaries Peak Living, Independent Furniture Supply, Delta Furniture Manufacturing and Southern Fiber for an undisclosed sum. Headquartered in Ecru, America Furniture was founded by the late Gerald Washington in 1988. A vertically integrated manufacturer, AFM builds upholstered, residential furniture, including leather offerings designed for high-volume retail environments. The company operates two distinct product tiers, Delta and Premier, allowing retailers to sell price points within their promotional packages. Through its subsidiaries, AFM controls key elements of its supply chain, from materials and foam production to hand-sewn upholstery, assembly and logistics. Together, the companies operate more than 700,000 square feet of manufacturing and assembly space and employ more than 650 people. |
| House will try again to legalize mobile sports betting in Mississippi. Challenges remain | |
| The Mississippi House will try for the third year straight to legalize mobile sports betting with new provisions aimed at winning over Senate lawmakers who have opposed the measure, the House Gaming Committee Chairman said. This year's legislation -- in a key change from last year's proposal -- would direct all state revenue from online betting to the state's government pension system, Casey Eure, a Republican from Saucier who chairs House Gaming, told Mississippi Today. The House and Senate are still at loggerheads over how to shore up the Public Employees' Retirement System, which has unfunded liabilities of about $26 billion. The new proposal will also contain other "compromises" for those who have previously opposed legalization. The persistence of a thriving black market in Mississippi and an estimated tens of millions a year in tax revenue that legal sports betting could generate has prompted a fierce push from some lawmakers to legalize the practice. The effort also has a strong and well-funded lobby from sports betting companies. But the legalization effort could again face significant headwinds, from skeptical state lawmakers in both parties and federal regulatory changes since the election of President Donald Trump. |
| Senate unanimously votes to eliminate 22 state boards, commissions | |
| With only one question about funding, the Mississippi Senate passed legislation by unanimous vote Monday afternoon that could eliminate nearly two dozen boards deemed "obsolete." After being on the Senate Calendar for nearly one week, Senators voted to repeal the boards in an effort to streamline state government, a top priority for the chamber under Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R). Senators passed a committee substitute bill for SB 2017, which the Senate Government Structure Committee passed on January 12. Unlike the original bill, which repealed 24 boards, commissions, and councils, the committee substitute only repeals 22. Before the Senate floor, State Senator Tyler McCaughn (R), the chairman of the Government Structure Committee, said, "In front of you, you got a list. On that list is 22 boards and commissions that we [the committee] determined, or appears to determine, that have not met or have met and not filed their minutes, or not done the things they were originally designed to do." The sole question came from State Senator Sollie Norwood (D), who asked about the $47,000 appropriated for a study group called the Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women. McCaughn said he would direct the question to the appropriate staff, but as he understands it, the money was appropriated and since the commission never met, the funds have not been spent. |
| State lawmakers push for protections as Supreme Court considers dismantling Voting Rights Act | |
| As the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a case that could further weaken the federal Voting Rights Act, some Mississippi lawmakers are moving to write their own version. State lawmakers in the the Legislative Black Caucus on Martin Luther King Jr. Day filed legislation to create a state-level version of the Voting Rights Act. They said their act is designed to safeguard minority voting rights, as the nation's highest court has indicated it's open to revisit provisions of the Civil Rights era federal law and has already overturned some. The state legislation would prohibit dilution of minority voters, create a Mississippi Voting Rights Commission and require some jurisdictions to obtain preclearance approval from the newly created commission. Rep. Zakiya Summers, a Democrat from Jackson and author of the legislation, said at a press conference in front of the state Capitol on Monday that the bill is not about one party or one race, but about protecting the voting rights of future generations. "I'm a mother of three sons, and what we do today determines what we do with their future," Summers said. |
| Mississippi lawmaker introduces bill to do away with honoring Robert E. Lee on MLK Day | |
| A Democratic lawmaker in Mississippi is continuing his now-decade-long fight to separate a dual holiday that observes Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert E. Lee on the same day. The state is one of two, alongside Alabama, that celebrates the civil rights icon and the Confederate leader at the same time each year. Rep. Kabir Karriem, who represents part of Lowndes County and is chair of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus, introduced a bill that would officially retire Robert E. Lee Day as a legal holiday in Mississippi and solely reserve the third Monday of every January for King. He wrote in House Bill 407 that if the legislature "desires to reflect the transformative power of Mississippi from its past to its present by celebrating holidays that wholly reflect the remarkable strides made by all citizens," lawmakers should not celebrate Lee and King on the same day. King, who would have been 97 years old last Friday, often visited Mississippi as part of his activism work. He took part in Medgar Evers' funeral procession in 1963, visited Greenwood in support of the Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964, and testified in support of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party during the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Karriem's bill has been referred to the House Rules Committee, where it requires approval before it can be brought to the full floor for a vote. |
| Justices to hear dispute between Attorney General Fitch, Auditor White | |
| Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch believes she, not State Auditor Shad White, possesses the authority to prosecute and manage litigation seeking to recover money on the State's behalf. Yet, Hinds County Chancellor J. Dewayne Thomas disagreed in November 2024, prompting Fitch to appeal the ruling to the Mississippi Supreme Court. A year later, the state high court set the oral arguments for this week. As previously reported, the case came after Fitch objected to White attempting to sue NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre to recoup misspent Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF funds. Fitch filed a petition in February 2024 to prevent White from pursuing a counterclaim against Favre on behalf of the state in a defamation case filed by Favre against White. Fitch accused White of hampering the state's TANF investigation and the progress made toward recouping funds in civil litigation "as well as potential criminal prosecutions." She stated that "the actions of the Auditor's office are aid to our legal adversaries and a disservice to the people." Notably, both White and Fitch are said to be considering a run for governor in the 2027 statewide elections. Attorneys for the two Republican statewide officials will make their arguments before the state Supreme Court on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. CT. |
| Senate Republicans detail farm aid package components | |
 | Key GOP senators released more details Friday on a farm aid package they're pushing to be included in upcoming government funding legislation. Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Hoeven, R-N.D., in a statement listed key components they are seeking. They include additional bridge payments intended to tide farmers over until commodity supports in last summer's budget reconciliation law take effect, assistance to specialty crop farmers and a boost to farm loan limits. A Republican aide said Thursday that Boozman and Hoeven are considering a $15 billion aid package, but the lawmakers declined to confirm the amount and no amount was included in the release sent by the Agriculture panels. Congress is pushing to get remaining appropriations bills across the finish line by a Jan. 30 deadline, when current funding for most federal agencies is set to expire. Top appropriators were aiming to release compromise versions of remaining fiscal 2026 spending bills this weekend in advance of House floor action next week, though stopgap funds may be needed for some agencies if text isn't ready in time. Farmers are increasingly relying on federal assistance to stay afloat given current economic conditions, including high input costs combined with low crop prices. Agriculture groups sent a letter to congressional leadership Thursday urging them "to provide immediate economic support to fill in the gap of remaining losses for both field and specialty crop farmers." |
| Congress clinches $1.2T funding deal for DHS, Pentagon, domestic agencies | |
 | Congressional leaders released bill text Tuesday of a bipartisan compromise to fund the vast majority of the federal government ahead of the Jan. 30 shutdown deadline. The bicameral breakthrough on funding for the Pentagon and the nation's largest nondefense agencies is the product of private negotiations between top appropriators in the two months since Congress ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. House leaders plan to hold a vote later in the week on the legislation, which would boost defense funding to more than $839 billion. It would also fund the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Education, and Homeland Security. After the fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis this month, congressional Democrats have demanded that any new DHS funding come with conditions to crack down on the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics, even as many Democratic voters call for defunding the agency. The final compromise would keep ICE funded at $10 billion for the fiscal year that ends in September, while reducing the agency's budget for enforcement and removal efforts. |
| Congress moves toward funding government, dodging shutdown | |
 | Congress is on track to avoid another government shutdown at the end of the month, after lawmakers released a bipartisan agreement on four remaining funding bills Tuesday. The $1.2 trillion package would fund the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Education, making up the lion's share of federal funding Congress controls. There is about a week and a half before the shutdown deadline Jan. 30. Democrats have raised concerns about funding the Department of Homeland Security -- which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement -- after an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis this month. But top Democrats on the House and Senate appropriations committees said they support the agreement, arguing that the DHS funding bill includes money for other agencies, such as FEMA, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard, and that ICE would be able to continue operating under a shutdown anyway because it was given $75 billion through the Republican tax and spending bill passed last year. The House is expected to vote on the package later this week, including a separate vote on the DHS bill. If it passes, the Senate would need to vote on the legislation next week to avoid another shutdown. |
| Americans Are the Ones Paying for Tariffs, Study Finds | |
 | Americans, not foreigners, are bearing almost the entire cost of U.S. tariffs, according to new research that contradicts a key claim by President Trump and suggests he might have a weaker hand in a reemerging trade war with Europe. Trump has repeatedly claimed that his historic tariffs, deployed aggressively over the past year as both a revenue-raising and foreign-policy tool, will be paid for by foreigners. Such assertions helped to reinforce the president's bargaining power and encourage foreign governments to do deals with the U.S. Trump's claims have been supported by the resilience of the U.S. economy, which recorded relatively brisk growth and moderate inflation last year, even as growth in Europe and other advanced economies remained sluggish. The new research, published Monday by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a well-regarded German think tank, suggests that the impact of tariffs is likely to show up over time in the form of higher U.S. consumer prices. The findings don't mean that the tariffs are a win for Europe -- on the contrary. German exports to the U.S., which have rocketed in recent years, have contracted sharply in the past year. |
| Trump's ICE force is sweeping America. Billions in his tax and spending cuts bill are paying for it | |
 | A ballooning Immigration and Customs Enforcement budget. Hiring bonuses of $50,000. Swelling ranks of ICE officers, to 22,000, in an expanding national force bigger than most police departments in America. President Donald Trump promised the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, but achieving his goal wouldn't have been possible without funding from the big tax and spending cuts bill passed by Republicans in Congress, and it's fueling unprecedented immigration enforcement actions in cities like Minneapolis and beyond. The GOP's big bill is "supercharging ICE," one budget expert said, in ways that Americans may not fully realize --- and that have only just begun. "I just don't think people have a sense of the scale," said Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress and a former adviser to the Biden administration's Office of Management and Budget. "We're looking at ICE in a way we've never seen before," he said. As the Republican president marks the first year of his second term, the immigration enforcement and removal operation that has been a cornerstone of his domestic and foreign policy agenda is rapidly transforming into something else --- a national law enforcement presence with billions upon billions of dollars in new spending from U.S. taxpayers. |
| Bill introduced would increase ICE presence in Mississippi | |
| A bill was introduced on Tuesday that, if passed, would multiply the presence of ICE agents in Mississippi, according to a Mississippi senator. Senate Bill 2329, known as the Mississippi Glacier (ICE) Act and introduced by Senator Michael McLendon, will create a first-of-its-kind state grant program to support Mississippi law enforcement agencies that partner with ICE through the federal 287(g) program, according to a release. The bill establishes a dedicated fund to reimburse local agencies for costs tied directly to enforcing federal immigration law, including detention bed space, equipment, training, travel, and lodging. "Mississippi is not going to pretend illegal immigration is someone else's problem," said Senator McLendon. "If you are here illegally, we are going to work with ICE to detain you and send you back to the country you came from, which more often than not is a far greater punishment than jail." This comes after an emergency press conference was held in North Mississippi on Friday regarding the potential of an ICE facility coming to the state. |
| Mounting controversies, midterm fears strain Senate GOP's relations with Trump | |
 | President Trump's slumping job approval numbers and the public controversies swirling around his second term in office are putting a strain on his relationship with GOP senators, who are looking for ways to distance themselves from the president heading into the November midterms. Republican lawmakers are pushing back on Trump and his administration on a dizzying range of issues, including the potential deployment of troops to Venezuela, the threat to seize Greenland, the criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, invoking the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis and capping credit card fees. And those are the disagreements have popped up just in the first two weeks of 2026, leaving some senators' heads spinning. One Republican senator who requested anonymity to comment on GOP senators' relationships with Trump said it's difficult to work with the president because he views any substantive policy disagreement as a personal affront. "He can't handle any level of what he considers to be personal criticism," the lawmaker said, referring to the president. "You have people who don't like the policy and feel like they have to stand up, but the president makes it so personal they feel like they have nowhere else to go," the senator added. |
| Trump pivots to 'affordability' in 2026. Can he stay on message? | |
 | Donald Trump returned to the presidency with a bang, rushing through his MAGA wish list in a shock-and-awe first year back that has ignited growing resistance and tested his iron grip on the GOP. Administration officials and allies say they still have big plans for year two, and 2026 began with attention-grabbing moves after U.S. troops captured Venezuela's president and Trump issued populist decrees on housing and credit card rates. "There's no limitation to his desire to drive news cycles," said Marc Short, Trump's legislative director during his first term and later Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff. But even Republicans say Trump's prospects for more major changes this year are uncertain as the looming midterm election narrows what's politically possible for the 79-year-old president, Congress looks increasingly deadlocked, public opposition to his aggressive moves at home and abroad mounts, and the central issue for many Americans -- cost-of-living concerns -- defies easy solutions. Some allies predict the Trump administration will push policies with broad appeal in his second year as GOP lawmakers face tough reelection fights. They already are campaigning around an argument that Democratic majorities in Washington would usher in aggressive oversight of Trump and the possibility of impeachment. |
| Europe Contends With a Big New Threat: The U.S. | |
| President Trump's demands that Denmark hand over Greenland to the U.S. or risk a trade war and possible military action is confronting Europe with the unthinkable: Its major ally for more than 70 years has turned into one of its most urgent threats. The collapse of trust in the U.S. over the past year among the European public and its leaders is forcing the continent to re-examine its reliance---from security to trade---on America under an unpredictable Trump administration that has expressed an antipathy toward Europe and is now insisting on taking an ally's territory. Most governments in Europe are seeking to de-escalate the confrontation and want to put off the day when they decouple the region's security and economy from the U.S. The cost of replacing the U.S.'s role as a military power in the region, while potentially also scaling back trade and investment to reduce risks, looks prohibitive for European countries that are struggling with low economic growth and overstretched government finances. Even if a compromise is found on Greenland, however, a sense is spreading in Europe that the historically unique friendship known as the West will never be the same again. The showdown, on top of other tensions with Trump, is bringing home to many in Europe that the relationship has turned toxic. Breaking up would be hard for the U.S., too. NATO has given Washington political influence across Europe and a network of bases that helps American power projection worldwide. European countries are also some of the biggest customers for U.S. defense companies, as well as one of the U.S.'s most important partners for trade and investment more broadly. |
| Top U.S. archbishops denounce American foreign policy | |
 | The three highest-ranking heads of Roman Catholic archdioceses in the United States issued a strongly worded statement on Monday criticizing the Trump administration's foreign policy -- without mentioning President Trump by name. Cardinals Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington, and Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, say America's actions raise moral questions. "Our country's moral role in confronting evil around the world, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty are all under examination," the statement reads. "And the building of just and sustainable peace, so crucial to humanity's well-being now and in the future, is being reduced to partisan categories that encourage polarization and destructive policies." The senior leaders cited the recent events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland, which they said "have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace." The statement by the American cardinals was inspired by a recent speech Pope Leo XIV gave to ambassadors to the Holy See. In it, he criticized the weakening of multilateralism. "A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading," Leo said in his Jan. 9 address. "Peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one's own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence." |
| The new 'Be The People' campaign wants to unite hundreds of millions of Americans to solve problems | |
| As the official celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence culminate on July 4, a well-financed, privately funded initiative will kick off to try to connect hundreds of millions of Americans with efforts to solve local problems. The "Be The People" campaign aspires to change the perception that the U.S. is hopelessly divided and that individuals have little power to overcome problems like poverty, addiction, violence and stalled economic mobility. It also wants to move people take action to solve those problems. Brian Hooks, chairman and CEO of the nonprofit network Stand Together, said the 250th anniversary is a unique moment "to show people that they matter, that they have a part to play, and that the future is unwritten, but it depends on each one of us stepping up to play our part." Funded by a mix of 50 philanthropic foundations and individual donors, Be The People builds on research that indicates many people want to contribute to their communities but don't know how. The initiative has raised more than $200 million for its first year's budget. Founding members range from nonprofits -- including GivingTuesday, Goodwill Industries and Habitat for Humanity, businesses like Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment and the National Basketball Association, to funders like the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. |
| UM earns recognition for community engagement | |
| The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized the University of Mississippi for its efforts to support and promote community engagement. The foundation selected 277 institutions nationwide for the Elective Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, a designation that recognizes the work that higher education institutions do in collaboration with their local, regional, national or global community. The classification, which is valid for six years, was last awarded to Ole Miss in 2020. "Community engagement is central to how we prepare students at the University of Mississippi – not only for careers, but for lives of purpose and service," said Shawnboda Mead, vice chancellor for student affairs. "This recognition reflects our commitment to educating engaged citizens and strengthening communities through collaboration, service, and shared learning." Every time a student graduates from the university and brings what they have learned back home, it benefits their community, said Cade Smith, assistant vice chancellor for access and community engagement. |
| First-generation Students Find Success, Support On Campus Through University Programs | |
 | First-generation college students feel a special excitement for their upcoming college experience. Some of them, however, also worry about the challenges that this new chapter brings, facing the added pressure of being the first person in their family to attend an institution of higher learning. For many first-generation college students, whose parents or guardians did not complete a four-year college degree, success is about more than earning a degree. "Being a first-generation college student means everything to me," Suezette Salazar, a junior marketing major, said. "Being the first in my family to attend and graduate (college) shows that my parents' sacrifices mattered, and it's something I'm incredibly proud of." The University of Mississippi has made strides to welcome first-generation students through programs and organizations designed to provide support and assistance. The First-Generation Student Network, a registered student organization that organizes programming for first-generation students, was launched in 2020. |
| Education: Renovations under way at EMCC Golden Triangle to better serve health care programs | |
| Renovations to convert the former Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence building on East Mississippi Community College's Golden Triangle campus to accommodate expansion of the Division of Nursing and Health Sciences programs are under way. Ethos Contracting Group, LLC, in conjunction with the Mississippi Bureau of Buildings, Grounds and Real Property Management, began work on the project last year. Hopes are that the work will be completed by the end of March. The architect for the project is Major Design Studio, PLLC. "There is a need in the Golden Triangle for skilled employees in the health care industry and those programs of study are among our most popular," said EMCC President Scott Alsobrooks. "We are fortunate in that we have great partners in the Mississippi Legislature, AccelerateMS and the Appalachian Regional Commission who are supporting this project." EMCC has been expanding its offerings in the Division of Nursing and Health Sciences since 2022, when the practical nursing program was reinstated on the Scooba campus after a 19-year hiatus. In 2023, EMCC doubled the number of associate degree nursing students on the Golden Triangle campus when a second cohort was added. In August of last year, the first class of associate degree nursing students began on the Scooba campus. |
| Governor opts Mississippi into Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program | |
| Governor Tate Reeves (R) announced Monday that he has opted Mississippi into the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program to promote school choice in the state. The Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program was created in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025. The Magnolia State joins other states such as Alabama, Virginia, Arkansas and more in opting into the federal school choice program. A congressional summary notes that under the program, taxpayers will be eligible to receive a tax credit of up to $1,700 for the value of cash contributions to certain scholarship granting organizations (SGOs). These organizations will be required to use these contributions to grant scholarships to students at private and public elementary and secondary schools located within their states. The governor's office said by opting into the program, which begins in federal tax year 2027, Mississippi will expand school choice opportunities for families across Mississippi. Governor Reeves' announcement of Mississippi joining in the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program comes just days after the House of Representatives passed HB 2, the Mississippi Education Freedom Act. |
| A shortage of workers could hinder an infrastructure boom | |
| "The greatest period of construction in human history." That's what a new report, out Friday from BlackRock, says the world could be entering. The report estimates up to $85 trillion spent globally on new infrastructure in the next 15 years. That infrastructure will take the form of data centers to fuel the artificial intelligence boom, along with new bridges, modern water systems, and updated roads. But to build all that, we need skilled workers who know how to do the building. And right now, we don't have enough of them. Sandra Lawson, author of that new BlackRock report, said we're going to need more. Not just electricians, but also HVAC technicians, plumbers, and people who are skilled builders. "The challenge, I think, over the next few years is that the supply can't ramp up as quickly as demand is ramping up, because ... many of these jobs require apprenticeship training, and that takes time," Lawson said. Here in the U.S., another factor is the immigration crackdown. Brian Turmail, a spokesman for the Associated General Contractors of America, said some construction sites are being raided by ICE. That's one problem. Another is the elimination of temporary protected status for some immigrants. To grow the size of the workforce, Turmail said we need more skills training in schools so that future workers are exposed to careers in construction. |
| Former Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond named Chief of U. of Alabama Police | |
| The University of Alabama Police Department has named longtime law enforcement executive Scott Thurmond as its new chief. Thurmond, who previously served as deputy chief and most recently as interim chief since August 2025, brings more than 25 years of experience in policing to the role. He is well known across the state for his tenure as chief of the Birmingham Police Department from 2022 to 2024. Thurmond began his law enforcement career with the Birmingham Police Department in 1998, where he spent more than two decades working his way through the ranks. During his time with BPD, he held command positions in both the Patrol and Investigative Bureaus before being appointed chief of police in January 2022. He retired from the Birmingham Police Department in late 2024 after a 26-year career, citing the importance of prioritizing family while expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve the city. |
| Louisiana community colleges get a big bang for the buck, new leader says. But they need more bucks | |
 | Richard Nelson has racked up many miles on his Chevy Silverado over the years -- first while serving in the Louisiana Legislature, then while running for governor and working as secretary of revenue. Over the next two weeks, he'll traverse the state again, this time to tour Louisiana's 12 community and technical colleges as the system's newly appointed president. Nelson said he admires the system, which receives limited state funding but helps its students -- many of whom are older than traditional college students and have families -- improve their skills and job prospects. "They're taking people who aren't worried about football or the experience," said Nelson, who started as president on Jan. 1. "They're there to get a job and the credentials they need so they can provide for their families." The system educated more than 92,000 students last year, about a third of the state's college population. But Nelson says it will need more funding to meet the state's demand for skilled workers for upcoming large-scale economic projects. |
| A New Dean Was Hired. Then Lawmakers Found Out She'd Signed a Legal Brief About Trans Athletes. | |
 | In the past week, Arkansas lawmakers relayed a message to their state's flagship university after it announced a new law dean: Don't hire her. That apparently led the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville to abruptly reverse course on the hiring of Emily Suski, a professor and associate dean at the University of South Carolina's Joseph F. Rice School of Law, citing "feedback" from "key external stakeholders." At issue was Suski's decision to sign a legal brief, along with other academics, in support of a lawsuit challenging state laws banning transgender athletes from competing on girls' and women's teams in high schools and colleges. The top Republican state senator told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette Thursday that he had urged the university not to hire Suski over her support for transgender athletes. The university had announced January 9 that Emily Suski, a professor and associate dean for strategic and institutional priorities at South Carolina, would start as Arkansas's School of Law dean on July 1. But on Wednesday, the Arkansas provost's office posted a message saying the university had "decided to go a different direction" and that Suski would no longer fill the position. "Key external stakeholders," the message said, had shared feedback "about the fit between Professor Suski and the university's vacancy." |
| Shirinian continues to fight for classroom return, 2027 trial date set | |
| Winter break saw several legal updates in Tamar Shirinian's case against University of Tennessee administrators. Shirinian, assistant professor of anthropology, faces termination proceedings after commenting online about Charlie Kirk's assassination in September, saying "the world is better off without him in it." Shirinian has since filed a complaint against Chancellor Donde Plowman, President Randy Boyd and Faculty Senate President Charles Noble in both their personal and official capacities. After a pretrial conference in early December, Judge Katherine A. Crytzer set Shirinian's trial date for Jan. 19, 2027. Crytzer also denied Shirinian's motion for a temporary restraining order, blocking her from returning to the classroom as the case progresses. "Because Plaintiff has not shown that Defendants likely violated her First Amendment rights when she was placed on administrative leave, the Court denies her Motion," Crytzer said in the memorandum denying the temporary restraining order. In the memorandum, Crytzer cited her use of the Pickering Test -- a balancing test used by courts to weigh an employee's free speech rights with an employer's interest in workplace efficiency. |
| UGA's College of Public Health receives $245,000 grant for e-bike safety research | |
| The Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) awarded the University of Georgia's College of Public Health a $245,000 grant to improve electric bike safety through data research and community collaboration. The grant year for the award extends from Dec. 3, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2026. The 'Improving E-Bike Safety Through Data and Community Insights' project addresses the lack of access to accurate traffic crash data involving e-bikes in Athens-Clarke County and on UGA's campus. E-bikes offer a sustainable and affordable mode of transportation, but raise safety concerns for operators, pedestrians and drivers, according to the College of Public Health. The project team intends to engage law enforcement and community stakeholders to have a stronger understanding of the impact of e-bikes on traffic and public safety. "E-bikes might look like traditional bicycles, but they can top out at speeds exceeding 30mph. This results in more serious injuries when crashes happen," the project's principal investigator Dr. Heather Padilla said. "Part of the challenge is to figure out the best way to safely integrate these vehicles with other traffic, and to have clear guidance for both drivers and law enforcement." |
| When Robert P. George Was Offered the U. of Florida Presidency | |
| Last year, after Santa J. Ono was rejected as the University of Florida's next president by the state system's Board of Governors, Gov. Ron DeSantis stepped into the fray. The Florida Republican flew to New Jersey and offered the presidency to Robert P. George, the Princeton University professor and prominent conservative Catholic. That's according to six administrators and Republican operatives who spoke with The Chronicle in recent months. In that meeting with DeSantis, George declined the UF presidency, sources said. Instead, he pointed DeSantis to another conservative academic: Donald Landry, of Columbia University. Landry, former chair of Columbia's Department of Medicine, was ultimately tapped as Florida's interim president. DeSantis's direct involvement in Florida's presidential selection signaled that the influence of Morteza (Mori) Hosseini, the flagship's Board of Trustees chair and long the most powerful person at the university, was waning. Hosseini, a Republican megadonor, real-estate magnate, and DeSantis ally, had for years controlled most of UF's hiring and decision-making. He had handpicked Ono for UF's presidency. Stealing away the president of the University of Michigan, Hosseini had reasoned, would be a coup for Florida as it chased national prestige and a higher U.S. News & World Report ranking. Instead, the Ono debacle became a defining moment for public higher education in Florida, where influential conservatives increasingly want their state's flagship to reflect their vision for academe: anti-DEI, anti-social justice, anti-woke. |
| U. of Minnesota making changes to support campus amid federal immigration enforcement | |
 | Thousands of students will return to Minnesota's largest university for the start of the spring semester on Tuesday. With thousands of federal agents active in the state as part of Operation Metro Surge, the University of Minnesota says it's making changes to support students, faculty and staff. University leadership says the adjustments are meant to prioritize access, safety and flexibility while maintaining a safe, inclusive and productive environment for all members of our community. The latest guidance came out on Thursday. The university says students will have the option to attend some classes virtually, depending on their courses, and guidance on that will come from their deans' offices. University leaders also want to make one thing clear: "Campus departments of public safety, including UMPD, do not enforce federal immigration laws and our officers do not inquire about an individual's immigration status." The university's Student Legal Services offers immigration legal counseling to students and encourages noncitizen students to always carry their immigration documents. |
| Spanberger Reshapes Virginia Boards on Day One | |
 | Freshly sworn into office, Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger appointed 27 new members to three university boards Saturday, effectively reshaping governance at the University of Virginia, George Mason University and Virginia Military Institute. Spanberger's wave of appointments comes after state Democrats blocked numerous picks advanced by former Republican governor Glenn Youngkin, who stocked university boards with GOP megadonors and various conservative figures, including former lawmakers and officials. The unprecedented blockade has now handed Youngkin's Democratic successor an opportunity to reshape governing boards at a much faster pace than she would have been able to otherwise. Under Virginia law, governors appoint a certain number of members each year. By the end of their term, each governor will have filled out a board with their own picks. But if her picks are confirmed, Spanberger will have already appointed a majority of the UVA and GMU boards. At least 13 of the 27 picks donated to Spanberger's gubernatorial campaign. |
| A.I. Is Coming to Class. These Professors Want to Ease Your Worries. | |
 | The front line in the debate over whether and when university students should be taught how to properly use generative artificial intelligence runs right through Benjamin Breyer's classroom at Barnard College in Manhattan. The first-year writing program he teaches in at Barnard generally bans the use of generative A.I., including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and the like, which eagerly draft paragraphs, do research and compose essays for their users. The program's policy statement warns students that A.I. "is often factually wrong, and it is also deeply problematic, perpetuating misogyny and racial and cultural biases." Wendy Schor-Haim, the program's director, runs screen-free classes and shows students how she uses different colored highlighters to annotate printed texts. She has never tried ChatGPT. "Students tend to use it in our classrooms to do the work that we are here to teach them how to do," she said. "And it is very, very bad at that work." But she has made an exception for Professor Breyer, who is determined to see if he can use A.I. to supplement, not short-circuit, the efforts of students as they study academic writing. In that sense, Professor Breyer represents a growing swath of writing and English professors who are trying to find positive uses for a technology that some of their colleagues remain dead set against. |
| Women far outnumber men in law, medical, vet schools. Why this matters | |
 | Women not only have overtaken men in their pursuit of bachelor's degrees but have also eclipsed them in graduate and professional schools, new data show. Women are earning 40% more doctoral degrees than men, and nearly twice as many master's degrees, according to the U.S. Department of Education. And women now outnumber men in law, medical, pharmacy, veterinary, optometry and dental schools. This is not some distant statistical abstraction. Americans can see this quiet but dramatic shift when they take their pets to the vet or their kids to the dentist, need a lawyer or an eye exam, see a therapist or pick up a prescription. In every case, they're likely to see more, or only, women. The main reason behind the increasingly entrenched trend: More women than men are earning the undergraduate degrees required to advance to graduate and professional school. Women now account for about 60% of undergraduate enrollment. Nearly half of women age 25 to 34 have bachelor's degrees, compared with 37% of men, according to the Pew Research Center. While the numbers show progress for women in prestigious fields, the declining number of men enrolling in graduate programs is bad news for the universities and colleges that offer them -- and for the economy. That's because the growing number of women going to graduate and professional schools can't continue forever to outpace the decline in the number of men to sustain higher education institutions. Total graduate enrollment at private, nonprofit colleges and universities was already down this fall, the Clearinghouse reports. |
| GOP's Civics-Education Push Gets Boost With Millions From Trump's NEH | |
| The Trump administration is handing out tens of millions of dollars to support faculty positions and expansion efforts for academic programs focused on civics education, history, and Western civilization. The grants were among dozens announced Thursday by the National Endowment for the Humanities, which detailed $75 million allocated for 84 humanities projects in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary. The grants will support a range of projects through individual fellowships and faculty awards, as well as the establishment of endowments at two academic institutions. A number of the grants are supporting centers and schools focused on civic thought at public universities, which Republican state lawmakers have pushed to create in recent years. Faculty leaders have criticized the units as partisan interjections into curriculum and research, and in some cases have alleged that their creation had circumvented typical campus procedures. Proponents of the schools argue that civics are a nonpartisan effort, citing more recent cases of these units being established in purple or blue states, most recently Michigan. Two of the largest grants were awarded to the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UT-Austin will receive $10 million outright for hiring 16 new professors in strategy, statecraft, and "Great Books" disciplines. |
| Federal Court Orders Reconsideration of Canceled TRIO Grants | |
| Some canceled TRIO programs will get a second look after a federal judge ordered the Education Department Friday to reconsider grants that were either denied or discontinued last year. More than 100 grants were canceled because the department said they either didn't follow nondiscrimination requirements or align with the Trump administration's anti-DEI agenda. The cancellations represented about 3 percent of all TRIO programs, which served more than over 43,600 students. Colleges that house these programs have also had to lay off staff members and cut services to the underrepresented students that TRIO is designed to serve. The Council for Opportunity in Education, which advocates for TRIO programs and filed two lawsuits to block the cuts, argued in part that the department penalized the TRIO programs for complying with Biden-era requirements that were in place when the applications were submitted. The lawsuits concern a batch of grants for the Student Support Services program, which is part of TRIO, that were up for renewal in 2025 and subsequently denied, as well as dozens of grants that were discontinued. Judge Tanya S. Chutkan in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia largely agreed with COE and found that the organization was likely to prevail on the merits of its case. In a 39-page opinion, Chutkan, an Obama appointee, ruled that the department didn't sufficiently explain its decisions or follow statutory and regulatory requirements in canceling the grants. |
| The Legislature's added billions in new education funding, their opponents still accuse them of 'underfunding' | |
| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: Listening to the national teachers' union PR machine, which includes many a friend in the press, our schools are "chronically underfunded." They've been "defunded." And legislators who believe -- as President Donald Trump does -- that families deserve education options, are attempting to "pillage." Pillage! Only it's a lie. Not a small one, either. But oft repeated, a lie can become a mindless, droning truth. State appropriations to support K-12, including both general and special fund support, have risen from $3.427 billion for the 2016-2017 school year to $5.216 billion for the 2025-2026. Included in that 52 percent increase in state appropriations to fund education is a nearly $700 million annual increase in state general fund support. These recent investments include the largest teacher pay raise in Mississippi history, a new school funding formula that is pumping considerable new dollars into the system, and in HB 2, proposed this year, an 18 percent increase in teachers' assistant pay. In that same decade timeframe, Mississippi's public K-12 enrollment has declined by nearly 60,000 students, from 483,150 to 424,534. On a per pupil basis, this translates to an even larger increase in state education appropriations over the last decade -- of 73 percent. We're spending a lot more on a lot fewer kids. |
| Can Senate stick to its position against school vouchers? | |
 | Columnist Bill Crawford writes: On the first day of the 2026 session, the Mississippi Senate took a strong position against public school vouchers. "Vouchers are not on the table in the Senate," Mississippi Today reported Education Committee Chairman Sen. Dennis DeBar Jr., as saying. Later that day the full Senate easily passed two education bills locking in that position. Will the Senate be able to stick to it? ... This heavy political pressure weighing down on the Senate follows incessant lobbying and intense campaigning by school voucher proponents, particularly Empower Mississippi and the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. Then there is the name calling. ... Interestingly, the Senate and House bills feature a number of common elements. Yet school vouchers will harshly divide the chambers unless the Senate succumbs to political pressure or the House agrees to compromise. |
SPORTS
| Hubbard, Mississippi State Bulldogs to visit Agee, Texas A&M Aggies | |
| Mississippi State takes on Texas A&M in SEC action Wednesday. The Aggies have gone 10-1 in home games. Texas A&M is third in the SEC scoring 91.9 points while shooting 48.0% from the field. The Bulldogs are 2-3 against SEC opponents. Mississippi State is 2-3 in one-possession games. Texas A&M makes 48.0% of its shots from the field this season, which is 6.0 percentage points higher than Mississippi State has allowed to its opponents (42.0%). Mississippi State averages 79.4 points per game, 1.8 more than the 77.6 Texas A&M gives up to opponents. The matchup Wednesday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams in conference play. Josh Hubbard is averaging 22.3 points and 3.8 assists for the Bulldogs. Jayden Epps is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. |
| Richardson, Crisp come up clutch as MSU knocks off No. 7 Kentucky | |
| In each of the last four games, all losses to ranked opposition, Mississippi State has had a bad run defensively where the contest went south. On Sunday, it was the Bulldogs who finally dealt the killing blow. Up 53-49 against No. 7 Kentucky, the Bulldogs were in search of an answer. Kharyssa Richardson was on track for her best night shooting the ball, and added to her total with a hit from distance. A quick stop at the other end saw Destiney McPhaul race forward, and instead of driving, she saw teammate Trayanna Crisp open to her right and passed her the ball for a spot-up shot. Crisp obliged, sinking her fourth triple of the game to give the Bulldogs a 10-point advantage in a flash. It's a shot Crisp has shown she can hit all season, and one that she practices relentlessly with her team. "Just moving with the ball, my teammates found me as well," Crisp said of her success shooting on the night. "The flow of basketball is so crazy, you might find yourself open in a little pocket and you've just got to shoot the ball. I practice that every day, my teammates also help me get that shot off in practice. Just able to trust the work and trust the process." |
| Why coach Sam Purcell's kids get a treehouse after Mississippi State's upset of Kentucky | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell makes a bet with his three children every season. He and his kids pick one game, usually against a ranked opponent, where if MSU wins, he surprises them with a big gift. The Bulldogs are now 3-1 in those games in Purcell's three seasons. MSU (15-5, 2-4 SEC) upset No. 9 Kentucky 71-59 at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 18. As a result, the three Purcell girls, Reese, Rylee and Reagan, will be getting a treehouse. "I'm asking all the famous HGTV people, if you guys can start tweeting the right people and let them know, I got three little girls at home that we always try to do something special," Purcell said. "Maybe we can make this a TV show. Shoutout to my young women." The first prize was a trampoline after Mississippi State beat Tennesse in double overtime in 2023, Purcell's first season. Then the next season, Mississippi State upset LSU at Humphrey Coliseum to win them a swimming pool. |
| CFP leaders remain stalled on expansion, five days out from locking in 12 teams for 2026 | |
| With a deadline looming, College Football Playoff executives on Sunday yet again delayed a decision on expansion for next year, increasing the likelihood that the number of teams in the field will remain at 12 next season. The CFP management committee, which is made up of 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director, met for about three and a half hours at a hotel not far from the beach, and no consensus was reached on the most important outstanding issue: Should the Playoff expand? The CFP has until Friday to inform ESPN of next season's format. The original deadline was Dec. 1, but ESPN gave the management committee an extra seven weeks to consider its options. "Negotiations are ongoing," said Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, who is the chairman of the group of university presidents and chancellors that oversees the CFP. Keenum said he reminded his colleagues, "It took five years for us to go from four to 12." The university presidents and chancellors that make up the board of managers joined the group for the final 90 minutes. "Well, there are a lot of reasons to look at expanding," Keenum said. "The reason we went from four to 12, give more teams an opportunity to compete, give more student-athletes an opportunity to compete in the nation's tournament, if you will, to determine our national champion." |
| Decision on CFP expansion will have plenty of downstream impact | |
| Perhaps the biggest piece of college media news leading into Miami-Indiana was the non-news. That would be the CFP Management Committee making no decisions on whether to remain at 12 teams or potentially expand to 16 or 24 for next season, or beyond. But the downstream media rights implications from this eventual decision are big -- for the Power 4, the Group of 6, Notre Dame, networks, sponsors, bowl games and so many other parties not even in college sports. In several conversations over the weekend in Miami, a number of sources tell SBJ that a 16-team CFP model remains the preferred path among most parties not named the Big Ten. Another longtime industry executive said that there seems to be little appetite for 24, even with the three-year wait that the Big Ten proposed. ESPN under Jimmy Pitaro's leadership has been defined by prudent spending. The network has spent where it needed to spend and let go of rights it felt were overpriced. Assuming a scenario where expansion gets approved for 16 teams, there are other media rights considerations for incumbent ESPN, which sources say has first right of refusal on games created by expansion. The question becomes whether that's the right financial decision for ESPN. The network already sublicenses a number of games to TNT Sports in the existing deal, and sources told SBJ that scenario would likely continue at 16 teams, whether with TNT or another company. One thing ESPN -- and likely other media partners -- does not want to do is impair the value of the regular season and the conference title games. |
| Trump attends college football national championship | |
| President Trump on Monday attended the College Football Playoff National Championship in Florida taking place on the Martin Luther King, Jr., federal holiday. Trump, who has been at Mar-a-Lago over the long weekend, was in attendance to watch the Indiana Hoosiers battle the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., alongside family members, including granddaughter, Kai Trump. Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and longtime adviser Boris Epshteyn were among others in the president's company. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former U.S. senator for Florida and outspoken Miami fan, was also spotted at the game. "At its best, college football reflects our timeless American values of family, freedom, unity, and hard work and represents the pinnacle of our national spirit," Trump said in a statement congratulating both teams ahead of the game. The president has not indicated which team he's rooting for, but granddaughter Kai Trump has reportedly committed to the University of Miami as part of its women's golf signing class. |
| Nobody Could Beat Indiana -- but Anyone With Cash Could Be Next | |
| The University of Indiana completed its fairytale season Monday night, beating Miami, 27-21, in the national championship game. What was once the losingest program in college football can now stake claim to one of the most dominant seasons of all time. No team had gone 16-0 since Yale in 1894. But the storybook nature of IU's success hides an obvious fact. The Hoosiers didn't go from 3-9 in 2023 to the top of the world on Monday with the help of a fairy godmother or magic pixie dust. This Cinderella story is replicable. It started with spending. Indiana began significantly increasing its football expenses in 2021, the same year it hired university president Pamela Whitten, who'd previously seen the sport's power as a Georgia provost. The school spent $62 million in 2023-24, nearly double what it did two years earlier. One of its biggest single expenses was the $15.5 million buyout of former coach Tom Allen in 2023. As Indiana looked for his replacement, the athletic department studied how other programs rich in basketball tradition succeeded on the gridiron, ultimately developing a logical formula. What mattered, they decided, was getting an experienced head coach with an offensive background and a proven ability to recruit and develop top-tier quarterbacks. Enter 62-year-old Curt Cignetti in 2023 and Cal transfer QB Fernando Mendoza a year later. College football's current paradigm of essentially one-year deals for every player means that programs can't stack talent down their depth charts like they did a decade ago. Dynasties are done. But it also means teams who can pay for their best players to stick around, who can recruit newcomers to fill any voids, and who can get the most out of them with elite coaching and quarterback play have the potential to become champions. |
| White House task force members attend CFP title game to prepare for the World Cup | |
| Members of the White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup attended the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night as part of their preparation for the tournament that is expected to draw millions of tourists to the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer. The task force, created by President Donald Trump, is coordinating the federal government's security and planning for the tournament, working with agencies that include the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Justice and others. "We're fascinated to see what tonight looks like," Andrew Giuliani, the task force's executive director, told The Associated Press. "I think tonight especially, the reason why I wanted to be here was because soccer fans can be highly emotional. You're obviously tonight going to get an emotional fan base with the University of Miami being here that is either going to be very happy or not as happy after the end of this. So I'm very interested to see what that looks like ... and how we can learn from this game for the World Cup. "It's not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, but it's probably one of the closest we're going get between now and the kickoff to the World Cup." |
| Lawyers for QB Trinidad Chambliss sue NCAA in Mississippi court | |
| Lawyers representing Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss sued the NCAA on Friday, asking a judge in the Chancery Court of Lafayette County, Mississippi, for preliminary and permanent injunctions that would allow him to play one more season for the Rebels. The NCAA denied Chambliss a waiver for a sixth year of eligibility on Jan. 9, ruling that Ole Miss officials and Chambliss didn't provide adequate medical evidence by a treating physician that showed he was suffering from an "incapacitating injury or illness," which is required for approval of a waiver. Chambliss claimed he dealt with persistent respiratory issues as a sophomore at Division II Ferris State in 2022, which is why he didn't play that season. "In Trinidad's case, the NCAA failed in its mission to foster his well-being and development as a student-athlete," the lawsuit says. "The mechanisms (i.e., waiver rules) for granting Trinidad an additional year of eligibility -- so that he has the opportunity to compete in four years of college football -- are available and within the NCAA's control. Ole Miss officials also filed an appeal with the NCAA. |
| Reigning NCAA champion Michael La Sasso turns pro, joins LIV Golf | |
| LIV Golf perhaps has its biggest signing of 2026, and it's one not many people saw coming. Michael La Sasso, the reigning NCAA individual champion, is turning professional and set to join Phil Mickelson's HyFlyers GC ahead of the 2026 LIV Golf season. In turning pro, La Sasso forfeits the rest of his amateur eligibility, including his spot in the Masters in April. "I'm incredibly excited to join HyFlyers GC and take this next step in my career," La Sasso said. La Sasso has cooled off a bit since his stellar junior season. In the fall, he made only two stroke-play starts and finished 18th and 23rd and was ranked 100th in the NCAA golf rankings. He played in six PGA Tour events last year, making the cut only once. Now on LIV Golf, La Sasso will get to learn under six-time major champion Mickelson. Meanwhile, his departure could be drastic for the Rebels, which finished the fall season ranked 10th and has sights on getting back into the national championship conversation at Omni La Costa this spring. But now they'll have to do so without La Sasso, who is taking a big gamble in giving up his spot in the Masters and amateur status to join LIV Golf to try to become one of the league's young, breakout stars. |
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