| Wednesday, October 11, 2017 |
| FFAR officials cautiously optimistic about their farm bill chances | |
 | In conversing with leaders for the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, one does not get the impression that theirs is a future almost entirely in the hands of a cash-strapped Congress. FFAR was created in the 2014 farm bill and allocated $200 million. The only catch was that the group had to secure matching funds from non-federal partners, which they've done in a number of projects so far. Now, as the group's board looks ahead to the upcoming farm bill, there's an inescapable truth: They need to get funding again. And in a farm bill where money will be tight, making that case won't be as easy as they might like. FFAR's board was in Washington last week for an annual meeting and to talk with members of Congress about where things stand. "Budgets are tight, but we got, I think, positive signs from both of these leaders that they will try to work to find resources to help keep FFAR going forward in this next farm bill," Mark Keenum, FFAR's board chair as well the president of Mississippi State University, told Agri-Pulse. |
| Insitu officially opens Starkville UAS facility | |
 | Insitu held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday to mark the official opening of its new facility in Starkville. The company's partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration's Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems at Mississippi State University creates 25 jobs. In May 2015, the FAA selected MSU as the location of the Center of Excellence for UAS. The Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence, or ASSURE, leads the center. The ASSURE team is comprised of top UAS universities from three countries and more than 100 government and industry partners. Insitu is located in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park at MSU. |
| Insitu opens high-tech facility in Starkville | |
 | Insitu held a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of its new facility in Starkville, Mississippi. The company's partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration's Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems at Mississippi State University creates 25 jobs. Insitu creates and supports unmanned systems and software technology that deliver end-to-end solutions for collecting, processing and delivering superior information. "Mississippi State is committed to working with business and industry to bring high-tech jobs to our state that benefit not only our graduates, but enhance economic opportunity for every Mississippian. Our partnerships with Insitu and other leading aerospace companies illustrate the transformative power of university-led research and development," said MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Shaw. |
| Pumpkinpalooza set for Friday in downtown Starkville | |
 | On Friday, the Greater Starkville Development Partnership will host its eighth annual Pumpkinpalooza in downtown Starkville. The event, which has become a fall mainstay for the organization, will kick off at 6 p.m. and last until about 8 p.m. Partnership Tourism Director Jennifer Prather said downtown merchants will offer trick-or-treating for kids, and there will be jumpers, face-painting and haunted shuttles, sponsored by Mississippi State University's transportation office. In past years, GSDP has partnered with MSU's athletic department to host "Maroon Madness," an annual event to celebrate the start of the basketball season, downtown. This year, MSU will host Maroon Madness at 8:30 p.m. at the Humphrey Coliseum. However, Prather said Pumpkinpalooza will start with a MSU pep rally featuring the women's basketball team. |
| SoS Delbert Hosemann visits Starkville to 'Promote the Vote' | |
 | Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann visited Overstreet Elementary School for Promote the Vote where he discussed politics, voting and Mississippi history and where it is projected for the future. This year's Promote the Vote theme is Mississippi's Bicentennial Birthday. The program includes an art and essay contest with submissions due Dec. 1. The Promote the Vote program is open to all students and teachers in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Participation is also available to private, parochial and home school associations. Hosemann said his office has been doing Promote the Vote for 25 years and because it is the bicentennial year, they wrote the book and gave it to the students. In the book, it describes some of Mississippi's history along with its current and future accomplishments. Along with the presentation of Mississippi's history, Hosemann emphasized the importance of interacting with the youth in the community and becoming an active citizen and voter. |
| $50-Million Project And 300 Jobs Could Soon Be On The Way To Clay County | |
 | A potential industrial development project could bring a big economic boom to Clay County. West Point selectmen and Clay County supervisors met in a joint session Tuesday morning to discuss details of a deal that could bring roughly 300 jobs to the area. It's called Project Polar. The $50 million would be located where the empty Americold Logistics building currently sits. The city and county are partnering with the Golden Triangle Development Link to bring in the project. CEO Joe Max Higgins said the actions the city and county made on Tuesday were needed during this stage of the process. "We appreciate the opportunity to work with community leaders in West Point and Clay County to make our region a better place to work and live," said Higgins. |
| 5 things to know about Continental's Mississippi tire plant | |
 | Nearly a year after breaking ground for its commercial vehicle tire plant in Mississippi, Continental Tire officials gave an update Tuesday, including the issue top of mind for many local folks: hiring. "Mass hiring" is scheduled to begin in October 2018 in advance of tire production, which is scheduled to start in late 2019. The company plans to hire 250-500 people in its first phase from October 2018 through 2019. It then plans for expansion through 2028 that will total 2,500 jobs, per the company's agreements to invest $1.45 billion in the plant and create jobs in exchange for pledges of about $650 million in spending and tax breaks from state and local governments. |
| Work on MAX in Meridian moves ahead, center will be more than just a museum | |
 | Construction on the $50 million Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience on Front Street in Meridian has passed the halfway mark, and the 58,000-square-foot museum is on schedule for its April 2018 opening. "We're approaching 60 percent," said Mark Tullos, the MAX's President and Chief Executive Officer. "All the structural work is done, and we have almost all the glass in... We have some cleaning to do before we turn on the HVAC system -- that will go on in November... They have to get the building acclimated before we can bring the exhibits in." Tullos said the staff -- 14 full-time and four part-time employees -- will move into the facility in mid-January. The museum's artifacts will arrive about a month later, Tullos said. The MAX's artifacts range from BB King's performance uniforms to Walter Anderson's original paintbrushes -- a big inventory of items that once belonged to influential Mississippi artists. |
| Leaders not dismissing possible statewide vote on tax hike | |
| A proposal to allow voters to decide whether to increase taxes to pay for transportation needs was not rejected Tuesday by the state's Republican leadership. The presiding officers in the Legislature -- Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves in the Senate and House Speaker Philip Gunn -- nor Gov. Phil Bryant completely dismissed the proposal of Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, to ask the voters to decide whether to increase taxes and fees for transportation. During a speech Monday to the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute of Government/capitol press corps, Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall, revealed that Kirby would introduce a bill during the 2018 session to put the issue to the voters. On Tuesday, Clay Chandler, a spokesman for the governor, said, "Gov. Bryant has always appreciated the people's right to vote on such important issues. The language of the proposed initiative would be important, but he is not offended by Sen. Kirby's proposal." |
| Key Senate lawmakers receptive to roads referendum plan | |
| Senate leaders say they are open to a lawmaker's proposal to hold a statewide vote to fund road and bridge projects around the state. Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, is drafting a bill that calls for statewide referendum in each of the state's transportation districts. Based on a similar model in Georgia, he said his proposed legislation would give voters more power when it comes to funding which projects get the green light, but also bumps up related taxes and fees. Mississippi Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall announced Kirby's draft proposal while addressing Mississippi's infrastructure funding mechanisms at a recent Capitol press corps luncheon. |
| US Supreme Court asked to block Mississippi LGBT law | |
 | Advocates of same-sex marriage are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a new Mississippi law that lets government workers and business people cite their own religious objections to refuse services to LGBT people. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was filed within hours of when the law took effect Tuesday. Legal experts say it's the broadest religious-objections law enacted by any state since the nation's high court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015. The law was championed and signed by Republican Gov. Phil Bryant in 2016, but the law had been on hold amid federal court challenges. It protects three beliefs: that marriage is only between a man and a woman, sex should only take place in such a marriage, and a person's gender is determined at birth and cannot be altered. |
| Steve Bannon putting Senate majority at risk in 2018, Republicans warn | |
 | Republicans on Capitol Hill fear that Stephen Bannon's plan to wage primary challenges against incumbent senators will put their majority at risk in 2018. Senate GOP aides warn that Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, is not motivated by a desire to advance President Trump's agenda, but instead by a quest to remake the GOP in his own, nationalist image. The former White House adviser this week said he is working to field primary challengers against incumbents such as Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). None are considered at risk of losing their reelection races. A Senate Republican strategist cautioned, however, that it is too soon to know what impact Bannon might have on next year's primaries, noting that he will have to raise a lot of money to compete with leadership-allied fundraising committees. |
| Republicans nationwide begin to chase Steve Bannon's endorsement | |
 | The Steve Bannon primary is on -- and it's playing out at every level of government. Top Senate recruits are wooing him by phone, and candidates for state legislature are cornering him at political rallies. Primary rivals are openly jockeying for the support of his network, and insurgent Republican hopefuls text him, dine with him and traipse to his Washington townhouse in the hopes of securing his blessing. "Steve is one of Washington's Pied Pipers of the conservative movement," said Brett Doster, media consultant for Roy Moore, the GOP candidate who won a hotly contested Alabama Senate primary runoff, aided in part by Bannon. The idea of treating Bannon like a conservative kingmaker is deeply alarming to many veteran Republicans who say his hard-edged nationalist brand is out of step with traditional GOP values and a turnoff to swing voters. |
| Marsha Blackburn capitalizes on Twitter video controversy | |
| Twitter inadvertently handed Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) a valuable talking point for her Senate campaign on Monday, when it prevented her campaign from advertising a video on the site. After Twitter prevented Blackburn's campaign from promoting a video in which she claimed Planned Parenthood sold "baby body parts," the Tennessee lawmaker accused "Silicon Valley elites" of "trying to impose their values on us." On Tuesday, the company confirmed to The Hill that it had decided to reverse its decision amid the uproar. The new fight between Twitter and Blackburn is the latest example for Republicans convinced that tech giants treat them unfairly. Many on the right say that the companies, which are often led by outspoken liberals, are marginalizing their voices. |
| Vitter, Bjork explain mascot at UM ASB Senate, Landshark resolution passes | |
 | A resolution to adopt the Landshark as the official mascot passed 29-15 -1 Tuesday evening on the ASB Senate floor. Before the vote, Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter and Athletics Director Ross Bjork fielded senators' questions regarding Friday's announcement to change the official mascot to the Landshark, effective for the 2018 football season. Some senators wondered why the process to officially adopt the Landshark seemed rushed. The ASB-sponsored poll to gauge support for the Landshark closed Friday, Sept. 29, and the university issued its official announcement last Friday, just a week later. Other senators asked how university officials planned to implement the mascot change without turning the university into a laughingstock. "We have to take extreme ownership over the Landshark," Bjork said. |
| Student groups respond to Ole Miss announcing repairs to Confederate statue, plaque | |
| Repair work began Monday on the Confederate soldier statue that a pickup truck crashed into last month. Ryan Whittington, assistant director of public relations for social media strategy for the university, released a statement Monday morning about the repairs. A structural stability evaluation determined the statue did not sustain any structural damage, according to the statement. He said the base of the statue only suffered cosmetic damage, but the contextualization plaque and its base were damaged beyond repair. No public funds will be used to repair the statue or the plaque, Whittington told The Daily Mississippian on Tuesday night. Students Against Social Injustice and the UM NAACP released a statement Tuesday criticizing the university's decision to repair the statue. |
| William Winter to receive award from Ole Miss alumni | |
| Former Gov. William Winter is one of two to receive outstanding awards during the annual Alumni Hall of Fame Induction and Rewards reception for the year 2017 at the University of Mississippi. Winter will receive the Alumni Service Award on Friday at a reception hosted by the association at The Inn at Ole Miss. The Alumni Service Award was created by the Alumni Association in 2002 to recognize alumni members who have proven service to the university and the association for an extended amount of time. The 1943 graduate was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in 1989. He served as governor of Mississippi from 1980 to 1984. Before that, he was elected to the offices of state representative, state tax collector, state treasurer and lieutenant governor. He served as chairman of the Southern Regional Education Board, the Commission on the Future of the South, the National Civic League, the Kettering Foundation, the Foundation for the Mid-South, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Ole Miss Alumni Association. |
| Hub City eyes USM for possible transit route | |
 | Hub City officials are working with the University of Southern Mississippi to bring a mass transit route to the campus. "Our administration is looking at holding three public hearings, we're looking at the possibility of adding an additional transit route around the Southern Miss campus," said Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker. "We think that for students, but for also people who live in the surrounding area, having a route that would not only connect to the campus, but also to the other existing routes, would be a great benefit not only for students but other neighborhood stake holders." Barker said this is just another way to tie the university to the City of Hattiesburg, and they are looking for input from the community. |
| Whether its gas money or a ride to class, they want to help MGCCC students succeed | |
 | Whether it's an eye exam, a drug test to get a job or just gas money to make it to class, a new program to help adult students can make a difference. The Wrap-Around Support Fund is being established at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College by the Bacot McCarty Foundation, Chevron and 2nd Chance MS. For adults with families who are trying to finish classes or certifications to get better jobs, the school work can come at a cost. And this program is designed to help meet that cost and fill in the gaps. "A little can go a long way," said Zach Scruggs, with 2nd Chance MS. He said that in a lot of cases the instructors at the college see the need and pull from their own pockets to help these students who are trying so hard to help themselves. The three entities are presenting a check to MGCCC at the Gautier Campus in the amount is $15,000 -- $5,000 each -- and they are hoping it will be seed money for the community as a whole to begin chipping in to help vulnerable students. |
| U. of Florida president urges students to avoid Richard Spencer speech | |
 | University of Florida President Kent Fuchs urged students through an email plea Tuesday to stay away from controversial white nationalist speaker Richard Spencer's Oct. 19 event at the Phillips Center. "By shunning him and his followers we will block his attempt for further visibility," Fuchs' email said. He urged UF students to speak for their values and those of UF, however, and, "Make it clear that messages of hate on our campus are contrary to those values." UF students have planned several events over the next few weeks tagged #TogetherUF, the email said, and the first is set for Wednesday, Oct. 11. Called "A Conversation on the First Amendment," it begins at 5 p.m. in the Rion Ballroom at the Reitz Union. Fuchs also directs people to a Q&A and other information at freespeech.ufl.edu. |
| LSU names 10 students to be booked on hazing charges in death of Maxwell Gruver | |
 | Arrests warrants have been issued for 10 LSU students who were members of Phi Delta Theta fraternity in connection with the death of 18-year-old pledge Maxwell Gruver, according to LSU officials. At least one student has turned himself in to authorities, defense attorney Michael Fiser said Wednesday morning. Students were asked to turn themselves in by noon Wednesday in lieu of a physical arrest, Fiser said. Gruver, an 18-year-old from Roswell, Georgia, died Sept. 14 in what LSU Police has investigated as a hazing-related death. Preliminary toxicology reports found high levels of alcohol in his blood stream. The full autopsy report with the cause of death has not yet been released. |
| U. of Tennessee students say suicide, mental health should be talked about more on campus | |
 | Mustafa Ali-Smith remembers the shock he felt last semester when he heard that a friend at the University of Tennessee had died by suicide. "I never saw it coming," said Ali-Smith, a junior. "I heard it from somebody else. We were still talking, communicating, but this is something I didn't even see through our communications." Today it's one reason Ali-Smith worked to organize a discussion Tuesday on mental health on college campuses through the Student Political Alliance, a student group focused on discussion and involvement in campus issues and for which Ali-Smith serves as president. The talk comes less than two weeks after another UT student died by suicide. It also coincided with World Mental Health Day, which seeks to raise awareness of mental health issues each October 10. |
| TOPS task force looks at why costs keep rising, how program fits into Louisiana budget | |
| A panel of Louisiana House and Senate lawmakers Tuesday heard how the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students fits into the state budget and why costs have risen. The aid, known as TOPS, accounts for 1 percent of the total state budget and 2.7 percent of Louisiana's general fund, said Sujuan Boutte, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance. TOPS also accounts for 11 percent of the state's higher education budget and 23.3 percent of the higher education budget funded by the general fund. The committee studying the issue is the TOPS Task Force. The task force was set up to study the program, which pays for most college tuition for students who qualify, and to decide whether changes are needed when the Legislature meets in 2018. |
| Suspect followed female student, raped her on UGA's campus, police say | |
| University of Georgia police are searching for clues that could lead them to a suspect accused of sexually assaulting a female student on their campus. The sexual assault occurred Sept. 30 outside Moore-Rooker Hall in the 600 block of Lumpkin Street, according to a police report. The victim told police she was leaving the Magnolia bar in downtown Athens about 2 a.m. when the suspect followed her to an area between the UGA Special Collections Library and the Terry College of Business. No description of the suspect was released. |
| South Carolina lottery says it can pay for added college scholarships | |
 | The South Carolina lottery will be able to pay for college scholarships for qualifying high school seniors despite more students being eligible for the state aid, the top S.C. lottery official told legislators Tuesday. "What I can tell you is we're doing everything we can to make sure we don't have a decline (in revenue) at all," said Hogan Brown, interim executive director of the S.C. Education Lottery. A drop in lottery revenues could force the state to dip even further into its general fund budget to pay for more college scholarships. In the past, the state has dipped repeatedly into its general fund to pay for those scholarships because the lottery's profits have not been high enough to support aid promised to students. Taxpayers have made up the difference, totaling $460.7 million in six recent years. |
| Former Homeland chief Tom Ridge discusses national security at Bush School | |
 | Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge said Tuesday he believes with the deep-rooted global connections that have developed over the past century, remaining engaged in world affairs is in the best interest of U.S. national security -- particularly during what he described as "one of the most perilous and chaotic times we've had in recent political history." Ridge was the featured speaker Tuesday evening during the George H.W. Bush Foundation lecture series "What's Next for National Security?" event at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center on the Texas A&M campus. Ridge served nearly six years as governor of Pennsylvania before he was chosen by then-President George W. Bush to serve as the first U.S homeland security adviser in 2001, then was selected as the inaugural secretary of homeland security in 2003. |
| Curator: U. of Missouri events of 2015 were a 'meltdown' | |
 | The collapse of leadership at the University of Missouri in 2015 was compounded by an unwillingness to face the truth about what happened that decapitated administration at the system and Columbia campus, Curator David Steelman said Tuesday. In a breakfast talk to the Show Me Institute, Steelman attempted to correct the record about events in November 2015 and explain the steps being taken to repair the university's image. He praised UM System President Mun Choi for efforts at communication with state leaders and the public and promised that the university is making progress under the new leadership. The system must be reorganized, with the campuses being less autonomous and taking more direction from the center, Steelman said. For too long the system administration was treated like the "back office" while the campuses operated independently. |
| U. of Missouri begins search for permanent Title IX vice chancellor | |
 | The University of Missouri has launched a search for a permanent vice chancellor for Civil Rights & Title IX, the university announced Tuesday. Andrea Hayes was named interim vice chancellor on Sept. 1, replacing former vice chancellor Ellen Eardley, who resigned in July. A 17-member committee will lead the search, and will be co-chaired by Tina Bloom, associate professor in the Sinclair School of Nursing, and Emily Love, Title IX coordinator in the UM System Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The committee will hold listening sessions to gather public input. An all-campus forum will be held from 10-11:30 a.m. on Oct. 18 in the Columns Room at the Reynolds Alumni Center on MU's campus. |
| FIRE survey: Students' opinions on free speech divided | |
 | College students might appreciate free speech in the abstract, but question them on more granular issues, and their support softens, according to a new survey. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a prominent civil rights watchdog group, released the results of its new survey on student free speech Wednesday, a summary of the opinions of 1,250 students at two- and four-year institutions across the country. While most students supported the principles of campus free expression, some of their answers seemed to contradict this in some way. For instance, while 93 percent of the students indicated that colleges should invite a variety of guest speakers to campus, 78 percent of those students who identified on the political spectrum as "very liberal" believe that invitations should be rescinded in some cases -- 38 percent of "very conservative" students also backed an invitation being withdrawn in certain circumstances. |
| Campus carry in spotlight after student fatally shoots police officer at Texas Tech | |
| A Texas Tech University police officer was fatally shot Monday night, and a student has been arrested for the killing. The student, Hollis A. Daniels, is 19 years old and did not have his firearm registered with Texas Tech, which the university requires under the state's campus carry law. Daniels was also likely running afoul of the law since he isn't 21 years old, another requirement, although there are exceptions for veterans and members of the military. Still, the slaying has renewed the debate about the controversial 2015 law that allows concealed carry permit holders to bring guns on campus, and loose gun laws in the state as a whole. Texas's campus carry law was adopted against the wishes of higher education leaders in the state, who argued that colleges are safer when police officers are the only ones armed. |
SPORTS
| Former Dandy Dozen Grant Harris providing depth for Mississippi State | |
| Grant Harris emerged at Clinton as one of Mississippi's top defensive prospects in 2013. Built strong and large, Harris had a high propensity for sacking quarterbacks. But, as he said recently, Harris relied solely on "God-given ability" and one move -- a jab step inside. At Mississippi State, the defensive tackle learned success at the SEC level didn't come as easily. Now a redshirt junior, the former Dandy Dozen and three-star prospect is producing much more than he previously had in his MSU career as part of a rotation that is without starter Cory Thomas (foot), who has missed the last three games. With Thomas questionable for Mississippi State's game against BYU (1-5) Saturday (11 a.m., SEC Network), Harris will continue to receive opportunities to build off his surprising start. He has eight tackles after recording only six in the last two years combined. |
| Mississippi State's Lashard Durr rewarded for his determination | |
| Lashard Durr's journey to Mississippi State took an early detour that nearly caused him to call it quits. Durr signed with the Bulldogs out of high school in 2014 but did not qualify and had to enroll at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. The Gulfport native signed with the Bulldogs a second time in December 2015. Durr initially thought he would be playing for former NFL cornerback Deshea Townsend but just weeks after Durr arrived in Starkville, Townsend landed a job with the Tennessee Titans. "When that happened, I was wondering who was going to be by DB coach," Durr said. "When they told me it was going to be Terrell Buckley and that he was from the coast in Pascagoula, I thought that was pretty cool because he's from where I'm from. He was in the league for 14 years and got a lot of picks. I've tried to base my game close to his. He's a great coach." |
| Montez Sweat enjoys role as pass-rushing specialist for Bulldogs | |
| Montez Sweat's ideology is pretty simple: "See ball, get ball." If he's being honest and the opposing offense does what he hopes, it's probably more like see quarterback, get quarterback. He hasn't had many opportunities to chase quarterbacks over the last four weeks. That changes Saturday. Mississippi State's pass-rush specialist has proven he is more than just that, with three tackles each and a combined 1.5 tackles for a loss in MSU's last two games against run-based Georgia and Auburn, but BYU (1-5) and its more balanced attack gives Sweat an opportunity to star. Sweat hopes to wreak havoc on the Cougar backfield at 11 a.m. Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium. "He's a guy that can make 1-on-1 plays both in the run game and in the pass," MSU defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. "He's really bought into our system, worked hard and we'll continue to develop him." |
| Chris Rayford working towards getting better for Bulldogs | |
| Chris Rayford arrived at Mississippi State in 2014 as a three-star prospect and a first team All-State performer out of Byhalia. But Rayford admittedly had a lot to learn before he was ready to compete at the SEC level. "When I first stepped foot on campus, I legit think I was terrible -- that's my honest opinion," Rayford said. "But I've developed as a player and understand the schemes of the defense. I think I'm getting better but I can always improve." Rayford redshirted his initial year on campus but has appeared in all 30 games since and drawn five starts at cornerback. The 6-foot, 202-pound junior has made a pair of starts already this fall registering four tackles including his first career tackle for loss at Auburn. "This season I think I'm doing pretty good as far as my technique," Rayford said. "I'm just trying to do my best and listen to coach (Terrell) Buckley and do what he wants me to do." |
| Construction at Dudy Noble changes fall routine for baseball team | |
| Going up the stairs from the usual home dugout at Dudy Noble Field isn't going to get one very far. A staircase that used to take one directly onto the turf in foul territory now lies just a few feet away from a temporary fence, shielding the construction crews from the newly planted grass. Such is the reality for the Mississippi State baseball program as it began fall practice Monday: one with a disjointed routine as construction on Dudy Noble Field rages on. "There's been so many hoops to jump through in terms of not presently having a field we can go onto each and every day," MSU coach Andy Cannizaro said. "Our guys have been extremely diligent in getting their work done in the Palmeiro (Center); football's been extremely kind to us and allowed us to get our defensive work on practice field No. 4. The last couple of weeks we've been doing some simulated hitter vs. pitcher game stuff on the softball intramural fields. It's been pretty interesting, to say the least, but at the same time, extremely proud of the work our guys have done." |
| Tom Petty song a new Florida Field tradition? | |
| The Swamp crowd singing Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" after the third quarter Saturday was such a big hit that it looks like it's going to become a new Florida Field tradition. UF athletic director Scott Stricklin posted on Twitter on Monday that the practice will continue, following the traditional "We Are the Boys" before the start of the fourth quarter. McElwain and the players will be glad to hear that. "It was hard not to notice it," UF coach Jim McElwain said of the Petty tribute. "I can't say enough about the fans in The Swamp, and I had some comments from their people afterward: 'Mac, unbelievable environment.' It was. I credit our fans that show up and cheer our guys on." |
| Aggie fans at Kyle Field being heard | |
| The atmosphere at Kyle Field for the last two games has been what some envisioned when the venue was enlarged. The Aggies dominated the last 22 minutes against South Carolina for a 24-17 victory, wiping out a 10-point deficit. Saturday, the Aggies weren't able to topple top-ranked Alabama, but fought back from a three-touchdown deficit in the 27-19 loss as the crowd was deafening at times. "I can't thank our crowd enough, it had a huge effect on the game the last couple of weeks," said A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin on his radio show Monday night. The 12th Man also caught the attention of Alabama coach Nick Saban. "I think we got punched in the nose a little bit, especially when we fumbled the ball and they scored a touchdown and the crowd got into the game and they got the momentum of the game," Saban said. |
| Suspended Auburn coach Chuck Person freed on bond after federal court appearance | |
 | Suspended Auburn University associate head basketball coach Chuck Person appeared in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Tuesday, surrendered his passport and was freed on $100,000 bond. Person, charged in a college basketball bribery scheme last month, declined comment to the Associated Press as he left the courtroom. Also released on $100,000 bond Tuesday were assistant basketball coaches Emanuel Richardson of Arizona and Tony Bland of Southern Cal. Person and the others now await a preliminary hearing on Nov. 9 and a trial date expected to be set within 70 days, according to Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com. The three coaches, along with Lamont Evans of Oklahoma State, were arrested two weeks ago along with six others in a nationwide college basketball scandal. Federal authorities said the men helped to steer young athletes to financial advisors and agents in return for thousands of dollars in bribes. |
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