| Wednesday, March 18, 2026 |
| A Pontifical and an American university promote ethics and education in AI era | |
 | The conference "Learning by Doing. Ethics and Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" was held in Rome at the Pontifical Antonianum University, in collaboration with Mississippi State University. The initiative is part of the activities of the International Observatory for Integral Intelligence, Ethics, and Public Value, established by the Pontifical Antonianum University with Formez PA and CSI Piemonte. The Observatory focuses on research and cooperation on the ethical, legal, and cultural aspects of artificial intelligence. The agreement with Mississippi State University, the University's Provost David Shaw explains, includes two main areas, namely collaboration on "the legal and social implications of digital transition and integrative intelligence" and the development of study opportunities in Rome for students from both institutions A student residence project in Rome is also underway. According to Dr. Shaw, the goal is to offer "a rich opportunity for our students to immerse themselves in Italian history, culture, arts, and higher education," with support from the Pontifical Antonianum University. The project is supported by donors Laura and Mike McDaniel, who emphasized the importance of international experience, citing the idea that "travel is fatal to prejudice." |
| MSU hosts Giles Distinguished Lecture by food science professor Wes Schilling March 18 | |
 | Mississippi State is hosting a lecture by food science professor and 2024 William L. Giles Distinguished Professor Wes Schilling as part of the university's William L. Giles Distinguished Lecture Series on Wednesday [March 18]. Schilling will present "Food Science: The Best Career You Have Never Heard of: People, Relationships, and Feeding the World," at 4 p.m., Old Main Academic Center, Room 1030. Sponsored by MSU's Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, the event is open to faculty, staff, students and the public. The William L. Giles University Lecture Series invites recently named Giles Distinguished Professors to share insights from careers marked by excellence in research, teaching and service. Among the highest honors MSU can bestow on a faculty member, the Giles Distinguished Professorship recognizes sustained academic achievement and national or international scholarly distinction. The university will continue the lecture series in April with a presentation by 2025 Giles Distinguished Professor Chris Snyder. |
| MSU students power up their supercomputing skills | |
| A student-led organization at Mississippi State University is introducing undergraduates to the world of supercomputing and high-performance computing. The Special Interest Group in High Performance Computing (SIG-HPC), a student organization, focuses on teaching students how advanced computing systems are used in research and industry. High-performance computing (HPC) has become increasingly important across multiple fields, including engineering, agriculture and environmental science. As computing demands grow, universities are working to prepare students with skills in advanced computing. Trey Breckenridge, the director of high performance computing at MSU's High Performance Computing Collaboratory, said early exposure to HPC can benefit both students and the university. "It's beneficial to the students to give them exposure and experience," Breckenridge said. "It's beneficial to MSU because we want to improve the workforce capability of our students going out." Breckenridge, who has worked with the university's supercomputers since the late 1990s, said HPC technology is widely used in modern manufacturing and research. Breckenridge said that these systems support research in disciplines ranging from engineering and physics to agriculture and environmental science. Researchers use high-performance computing to simulate complex scenarios that would otherwise be difficult or expensive to test in real-world environments. |
| Save the (native) bees to support agriculture and food production | |
 | While honeybees are important for crops and as a food source for humans, native bees pollinate as much as 80% of many important crops and should be protected as well. Jeff Harris, bee specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the U.S. has about 4,000 species of native bees. Many native bees live in the ground. "Many of them are struggling to survive in human-inundated landscapes," said Harris, who is also a Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station researcher. "They need a lot of help, and awareness that they even exist is the first step." Many native bees do not sting, and Harris said these native, ground-nesting bees are important pollinators for agriculture. Harris said individuals can contribute to efforts to protect native bees through making and recording their observations of these insects. "I am a regular user of iNaturalist and different websites that track insects and birds," Harris said. "They are all fantastic ways for citizen scientists to contribute observational data that can be used by conservationists and others." |
| Charlestowne Hotels unveils U.S. development pipeline | |
| Charlestowne Hotels has detailed its upcoming development pipeline spanning the Midwest, Southeast and Mountain West, with multiple projects scheduled through 2028. The pipeline includes a boutique hotel in Milwaukee, Wis.; a staffless hospitality concept in Florida; and an adaptive reuse property in Santa Fe, N.M. The company is also expanding its soft-branded portfolio with two Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotels scheduled to open over the next two years. "This pipeline represents a very deliberate evolution of Charlestowne Hotels," said Kyle Hughey, CEO of Charlestowne Hotels. "We are partnering with owners who share our belief that hotels should be deeply rooted in their communities, shaped by design and story, and built with amenities and offerings for long-term relevance. Each of these projects reflects where we see the future of independent and experience-driven hospitality." Within the Tribute Portfolio, Hotel Madelon in Starkville, Miss., is scheduled for July 2027 as a 122-room hotel tied to Mississippi State University. |
| Education: Starkville senior receives DAR Citizenship Award | |
| Starkville High School senior, Catherine Shapley, was honored by the Oktibbeha County Hic-A-Sha-Ba-Ha Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution with the organization's annual Citizenship Award for SHS students. The award was presented at a ceremony in early February. At February's awards ceremony, Catherine had the opportunity to read her essay to the audience and was presented with a certificate. In addition, SHS counselor Susan Weaver spoke about Catherine's student accomplishments, work ethic and service to the SHS student body. Catherine currently serves as the 2025-2026 SHS student body president and is a member of the MSU Shakhouls Honors College Early Honors Program and the SHS golf team. She has also been named the SHS 2026 STAR student. Catherine plans to attend Mississippi State University after graduation. |
| Residents divided on issue of banning kratom | |
| During a public hearing Tuesday night at City Hall, Brandie Stribling told aldermen that an addiction to kratom pills made her husband "unrecognizable." "The effects on Bo have been heartbreaking and destructive," she said. "He has become ... withdrawn, refusing to eat or sleep, unwilling to engage with our family and exhibiting severe mood swings and hostility. His weight has plummeted. ... Financially, our situation has deteriorated sharply. What started as a daily expense of $10 has ballooned to $300 to $400 per week." Stribling was one of three citizens to speak in favor of the board's proposed ordinance to ban kratom, a product commonly sold in convenience stores as a pain relief or energy supplement, during the first public hearing on the matter. Emily Landrum, a family physician in Starkville, also spoke in favor of banning both synthetic and natural kratom, arguing that both products are "highly addictive, largely unregulated and not studied to any significant degree." The second public hearing is set for 5:30 p.m. April 7 at City Hall. |
| Vasey ready to 'hit the ground running' as new LINK CEO | |
| It took five days for Iain Vasey to drive from Oregon to the Golden Triangle. Less than 90 minutes into his tenure as the Golden Triangle Development LINK's new CEO, still recovering from the long drive, he was introducing himself to the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors with a commitment to "hit the ground running." "I owe you all an apology for bringing terribly cold weather with me down from the north," Vasey joked Monday morning during the supervisors' meeting at the courthouse, referring to this week's sudden cold snap. The LINK hired Vasey in February to replace longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins, who was fired amid allegations of inappropriate workplace conduct and speech. He will help lead industrial recruitment efforts in Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Clay counties. Vasey boasts more than 30 years of economic development experience in Texas, Louisiana and most recently Oregon, helping recruit almost $60 billion in capital investment over that span. |
| Thomas Howard to Lead Lauderdale County Public Affairs | |
 | Lauderdale County officials announced Monday that Thomas Howard has joined the county as Public Affairs Director. Howard brings more than a decade of experience in the news industry to the role, most recently serving as editor of The Meridian Star. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University and the University of Alabama and lives in Marion. In his new role, Howard will coordinate media relations, social media and public announcements for county departments and officials. County Administrator Chris Lafferty said Howard's background makes him a strong fit for the position. "I'm excited for the opportunity to join Lauderdale County," Howard said. "Most people don't know just how much effort goes into providing county services, and I look forward to sharing those stories and growing communication between county workers and the community." |
| Salad Days greenhouse expansion brings locally grown lettuce to Mississippi grocery stores | |
| A 65,000-square-foot greenhouse in Flora is now producing 3 million heads of lettuce annually after Salad Days held a ribbon-cutting marking the full launch of its expanded facility. State leaders called the operation a blueprint for the future of food in Mississippi, where 95 percent of the lettuce on dinner tables was previously grown more than 1,500 miles away. For the first time, locally grown lettuce from the Flora facility is available to every Mississippi family at their local grocery store. Salad Days founder Leigh Bailey said she and her husband started the company 14 years ago after leaving careers in real estate, a pivot she described as proof that reinvention is possible. Bailey said the business fills a gap that Mississippi's dominant agricultural industries have long left open. "Mississippi, obviously, one of the biggest industries in Mississippi is agriculture. But most of what is grown here can't be eaten. It's corn and soybeans and things that we can't feed our state with," Bailey said. "So it really makes sense for Mississippi to try to feed itself. We have all the resources here that we need -- water, land." |
| Mississippi Ag Commissioner pushes back on California's corporate climate reporting mandate | |
| Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson (R) signed an administrative order on Monday aimed at shielding the state's agribusinesses from California's new climate reporting mandates. "Gavin Newsome should tend to his own State's business, rather than trying to meddle with ours," Gipson said on social media. California's Air Resources Board is finalizing rules to make it the first state to enact a law regarding corporate climate accountability reporting, requiring U.S.-based entities with more than $1 billion in annual revenue that do business in the state to annually report greenhouse gas emissions. Another California law that would require companies doing business in the state with annual revenues exceeding $500 million to file a biennial climate-related financial risk report was temporarily paused from being implemented by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. However, the California Air Resources Board is also considered regulations to implement that law should the court rule in the state's favor. Similar measures are now being considered in New York. Gipson said the California law could impact agricultural and food industry entities headquartered in Mississippi, "mainly our big poultry and egg companies." |
| Iran war has US farmers worried about the cost and availability of fertilizer | |
 | Tennessee farmer Todd Littleton expects to pay $100,000 more for fertilizer this season, a 40% spike from his bill last year thanks to the war in Iran -- and he is scrambling to cover that extra cost. "The problem is, is we're so strained financially coming into this issue," said Littleton, a third-generation farmer from Gibson County in the state's northwest corner. "We have had a couple of record losses the last couple years, so everyone's kinda grabbing at straws anyway, and then to have input prices increase yet again, it just really couldn't happen at a worse time." Littleton, who grows corn, soybeans and wheat, is among thousands of farmers across the country who will pay far more this spring than they expected for fertilizer that is essential to their crops. Nitrogen-based fertilizer is especially vital for corn, usually the largest crop in the U.S. and one that feeds the nation's livestock and is converted into fuel that helps power most U.S. cars and trucks. Farmers have complained about costly fertilizer for years, but prices have soared even higher since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, leading to a slowdown in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for 20% of the world's oil and natural gas. Besides increasing the price of fuel, which is key in the production of fertilizer, the shipping disruption also has largely stopped the export of nitrogen fertilizers manufactured in the Persian Gulf and limited access to key fertilizer ingredients. |
| Fertilizer prices rise for Mississippi farmers as Strait of Hormuz remains closed due to war in Iran | |
 | Many farmers in the United States, including those in Mississippi, are getting ready for the spring planting season. But those plans could be on hold as the war with Iran continues. "We're price-takers, not price-makers," said Jeff Easterling, a long-time farmer and president of the South Mississippi Farm Bureau. "We can't just say we're going to move our costs up to match our input costs." The war has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for not only oil and gas, but also fertilizers. "Now, a lot of this stuff is drawn from overseas, and we're not competing on a localized market," Easterling said. "It's a global market." Mississippi's Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson said state leaders are aware of the closure's potential global implications. "There are workarounds, but it is going to take time to get those workarounds to help," Gipson said. Gipson said they're working with the Trump administration to enhance Mississippi's domestic output. "It's only been a year or so that these fertilizer domestic production efforts have been ramped up," said Gipson. |
| Oil veteran warns Iran conflict could keep gas prices high awhile | |
| When Frank Howell heard the news that the United States and Israel had launched a surprise missile attack in Iran on Feb. 28, he knew he needed to act quickly. He took both his trucks the next day and filled them with gas before prices could rise. Howell, who spent nearly 40 years working in the oil and gas industry before retiring as vice president of exploration and production for Hunt Petroleum Corporation, said international conflicts always lead to higher gas prices. That is especially true, Howell said, when that conflict is with a country in the Middle East, which controls about half of the world's oil supply. "At one time in the Middle East, it was like two-thirds of the world's supply or reserves were in the Middle East. Now there's been development in other countries, and they're down to about 48%," Howell said to The Dispatch. "... (So when there is a conflict) consequently, you and I are going to pay for it, or somebody's going to absorb that cost." Matt Bogue, president for Dutch Oil Company, agreed with Howell and said oil markets – and as a byproduct, gas prices -- are reactionary to any concerns with production. This includes ongoing issues with key trade routes like the Strait of Hormuz, he said, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea. |
| Fed expected to keep rates steady under uncertainty of war | |
| The Federal Reserve will announce its latest interest rate decision Wednesday. The last time the Fed changed the federal funds rate was in December. Then, we got a pause in January. This time around, between elevated inflation and a shaky job market, the Federal Reserve is setting the stage for another interest rate hold. Former Fed governor Randy Kroszner said the war in the Middle East basically cemented the hold -- here in the U.S. and around the world. "Almost every major central bank is having a meeting this week and I think almost all of them are going to stay on hold," he said. Uncertainty forces economies to stop, observe, and recalibrate, said former Fed adviser Ellen Meade. "If an oil shock or something very similar to it is short lived, probably the best thing a central bank can do is just wait," she said. Because, Meade said, expensive oil is "a stagflationary shock." Pricey gas could make consumers pull back on other spending, which would slow down the economy. Pricey gas could also make goods more expensive and push inflation up. |
| Senate moves Children's Promise Act forward | |
| The Senate passed a strike-all amendment to a House bill that would create a third bucket for educational tax credits solely for special purpose schools under the Children's Promise Act. HB 1944, as it was amended through the Senate strike-all, moves special purpose schools, or those that cater to the needs of students with disabilities, to a third designation under state tax law. Currently, there are tax credits for facilities and schools that focus on providing care and education to foster children as well as for all private schools. State Senator Daniel Sparks (R) said the third bucket, would be comprised of only special purpose schools. Available tax credits for the first two buckets would remain the same at $9 million each. The Senate strike-all would create an additional $6 million in tax credits for the special purpose schools for the 2027-28 calendar year, which would increase to a maximum of $8 million the following year. Some examples of special purpose schools cited by Sparks include the Magnolia Speech School, Park Academy and Lighthouse Academy. These schools provide services to students diagnosed with intellectual, physical, emotional or other disabilities. |
| Mississippi governor signs bill ensuring insurance covers cancer biomarker tests | |
| Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Tuesday making Mississippi the 23rd state to require insurance plans to cover biomarker testing for cancer. House Bill 565 was passed by both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature with unanimous, bipartisan support. It mandates insurers regulated by the Mississippi Insurance Department, including Medicaid and the State and School Employees Health Insurance Plan, provide coverage for biomarker testing when used for the diagnosis, treatment, appropriate management, or ongoing monitoring of a patient's cancer. The new law will be known as "Jill's Law" in honor of the late wife of Rep. Casey Eure, R-Saucier, who used biomarker testing following her cancer diagnosis. It was authored by House Public Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Sam Creekmore, R-New Albany. "I'm so honored to see such strong, bipartisan support for this important legislation and to have it named in honor of my beloved wife, Jill," Eure said. "I thank Gov. Reeves for signing this into law so that more Mississippi families can have the gift of time with their loved ones like we did." |
| Mississippi health leaders urge more colon cancer screening as state leads nation in deaths | |
 | Mississippi health leaders and advocates urged more people to get screened for colorectal cancer Monday, saying earlier detection could help reduce the state's highest-in-the-nation death rate. At a press conference in the Capitol marking Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, speakers said Mississippi continues to carry some of the country's worst colorectal cancer outcomes. From 2018 to 2022, more than 8,200 Mississippians were diagnosed with the disease and more than 3,100 died. Mississippi Sate Department of Health medical director Dr. Tami Brooks said 663 Mississippians died from colorectal cancer in 2023 alone. She also said about 61% of cases in Mississippi are diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment is harder and survival rates are lower. Speakers said many of those deaths could be prevented through screening, which can catch cancer early and, in some cases, stop it before it starts by finding precancerous growths. Doctors at Monday's event also pointed to a rise in cases among younger adults. Brooks said colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death nationally among adults younger than 50. |
| Chief Justice Says Personal Attacks on Judges Are 'Dangerous' and Must Stop | |
 | Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Tuesday denounced personal attacks aimed at judges and justices, calling them "dangerous." "It's got to stop," he said. The comments, part of a wide-ranging conversation with the chief justice at Rice University, were his first public remarks since President Trump castigated the six Supreme Court justices who ruled against his sweeping tariffs last month as "fools and lap dogs." Chief Justice Roberts made clear his comments were not directed at any particular person or political party. And he distinguished between critiques of legal analysis, which he said were necessary and healthy, and harsh personal attacks. "It's important that our decisions are subjected to scrutiny, and they are," he said. "The problem sometimes is that the criticism can move from a focus on legal analysis to personalities." Judges around the country, he added, are working hard "to get it right and, if they don't, their opinions are subject to criticism." But he said that "personally directed hostility" needed to end. The remarks came during his discussion with a Texas-based federal judge at an event sponsored by the university's Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston reflecting on his 20 years leading the Supreme Court. |
| GOP tempers flare over how to pass SAVE America Act | |
 | Tempers are starting to boil within the Senate Republican Conference as disagreements arise over how to handle President Trump's No. 1 legislative priority, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, which Trump wants to push through the Senate despite staunch Democratic opposition. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a leading proponent of the bill, angered some colleagues this week by suggesting on social media that Republican senators who don't want to force Democrats to wage a "talking filibuster" to oppose the legislation should be ousted from the Senate. "If your senators don't support using the talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, you might need to replace them," Lee posted on the social platform X. That ticked off some Republican senators, according to Senate GOP sources. One Republican senator said the response to Lee's post was "not very favorable." The squabble reflects rising tensions over how to handle the bill amid intense pressure from Trump to add language to ban no-excuse mail-in voting and to ram it through the chamber even though no Democrats support it. |
| Homeland Security nominee Mullin faces Senate confirmation hearing | |
 | Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), President Donald Trump's pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, is appearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for a confirmation hearing. Mullin, a close ally of Trump, would replace DHS Secretary Kristi L. Noem after she departs March 31. Tensions were high from the moment the hearing kicked off --- Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), the panel's chairman, opened his remarks by confronting Mullin for calling Paul a "freaking snake" and suggesting that he understood why Paul was assaulted by a neighbor in 2017. The hearing comes as DHS has been partially shut down since Feb. 14 amid a congressional impasse over a funding bill. Mullin said his goal for the Department of Homeland Security is that in six months "we're not in the lead story every single day," a subtle nod to DHS Secretary Kristi L. Noem's controversial tenure. He added: "My goal is for people to understand we're out there, we're protecting them and we're working with them." He called for DHS to be funded amid the partial government shutdown. |
| Irish PM tells Trump 'all conflicts come to an end,' nudging him to end Iran war | |
 | Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin nodded along Tuesday in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump compared Iran's hard-line government to Nazi Germany, but he later nudged his host to start wrapping up the war with Tehran. "These are horrendous people. These are the worst people, going back to Hitler, right?" the wartime American commander in chief said on a day when his differences with NATO and other allies over his Iran war boiled over. "And there's been nothing close." As the Iran conflict rages, Martin had the awkward assignment of sitting beside Trump as part of the annual St. Patrick's Day tradition of the American and Irish leaders celebrating at the White House and Capitol. His approach was to pick his spots, mixing praise with pushback. "You're affirming the tremendous bonds between Ireland and the United States that go back to the very foundation of this republic," he told Trump. "And the Irish helped to build America. We're very proud of that connection." The Irish leader also pushed back on Trump's criticism of European countries' immigration policies and urged him to look for a way to end the Iran bombardment. |
| Gulf States Want the U.S. to Cripple Iran's Regime Before Ending the War | |
 | Battered by Iranian strikes and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates and some fellow Persian Gulf states have come to view Iran's theocracy as an existential enemy. They now want the regime they once courted to be neutered, if not dismantled, when the conflict ends---so the ordeal is never repeated. The U.A.E. has borne the brunt of Iranian attacks: More than 2,000 drones and missiles have been fired at the country since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28. Over 80% of those were aimed at civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities, refineries, airports, ports, hotels and data centers, according to the U.A.E. government, killing six civilians and injuring 157 others. All six states in the Gulf Cooperation Council have, so far, refrained from striking back openly, limiting themselves to self-defense. "This is not a military exchange. This is an attack on a peaceful nation, a nation that has been working diligently and very hard for diplomacy," Sultan al-Jaber, the U.A.E. minister of industry and advanced technology, said in an interview. Given the indiscriminate nature of these Iranian barrages, and the willingness shown by Tehran to rain death and destruction on its neighbors, another senior Gulf official said, the only acceptable outcome of the war would be an Iran so defanged and enfeebled that it could never imperil its neighbors again. |
| Cheap drones are reshaping modern warfare -- and catching the U.S. off guard | |
 | Wladimir van Wilgenburg stands in a residential neighborhood in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and points out incoming drones high in the sky. "The U.S. defense systems, as you can see, are taking down the drones," he says in a video recorded during the first days of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and sent to NPR. First one, then another, is obliterated in a puff of smoke, sending explosions reverberating through the apartment block several seconds later. Van Wilgenburg, a journalist based in Erbil, says drones -- sent by Iran to attack U.S. facilities in the region -- have become a daily occurrence over the city in recent weeks. So, too, have the interceptions. "Most of these drones ... don't reach their destination," he says. With Operation Epic Fury well into its third week, there are two increasingly urgent questions: how long U.S. defense systems can continue to hold off such attacks -- not just in Iraq, but throughout the Middle East -- and whether the U.S. underestimated the threat of Iran's drones in the first place. No military technology has reshaped warfare as dramatically in recent years as drones have. |
| No Kings Trump protests set for March 28 in Mississippi | |
 | A third wave of No Kings protests are taking place March 28 in various states including in Mississippi, intent on drawing a flood of protesters nationwide in the latest series of mass protests against President Donald Trump and his administration. Indivisible, 50501 Movement and other political and social groups are helping launch what will be the third round of No Kings rallies, a slew of anti-Trump protests amid the president's second term. During the first No Kings protest in Jackson, approximately 1,500 people rallied June 14, 2025, on the southside lawn of the Mississippi State Capitol Building. It synced up with Flag Day, the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday. The name "No Kings" comes from the organizers' belief that Trump is acting like a monarch rather than the leader of a democracy. Organizers for the Jackson area told the Clarion Ledger via an emailed statement that there will be no rally at the capital due to the weekend long St. Paddy's Day event. Organizers said there will be an all-day visibility event "but due to limited space it is not announced publicly." Events are scheduled in other parts of the state on March 28. |
| Clinton residents split on data center, citing new revenue with limited details | |
| Clinton residents who came out to the city's municipal court building Monday night offered varied reactions to a new data center local officials recently announced. The development is one of the latest in a surge of recently announced data center projects in Mississippi. Many of the speakers at Monday's meeting expressed hope the city will finally earn revenue from a building that for years went unused, while others focused on limited information as well as a high energy demand. "I'm cautiously optimistic about this," said Shea Whitfield, who said his family has lived in Hinds County for six generations. "What good is an industrial park if we don't bring industry into it?" The center is set to move into a facility on Industrial Road Drive, just north of I-20 and west of downtown Clinton. Mayor Will Purdie said he expected to be able to release more details on the project "in the next few weeks." The property had been a Milwaukee Tool facility from 2021 to 2023, but before that was a wiring plant that closed in 2009. |
| State's top spellers return to Columbus next week | |
| Five years after the statewide spelling bee nearly disappeared, the competition continues to thrive. On March 28, the state's top 25 spellers will return to Columbus to compete in the annual C Spire Mississippi Spelling Bee, held on the Mississippi University for Women campus. Just five years ago, however, the statewide spelling bee was in danger of collapse after its primary sponsor pulled out ahead of the competition, leaving Mississippi without a statewide bee for the first time since 1925. In an effort to save the bee, The Commercial Dispatch stepped in with the Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and MUW to sponsor the 2022 competition. Then in 2023, community members doubled-down on the effort, helping to stabilize and expand the bee. Since then, Columbus has continued hosting the bee, and the team supporting it behind the scenes has grown throughout the state. The competition, which will be filmed by the Mississippi State University Television Center and broadcast by Mississippi Public Broadcasting, kicks off at 9:30 a.m. the next day in Poindexter Hall. |
| Stokes' First Amendment lawsuit against Ole Miss Chancellor dismissed by federal judge | |
| A federal judge has dismissed former University of Mississippi employee Lauren Stokes' First Amendment retaliation lawsuit against Chancellor Glenn Boyce, bringing an early end -- at least for now -- to one of the state's most closely watched campus speech disputes. In a March 16 opinion, U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson ruled that Stokes failed to show her constitutional rights were violated and that Boyce is entitled to qualified immunity. The court found the university had a "substantial interest in maintaining the efficient operation" of its departments and that the widespread disruption caused by Stokes' social media post weighed against her claim. The ruling turns on the same legal framework that has defined the case from the outset---the Supreme Court's Pickering-Connick balancing test, which weighs a public employee's speech rights against a government employer's interest in workplace efficiency. As previously reported by Magnolia Tribune, Boyce's defense emphasized that even Stokes' own complaint described a viral backlash, threats, and operational strain that could justify university action. |
| Judge Dismisses Lauren Stokes' Lawsuit Against U. of Mississippi Over Firing for Charlie Kirk Post | |
| A federal judge has dismissed Lauren Stokes' lawsuit against the University of Mississippi and Chancellor Glenn Boyce over his decision to fire her from her administrative role for sharing a post that called slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk a racist. U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi Judge Glen H. Davidson, an appointee of former Republican President Ronald Reagan, wrote in his decision that Boyce had a "substantial interest in maintaining the efficient operation of the Plaintiff's department and the University as a whole, and given the level of disruption the Plaintiff's post caused the University, the Court finds the evidence weighs against the plaintiff." Stokes' attorney, Alysson Mills, told the Mississippi Free Press in a statement Tuesday evening that they plan to appeal the ruling. The mostly conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans hears cases that originate from lower courts in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. "This is not the law as we understand it," Mills said. "This is the heckler's veto. We intend to appeal to defend the rights of employees at the University of Mississippi." |
| Oxford Conference for the Book returns to celebrate written word | |
 | Stories can change the world, and the nation's leading and emerging authors, poets, scholars and publishers will gather this spring for discussion of those stories at the annual Oxford Conference for the Book. The 32nd conference, organized by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, is set for March 25-27 at locations across the Ole Miss campus and Oxford. As always, the lineup of discussions and scholarly panels is free and open to the public. To kick things off, the conference and Square Books host the popular "Prologue" event at 5:30 p.m. March 24 to celebrate the launch of "Night Owl," a new collection of poetry by UM poet and creative writing professor Aimee Nezhukumatathil. The conference provides a homecoming for Janisse Ray, the university's 2003 John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence, who gives the keynote Ann J. Abadie Lecture at 6 p.m. in Nutt Auditorium. Ray, a naturalist from Georgia and author of more than a dozen books, brings powerful stories to life. |
| UMMC delivers life-saving transplant during system outage | |
| Late one evening, Wade Watts received the call he had been waiting for: a donor liver was available. He and his wife, Sara, had to be at the hospital the next morning. "My transplant coordinator, Anna, called around 7 the night before surgery," Wade said. "I thought she was calling to change my labwork time, which I thought was odd given it was after her normal working hours. Instead, she told me they had found a match and to be at hospital admissions at 8 a.m. the next day for surgery. After hugs and kisses as their kids left for school, the Madison couple arrived at the University of Mississippi Medical Center early the next morning, preparing for a surgery that would likely save Wade's life. By that evening, Feb. 18, Watts was headed to the operating room for a liver transplant. "It was about 1:30 a.m. when [Dr. Anderson] came out to the SICU waiting room where I waited with three of my best girlfriends," Sara said. "He told me Wade was doing great and seemed to have a 'very happy liver.'" What neither the Watts family nor their care team fully realized yet was that, while the surgery was underway, UMMC's electronic systems were beginning to go dark. |
| What's Cool in High School? Personal Finance | |
| Personal finance is overtaking economics in the classroom. Thirty-nine states now require a personal-finance course to graduate high school, with four adding the mandate since 2024. That compares with 22 states that ask students to take economics, four less than in 2024, according to a forthcoming report by the Council for Economic Education. Texas, California and Indiana replaced their stand-alone economics requirements with personal-finance requirements, according to the report. In a world of limited resources, state education departments are giving priority to the practical over the conceptual. The shift also extends to an emphasis on shop classes, as blue-collar jobs become more popular and white-collar hiring slows. Financial literacy was often part of the home-economics courses taught in earlier eras. These days, students are having to make difficult financial decisions just as they step into the real world. Many young people are choosing to work for themselves. Others are having to navigate financial temptations such as the proliferation of sports betting. What's more, a student-debt burden that has swelled to $1.7 trillion, weighing on generations of borrowers, has high-schoolers thinking hard about how much to borrow for college. |
| Georgia, FSU or Mississippi State? Which out-of-state school sells most license plates in Alabama? | |
 | Alabama issued over 15,000 license plates for out-of-state colleges in fiscal year 2025. The University of Georgia led with 4,353, slightly edging out Mississippi State University, which had 4,068, according to the Alabama Department of Revenue. Only six universities from Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana and Florida are on the list. Specialty plates typically cost an additional $50. Revenue from out-of-state college plates goes into the state's general fund, while revenue from in-state colleges adds to scholarship funds for Alabama residents. |
| Making care accessible: Inside Auburn's low-cost eating disorder clinic | |
| Auburn Eating Disorders Clinic (AEDC), the newest clinic at the Psychological Services Center, is expanding access to mental health care by providing empirically based, low-cost treatment for a diverse range of clients. Co-directors Dr. Tiffany Brown and Dr. April Smith, licensed clinical psychologists who work as assistant professors in the Department of Psychological Sciences, founded AEDC in 2022. Smith said opening an eating disorder clinic had been a dream of hers since the beginning of her career. When Smith arrived at Auburn five years ago, Brown -- her co-director and fellow eating disorder specialist -- had just begun her tenure as well. The two realized they shared the same vision of opening an eating disorder clinic. Smith said their shared passion and energy helped bring the idea to life. Smith said that part of the clinic's mission is training the next generation of leaders in the field, particularly current graduate students. Research serves as a foundation of the clinic's work. |
| Mike Pence to visit Knoxville this weekend for Civics Symposium | |
| Former Vice President Mike Pence will speak at the Institute of American Civics' second annual Undergraduate Civics Symposium in Knoxville on Saturday. The conference is invitation-only, and will take place at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Knoxville. Students and faculty from the Baker School's IAC and other invited universities will attend the symposium, which is meant to reflect on and discuss patriotism in American civic life. "America's 250th anniversary offers a significant opportunity to reflect on the nation's founding principles. What were they? Were they sound? Have we lived up to them? Should they be reconsidered?" Josh Dunn, executive director of the institute, said. The 48th vice president of the United States will be joined by Yale University political scientist Steven Smith, as well as members of the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, who plan on leading a debate for students. "I am not personally a fan of his politics," UT junior and Tocqueville scholar Taylor Barrett, who plans to attend this Saturday, said. "I'm not personally a fan of him specifically, but just getting to see a former vice president is just a crazy, unbelievable opportunity. And no matter what he has to say, it's definitely going to be very interesting just to hear his thoughts about patriotism in America today." |
| TAMU students in Qatar leave, shelter in place during U.S., Israel war with Iran | |
| As the war between Israel, U.S. and Iran escalates, Texas university students in Qatar are sheltering in place or leaving the country. Last Saturday, 282 students from six U.S. universities living in dorms in Qatar briefly evacuated during an Iranian missile strike. Texas A&M University is one of the six U.S. universities with campuses in Education City, a hub of learning run by a nonprofit, the Qatar Foundation. Education City is typically considered safe due to high security, despite the volatility in the region. The evacuation may have included students from Texas A&M University, which has had a campus in Qatar since 2003. The TAMU Board of Regents voted to close the campus in 2024 to center learning in the United States and Texas, but the closure won't go into effect until 2028 due to contractual obligations. Spokesperson Tim Eaton said 330 Texas A&M University students study at its Qatar campus, but it's unlikely any Texas A&M students were involved in the evacuation. He said 90% of the Texas-based school's students are residents of Qatar or Qatari nationals, making it unlikely they were part of Saturday's evacuation. Amid the fighting, 10 Texas A&M students chose to leave the country voluntarily and continue their studies |
| State anatomy experts explain how OU's cadaver lab works, what has changed since 1900 | |
| Following the discovery of possibly 100-year-old cadavers on campus, state anatomy experts detailed where and how the University of Oklahoma's modern-day cadaver lab operates. Cindy Gordon, an OU professor in the School of Biological Sciences, serves as director of the human anatomy program. The program includes two anatomy courses -- Introduction to Human Anatomy and Human Anatomy -- in which groups of students are paired with a cadaver to work on throughout the semester. Collums Building near Everest Indoor Training Center hosts the cadaver lab on OU's Norman campus, according to Gordon. During the academic year, the lab hosts 16 cadavers each semester. During the summer, the lab hosts eight cadavers for education. "It allows (students) to get hands on," Gordon said. "It's an opportunity for them to basically learn the body and learn everything about it." "These are people that have willingly donated their body, or their families have donated their body, ..." Gordon said. "These are people that willingly did it so that they could be an amazing resource and offer the opportunity for (students) to have this ability to learn." |
| U. of Missouri Faculty Council may remove 'IDE' from subcommittee name | |
 | The University of Missouri Faculty Council may rename its Inclusion, Equity and Diversity subcommittee. The council will discuss changing the subcommittee's name to the "Committee on Core Values" at its future meetings. The name change was requested by UM System President Mun Choi to address the changing legal situation regarding diversity, equity and inclusion, according to a presentation given to the council in December. The Office of the General Counsel deemed the current name and goals of the subcommittee to be in compliance with state and federal guidelines, according to the presentation. "I wouldn't say that it's President Choi telling us to change our name -- there was not a tell, it was an ask," Faculty Council Chair Carolyn Orbann said. "The ask was because of the legal situation. (Choi) was communicating the legal opinion as it was developing." The proposed resolution would eliminate the words "diversity," "equity" and "inclusion" from the subcommittee's name. This comes after the dissolution of Mizzou's Division of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in the summer of 2024 following federal legislation to terminate DEI programs and grants. |
| Kent Warns Accreditors Over DEI | |
 | The Department of Education has taken aim at two accreditors, warning them that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts built into their current standards are in conflict with federal law. Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent sent letters Monday to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. ED ultimately renewed the accreditors' federal recognition, but the letters warned them over their existing DEI standards. While both have suspended enforcement of their DEI standards, the Trump administration is pushing the two accreditors to abolish such practices altogether. Kent indicated neither are currently noncompliant, but he noted in both letters that he was concerned about noncompliance since neither has "formally rescinded any and all agency standards that violate federal law." Kent also alleged that DEI standards for both organizations violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (He did not find either Middle States or CAPTE to be noncompliant with accreditation-recognition criteria.) Now both must submit two monitoring reports describing "what actions the agency has taken to eliminate standards that violate federal law," according to Kent's letters. Initial monitoring reports from both accreditors are due within six months, while the second is to follow within 12 months. |
| Republicans and Dems are aligned: Don't mess with NIH funding | |
 | With the White House's 2027 budget request expected within the next two weeks, Republicans and Democrats have a clear message for the president: Don't cut health research funding. "We will continue to reject cuts to NIH research, because what you do is life-saving. It is that lifeline to Americans and the world," Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said at a House oversight hearing on Tuesday. DeLauro's warning to the White House comes after both parties rejected the 40 percent budget cut President Donald Trump requested for the National Institutes of Health last year. Instead, bipartisan lawmakers last month approved a $415 million increase for the NIH, allocating $48.7 billion for the agency that funds biomedical research worldwide. At the Tuesday hearing, where NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya testified, neither party seemed interested in repeating last year's mass upheaval as Elon Musk's DOGE swept through -- cutting personnel, restructuring offices and canceling billions in research grants. Republicans and Democrats encouraged Bhattacharya to spend the billions in funding they've allocated for 2026 on research conducted in the states they represent and on projects aimed at improving Americans' health. |
| House Ed Panel Tackles Alleged Truman Scholarship Bias, Financial Aid Fraud | |
| The House Education and Workforce Committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would allow President Trump to fire multiple leaders and dismiss all board members of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, an independent government agency and annual grant competition that multiple Republican committee members claim has become a "program to train professional leftists." Established with bipartisan congressional support in 1975, the prestigious award was designed to honor its namesake each year by financially supporting 50 high-achieving undergraduates interested in pursuing a "public service–related" career. But recently, Republican lawmakers have alleged that despite being overseen by a bipartisan governing board, the program disproportionately favors applicants with Democratic beliefs. "The Truman program has strayed far from its original purpose," said Rep. Randy Fine, a Florida Republican and one of the most vocal supporters of the bill. "It's increasingly become a pipeline for radical liberal activists -- a job training ground for one political party -- rather than a bipartisan award where every student, no matter who they are, has an equal chance." |
| Hyde-Smith withstood a nearly 'coordinated' attack in cruising to GOP primary win | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: After the March 10 primaries, Mississippi now enters the home stretch of the 2026 mid-term elections, amid renewed fighting in the Middle East, new global and domestic economic challenges influenced by that conflict, and American partisan differences that have not been deeper or more pronounced since the late 1960s. But one question was emphatically answered in the primaries: Mississippi's incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith easily withstood a nearly "coordinated" attack from both GOP primary challenger and Gulf Coast psychiatrist Sarah Adlakha and Democratic nominee Scott Colom --the current 16th Judicial District Attorney from Columbus -- in winning her primary bid with over 80% of the vote. The word "coordinated" is in quotes because that's a specific legal term defined by the Federal Election Commission and federal elections law. ... So, while the combined attack narratives from Adlakha and Colom don't fit the formal or legal FEC definition of "coordination," it's impossible to ignore the similarities in both the paid advertising and social media attacks on Sen. Hyde-Smith from the pair of challengers. |
SPORTS
| Baseball: No. 6 State Spins Third One-Hitter Of The Season | |
| Sixth-ranked Mississippi State delivered another overpowering performance Tuesday, rolling past Jackson State 17-1 in seven innings at Dudy Noble Field as the 10-run rule brought an early end to the contest. The Diamond Dawgs (17-4) combined explosive offense with dominant pitching, recording their third one-hitter of the season while piling up 12 hits and taking advantage of five Jackson State errors. MSU set the tone immediately in the first inning, loading the bases before Noah Sullivan and Reed Stallman each lifted sacrifice flies to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. The advantage quickly grew in the second, as State capitalized on defensive miscues and timely hitting to push across four runs, highlighted by Stallman's two-run single. The Diamond Dawgs are set to host their first SEC series at home this weekend against Vanderbilt. The series begins on Friday at 7 p.m. on SEC Network. |
| Softball: No. 11 State Hosts UAB On SEC Network Wednesday | |
| No. 11/12 Mississippi State will wrap up the current homestand with its penultimate midweek matchup, hosting UAB on Wednesday night. The game is set to be televised nationally on SEC Network at 7 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs (27-4, 1-2 SEC) and Blazers (12-16, 0-6 AAC) have already met once this month with State taking a 6-1 victory in Birmingham. Since that game, UAB has played seven straight games against teams that MSU had already played, going 1-6 in that stretch while the Bulldogs were 4-0 against the same teams. MSU is coming off its first SEC series of the year where pitching was the headline. State's staff went head-to-head with No. 1 Tennessee, taking a scoreless ballgame into the ninth inning on Friday night and shutting out the Lady Vols on Saturday to hand them their only loss of the season. Mississippi State will travel to No. 15/13 Georgia this weekend to face the SEC's other Bulldogs in a three-game set. Friday night's first pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The final two games of the series will air on SEC Network+ with both Saturday and Sunday's games starting at 1 p.m. |
| Bulldogs hit the grass for first day of spring practice | |
| The temperature didn't quite match the sunshine as Mississippi State's 2026 football team took the field at the Leo Seal Complex on Tuesday for the first sessions of spring ball. It was just around freezing when players and coaches made their way out at about 9:15 yesterday morning, but the team was ready to get back to work and take the first steps toward facing ULM on Sept. 5. One of the big positives for MSU was the sight of Kamario Taylor moving as normal after a scary end to the Mayo Bowl against Wake Forest. The freshman quarterback was carted off after an ankle injury that would require a minor operation, but he recovered quickly and is back to work as QB1. "He had a really good day today," Lebby said of Taylor. "He was moving around great, and it's been really good to see him fully healthy." Getting back to work means unpacking both the good and the bad from Taylor's freshman campaign, which saw him go from a situational and red-zone weapon to starting quarterback for the Egg Bowl and Mayo Bowl. |
| Former Mississippi State star Darius Slay retires from NFL after 13 seasons | |
| Former Mississippi State standout and six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay is retiring from football. Slay, who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles to cap the 2024-25 season, announced on social media Monday that he is hanging it up after 13 years in the NFL. "I've been blessed to play the game I loved since I was 5yrs old for an amazing 13yrs at the highest level," Slay wrote on Instagram in a post that included video of the jerseys he's worn throughout his life. "Football was my peace, my joy, my everything." The Georgia native played two years at Itawamba Community College before fielding for Mississippi State from 2012-13. In Starkville, he was named to the All-SEC second team in 2012 before being selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. "It's hard to say goodbye," Slay added. "But God has a new chapter for me and I'm ready to turn the page and start my new journey." |
| Huntington Bank Introduces Roster of Collegiate Golf Ambassadors | |
| The Huntington National Bank ("Huntington") announced the launch of its collegiate Team Huntington golf ambassador roster, introduced in connection with Huntington's recently announced role as an official sponsor of the PGA TOUR University. The 2026 roster features seven amateur golfers: Ethan Fang of Oklahoma State University; Kary Hollenbaugh of The Ohio State University; Mackenzie Lee of Southern Methodist University; Farah O'Keefe of the University of Texas at Austin; Preston Stout of Oklahoma State University; Avery Weed of Mississippi State University; and incoming University of Georgia athlete Mason Howell. "The launch of this roster reflects our commitment to backing athletes at pivotal moments in their journeys," said Brant Standridge, president of consumer and regional banking for Huntington Bank. |
| NIL tax exemption bill dies in Mississippi Senate | |
| Legislation aimed at making Mississippi universities more competitive in college athletics by exempting name, image, and likeness deals for student-athletes from state income taxes will not become law. During a meeting on Tuesday, the Mississippi Senate's Finance Committee elected not to take up a House-approved measure that allowed student-athletes to strike NIL deals without having to worry about paying state income taxes. A controversial proposal that garnered mixed reactions from the public -- with sports fans arguing it would benefit in-state schools and detractors contending that it's unfair to exclusively give tax breaks to one group, especially in an impoverished state like Mississippi -- House Bill 4014 passed in its originating chamber on a 76-32 vote with support and dissent from both Democrats and Republicans alike, though it failed to make it to a floor vote in the Senate. In the House, Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, contended that the state is already phasing out the income tax and that the benefits of exempting NIL deals outweigh any potential ramifications. Meanwhile, Sen. Jeremy England, R-Vancleave, offered a differing viewpoint from his House counterpart. His opinion is that offering special treatment to athletes -- especially those set to strike six- or seven-figure deals -- while the rest of the workforce pays state income taxes is bad policy. |
| Senate Finance Committee kills House NIL income tax exemption bill | |
| The Mississippi Senate Finance Committee killed a House bill Monday that sought to exempt name, image and likeness, or NIL, compensation from the state's income tax. "I don't know about the rest of you on this committee but I've had several constituents that have been calling me that are not happy at all about this bill," State Senator Dean Kirby (R) said before making a motion to lay the bill on the table, effectively killing the bill. Smiles and chuckles could be seen among the Senators as they voted the measure down. As previously reported, schools in states with no income tax have sought to use that to their benefit when recruiting college athletes. First-term State Rep. Jonathan McMillan (R) was seeking to have Mississippi join the group while providing the state's universities with a leg up in recruiting even as the Magnolia State gradually eliminates the state income tax for all earners over the next decade, assuming certain economic triggers are met. McMillan's bill drew bipartisan support as well as bipartisan opposition before it passed the House by a vote of 76 to 32. |
| Former Ole Miss and Duke coach David Cutcliffe retires as SEC special assistant to commissioner | |
| Former Mississippi and Duke coach and Tennessee assistant David Cutcliffe is retiring as the Southeastern Conference's special assistant to the commissioner for football relations. The 71-year-old Cutcliffe announced Tuesday he will end his 40-year career in college football when his retirement becomes effective on March 31. Cutcliffe's retirement comes four years after he joined the SEC office as the special assistant to commissioner Greg Sankey. "I leave this game with a full heart and a deep sense of gratitude, especially for the young men I've had the privilege to coach," Cutcliffe said in a statement released by the SEC. "The players have always been the reason and the reward. Watching them grow, not just as players, but as students, leaders, sons, husbands, and fathers, has been the greatest joy of my career. I'm equally thankful for the outstanding coaches, staff members, and administrators who worked alongside me, but it's the relationships with our players that I will treasure most. They taught me as much as I ever taught them. College football has given me a lifetime of memories and friendships, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be part of so many young lives." |
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