Friday, October 13, 2017   
 
Astronauts share stories of space travel at Mississippi State
Astronaut Charlie Duke got into the NASA spacecraft for the Apollo 16 mission in 1972 only to see his seat was labeled: "Typhoid Mary's seat." It was a reference to Duke catching the measles two years earlier and getting astronaut Ken Mattingly sick days before Mattingly was supposed to go to the moon in Apollo 13, the infamous mission in which an oxygen tank exploded, causing the crew to shut down power on the ship and miss their chance at walking on the moon. That was one of the many stories Duke, Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise and NASA engineer Jerry Bostick told the packed Bettersworth Auditorium at Lee Hall on Mississippi State University's campus Wednesday night, which celebrates MSU's new partnership with the Astronauts Scholarship Foundation. This year is the first year MSU students will be eligible for the scholarship. It's one of only 35 universities involved in the program -- and the only one in Mississippi, MSU president Mark Keenum said.
 
Richard Hilton: OCH may consider system affiliation
OCH Regional Medical Center CEO Richard Hilton revealed during a Greater Starkville Development Partnership-hosted forum Wednesday that the CEOs of two major hospital systems approached him about a possible affiliation with the hospital last year. Those talks stalled when the county supervisors began studying a possible sale or lease of the 96-bed, county owned facility, but Hilton said they might move forward again if voters oppose allowing a sale in November 7's hospital referendum. Written responses the hospital provided to questions asked at the forum reveal a third hospital system CEO recently approached Hilton with interest in a possible affiliation agreement. That system, the response said, is watching to see what happens in the Nov. 7 referendum. An affiliation, Hilton said, would allow OCH to stay locally-owned while allowing services, provided by a larger system, that the hospital does not currently have.
 
As 2017 winds down, Mississippi economic growth looks to be less than 1 percent
The indicators state economists use to assess the health of Mississippi's economy showed the same lethargy in August as they did at the start of the year. "August represented another example of the relative sluggishness that has characterized the Mississippi economy in 2017," said the October edition of Mississippi's Business prepared by the University Research Center of the Institutes of Higher Learning in Jackson. The Research Center will soon release a wider economic examination in its third quarter Mississippi Outlook, but the Outlook's author has not encountered any data indicating a change in a second quarter forecast of a full percentage point drop in the state's Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. "I don't think we've seen too much change for Mississippi," said Corey Miller, an economic analyst for the Research Center, in an interview. "Growth of less than 1 percent is what we're still expecting for 2017," said Miller, whose second quarter Outlook projected Mississippi's economy will grow 0.9 percent in 2017.
 
Trump's EPA head visits Jackson, addresses water, energy in Mississippi
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt visited Mississippi Thursday to discuss proposed changes to the Waters of the United States rule, just days after announcing the repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The water rule sought to control pollution under the Clean Water Act of 1972 and had extended the federal government's authority over small waterways. Republicans and industry groups argue that it required costly and unnecessary permitting. The rule was also the subject of litigation. Pruitt said he's meeting with government agencies and stakeholders across the country to get input on how to best craft the new definition of U.S. waters. The definition implemented in 2015, Pruitt argues, "has created substantial confusion." Pruitt, who's good friends with Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn and sat with him on the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary board of trustees, also discussed his repeal of Obama-era regulations aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions from electrical power generation by 32 percent by 2030.
 
Thompson Staffer Charged With Falsifying Security Clearance Form
A congressional staffer has been charged with falsifying a security clearance form, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced Wednesday evening. Isaac Lanier Avant faces up to five years in prison for not disclosing on a security clearance form that he had failed to pay income taxes. Avant served as chief of staff for Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and worked as deputy staff director and staff director the House Committee on Homeland Security. Thompson is the top Democrat on the panel and Avant had to fill out a security clearance form for his work on the committee, known as the Standard Form 86, "Questionnaire for National Security Positions."
 
Concerns mount over Thad Cochran's health
Republicans are worried about Thad Cochran. The Mississippi senator has been recovering the past several weeks from a urological procedure. And concern is growing on and off Capitol Hill over whether the 79-year-old lawmaker will return to work on Monday when the Senate comes back from recess -- not to mention how long he'll be able to continue leading a high-profile committee or even remain in the Senate. Cochran's office maintains that the Mississippi Republican will return next week as planned, and Senate Republican aides said they expect him back as well.
 
Trump to end key ACA subsidies, a move that will threaten the law's marketplaces
President Trump is throwing a bomb into the insurance marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act, choosing to end critical payments to health insurers that help millions of lower-income Americans afford coverage. The decision coincides with an executive order on Thursday to allow alternative health plans that skirt the law's requirements. The White House confirmed late Thursday that it would halt federal payments for cost-sharing reductions, although a statement did not specify when. Another statement a short time later by top officials at the Health and Human Services Department said the cutoff would be immediate. The subsidies total about $7 billion this year. Health insurers and state regulators have been in a state of high anxiety over the prospect of the marketplaces cratering because of such White House action. While the administration will now argue that Congress should appropriate the funds if it wants them to continue, such a proposal will face a serious hurdle on Capitol Hill.
 
Tech Giants, Once Seen as Saviors, Are Now Viewed as Threats
At the start of this decade, the Arab Spring blossomed with the help of social media. That is the sort of story the tech industry loves to tell about itself: It is bringing freedom, enlightenment and a better future for all mankind. Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder, proclaimed that this was exactly why his social network existed. In a 2012 manifesto for investors, he said Facebook was a tool to create "a more honest and transparent dialogue around government." The result, he said, would be "better solutions to some of the biggest problems of our time." Now tech companies are under fire for creating problems instead of solving them. Despite the swell of criticism, the vast majority of investors, consumers and regulators seem not to have changed their behavior.
 
La Nina is coming: What will that mean for our winter weather?
La Nina, the cooler sibling of El Nino, is likely to form over the next few months, federal government forecasters said Thursday. Specifically, there's a 55 to 65% chance that a La Nina will develop during the fall and winter of 2017-18, the Climate Prediction Center said. The La Nina climate pattern -- a natural cycle marked by cooler-than-average ocean water in the central Pacific Ocean -- is one of the main drivers of weather in the U.S. and around the world, especially during the late fall, winter and early spring. A typical La Nina winter in the U.S. brings cold and snow to the Northwest and unusually dry conditions to most of the southern tier of the U.S., according to the prediction center. The Southeast and Mid-Atlantic also tend to see warmer-than-average temperatures during a La Nina winter.
 
Death toll from Northern California fires jumps to 31; names of 10 victims released
Fire crews began to make slow progress against wildfires that have killed at least 31 people in Northern California's wine country as officials continued the grim search for more bodies amid the ashes. In Santa Rosa, the hardest hit by the fires, officials said they were stunned by the scale of the destruction. An estimated 2,834 homes were destroyed in the city of Santa Rosa alone, along with about 400,000 square feet of commercial space, Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said in a news conference Thursday afternoon. Flames left entire neighborhoods and commercial districts in ruins and even destroyed the city's newest fire station. Santa Rosa also lost landmarks in the fire, including the home of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz.
 
'It isn't just about lumber': Conference explores porch's role in Southern culture
Most Southerners pass by front porches without even noticing, except maybe to admire a particularly beautiful one. Most of us aren't measuring the sociological connotations of the porch and what its absence in modern suburbia signifies. That will not be the case at the annual Conference on the Front Porch, where people will come together to celebrate the porch and discuss its meaning. "It's really more we're celebrating life on the porch and what the porch represents, but we get into some hardcore porch academia as well," said Campbell McCool, who conceptualized the event. The two-day event in the Plein Air neighborhood of Taylor, will feature lectures, panels, six meals (one of which will be in the Field at Plein Air) a porch concert and a porch play. Speakers include Bill Dunlap, Robert Khayat, Curtis Wilkie and others.
 
William Carey University breaks ground on Tatum Theatre addition
William Carey University broke ground Oct. 4 for a new addition to the Joe and Virginia Tatum Theatre on the Hattiesburg campus. The new building will add more than 6,000 square feet to the existing theater and replace the classroom and lab space previously housed in Tatum Court, which was demolished after the January tornado. "This groundbreaking is another step in the full recovery of our Hattiesburg campus," WCU President Tommy King said. "The theater program has been an integral part of William Carey since 1915. Dr. Virginia Angelica Tatum and the late Joe Tatum have been strong supporters of Carey, especially the theater program, and we are grateful for their interest." Keone Fuqua, chair of the theater and communication department, said the recovery and changes after the tornado mark a new era for the department.
 
Industry Day keeps paying dividends at East Mississippi Community College
East Mississippi Community College held its third annual "Industry Day" on Wednesday, but it could just as easily be called "Opportunity Day." About three dozen students in EMCC's Electrical Technology and Automation and Control departments had an opportunity to show off their skills to about a dozen representatives from local industries while program instructors Bobby Johnson and Joanna Alford felt out industry reps for suggestions on how to improve their programs. And if the past two Industry Day events are an indication, Wednesday's event may have been an opportunity for some students to land a job or internship. "Last year, we had two students who were able to secure positions after just sitting across the table and talking with industry people," Alford said. "We really feel this helps us in several ways."
 
Biloxi School District pulls 'To Kill A Mockingbird' from the 8th grade reading classes
The Biloxi School District got complaints about the wording in "To Kill A Mockingbird" --- an American classic being taught in 8th grade English Language Arts classes --- and pulled it from the curriculum. It was an administrative and department decision, a member of the school board said, and not something that the school board voted on. It happened Wednesday or Thursday. Kenny Holloway, vice president of the Biloxi School Board said, "There were complaints about it. There is some language in the book that makes people uncomfortable, and we can teach the same lesson with other books. It's still in our library. But they're going to use another book in the 8th grade course." The American Library Association lists "To Kill A Mockingbird" as No. 21 in the most banned or challenged books in the last decade.
 
Tom Sheppard named new head of school at St. Andrew's Episcopal School
Tom Sheppard has been selected at St. Andrew's Episcopal School the 12th head of school. The appointment will be effective July 1, after the retirement of St. Andrew's current head of school, George Penick. Sheppard is currently dean of enrollment management for the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. He has achieved a national reputation as one of the foremost independent school leaders for enrollment management, admissions, and financial aid. A graduate of Washington and Lee University with a bachelor's degree in history, Sheppard continued his education at Lehigh University with a master's in educational leadership.
 
Strong market, gift push U. of Arkansas endowment past $1B
A big boost in August from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation and a year of double-digit investment returns have lifted the value of endowment assets supporting the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville beyond $1 billion, the university announced Thursday. The $120 million Walton gift supporting arts education came after the June 30 close of the school's fiscal year, a 12-month period that saw UA's endowment assets increase in value to $996 million, the university said. The total at the close of the previous fiscal year was $898.9 million. University endowments function as permanent savings funds, with about 5 percent of the endowment spent every year in areas including academic programs, endowed positions such as academic chairs, and fellowships and scholarship aid for students. The University of Arkansas Foundation manages assets for the Fayetteville campus and some others in the UA System.
 
Beverly Davenport to spell out vision for UT Knoxville campus
University of Tennessee Knoxville Chancellor Beverly Davenport will spell out her vision for the state's flagship campus during a formal academic ceremony Friday. Davenport, who took office in February, is the university's eighth chancellor and the first woman to hold the position. Her investiture ceremony, akin to an inauguration, will take place at 3:30 Friday in Cox Auditorium at the UT Alumni Memorial Building. The ceremony is open to the university community as well as the general public. During the ceremony, Davenport is expected to lay out her vision for the Knoxville campus. Prior to taking office in February, Davenport listed Title IX issues and campus sexual assaults and the hiring of a new athletic director at UT Knoxville as being among her top priorities.
 
Colleges search for answer to high spending on controversial speakers
Next week, white supremacist Richard Spencer will speak at the University of Florida. Officials there estimate a drain of at least half a million dollars on the institution's coffers, also on security. Representatives from public institutions said they are meeting their constitutional obligation to provide a space for these speakers, but they remain relatively lost for a long-term strategy for paying for security. Colleges and universities can adjust after these appearances and consider trimming costs, but none interviewed have settled on any financially viable plan. And, likely, the tours of these political lightning rods will not slow. The University of Florida has prepped significantly for Spencer's Oct. 19 talk -- and done so quite visibly. It published a question and answer page online that address everything from how much the event will cost to whether buildings will be shut down and the reasoning behind allowing him on campus.
 
House Democrats Propose Making Obama-Era Title IX Guidance Into Law
A group of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives wants details of the Obama-era guidance on campus sexual assault to be written into law, Politico reports. Their legislation, the Title IX Protection Act, would codify parts of the recently rescinded guidance on the gender-equity law known as Title IX. In September the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights rescinded a 2011 letter on how colleges should handle campus sexual assault and a 2014 question-and-answer document about colleges' compliance with the law. The new measure would require colleges and universities to use the "preponderance of the evidence" standard in determining responsibility in an incident of sexual misconduct, a standard meaning that sexual violence or harassment was more likely than not to have happened. Critics of the standard have argued for a higher standard, known as "clear and convincing evidence."
 
Research says college students no more narcissistic than previous generations at that age
The way kids these days dance is, quite frankly, indecent and without any modesty. It's a reflection of the times, and how the world and its governing morals are degrading. The above is not about the year 2017, but rather is paraphrased from The London Times's description of the introduction -- and growing popularity of -- the waltz, more than 200 years ago. "We remarked with pain that the indecent foreign dance called the 'waltz' was introduced (we believe for the first time at the English Court on Friday last)," the Times wrote in its warning about the new, crass dance which involved "the voluptuous intertwining of the limbs and close compressure of the bodies." Older generations have been complaining about younger generations for all of human history, argues Brent Roberts, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In a new study, co-authored by Roberts, his research pushes back against the assertion that there is a wave or epidemic of narcissism among younger generations, particularly college students.


SPORTS
 
BYU wants to be something besides bad
BYU began the year on the cusp of being included in the Associated Press Top 25. Since a 20-6 win over Portland State to open the season, the Cougars have dropped five straight games by an average of 20 points. It is the first time in 47 years BYU has lost five consecutive contests. "Our goal is to be balanced and right now we're not doing anything that's really good," said BYU coach Kalani Sitake, who team visits Mississippi State on Saturday. "The only thing we're being balanced at is being bad." Most of the BYU's problems have come on the offensive side of the ball. The Cougars rank 127th nationally in both scoring (11.7) and total offense (253.5). Sitake's squad sits 116th at passing (155.8) and 120th at rushing (97.7).
 
Caddying for his son has helped Mississippi State's Dan Mullen stay calm this fall
Dan Mullen quickly shook his head. He shrugged his shoulders. He delivered his words with a soft tone. This was two weeks ago at Auburn minutes after Mississippi State suffered its second-straight lopsided loss to an elite SEC opponent. Mullen explained during the postgame press conference that maybe a couple of years ago he would've handled this particular defeat differently. But not now. "I'm not going to go get frustrated and out of whack," Mullen said. Mullen, 45, will be halfway through his ninth season after Mississippi State (3-2) hosts BYU (1-5) on Saturday (11 a.m., SEC Network). Experience in the coaching industry helps guide decisions and shape reactions to outcomes -- but only so much. Perspective is often transformed by life outside of the workplace. Just ask Mullen. "You know what might have helped?" Mullen said. "Two things may have helped me. Travel baseball and caddying."
 
Mississippi State secondary trying to improve its numbers
Interceptions are a sore subject around the Mississippi State football complex these days. Ask cornerback Jamal Peters and his position coach Terrell Buckley about interceptions and they immediately say the same thing, while losing all expression in their faces. "We don't have any." That's an exaggeration, but only slightly. MSU's one interception on the year ranks it tied for last in the nation in that category, joining seven other teams in that tie -- only one of those other seven has a winning record. The Bulldogs (3-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) have spent two weeks working on turning that around, beginning with hosting BYU (1-5) 1 p.m. Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium. The first trick to seeing improvement might be the simple presence of opportunity.
 
Dareuan Parker working hard and staying prepared for Bulldogs
Dareuan Parker did his best but nothing could quite prepare him for the atmosphere and excitement of making his collegiate debut. Parker took the field for the first time in Mississippi State's season opener after redshirting last year. "It was crazy, way different than high school," Parker said. Parker's family made the trip down from Olive Branch to be there for both home games and could not get over the noise level created inside Davis Wade Stadium. "My family said they had never been to a stadium loud and were asking me how can I hear with all those cowbells," Parker said. Of course, those same family members went out and purchased cowbells of their own to help cheer on Parker and the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound offensive lineman has gone on to appear in all five games this season.
 
Mississippi State hosts Maroon Madness tonight
Fans can catch their first glimpse of Mississippi State's men's and women's basketball teams tonight at its annual Maroon Madness at Humphrey Coliseum. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the festivities getting underway at 8:30 p.m. This year's event will feature a slam dunk, 3-point and hot shot contests as well as scrimmages by both teams. Admission is free and the first 500 fans will receive a "Maroon Madness" t-shirt. In addition to basketball, there will also be a performance by the dance group iLuminate. iLuminate performs in the dark using lights to highlight their moves and have been featured on "America's Got Talent", "Dancing with the Stars" and "X-Factor."
 
What's next in the Ole Miss mascot process?
It's been a week since Ole Miss declared the landshark was in as its on-field mascot and Rebel the Bear was out. With that announcement came some questions. Questions to which Michael Thompson, Ole Miss' senior athletic director for communications and marketing, provided some answers. The university's athletic department is in charge of designing and developing the new mascot, which won't be unveiled until before the 2018 season. The first step in that creation is getting the right people in the room and making sure they're all on the same page. Thompson said he'll assemble a "landshark launch team" of eight-to-12 people and the group will have its first meeting next week. "You have to take people who are going to wear this and former mascots, you have to get their opinion," Thompson said. "Because you don't want to make something that doesn't work for what it is intended to do."
 
Fans encouraged to ride shuttles, buses to Ole Miss vs. Vandy game Saturday
With hordes of visitors expected to be in town this weekend as the Ole Miss Rebels take on Vanderbilt, people are encouraged to use the shuttles and buses around town to get to campus to watch the game that starts at 2:30 p.m. Oxford-University Transit will have two buses running every 15 minutes starting at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. The buses will pick up from the Jackson Avenue Center near the Old Oxford Mall and stop about two hours after the game. The University funds the game-day shuttle service. The OUT shuttles are free of charge; however, transit officials ask everyone to visit the OUT website to read the rules of what items are allowed or not allowed to be carried onto the buses, including backpacks, track bags, tents, pets and large coolers over 40 quarts. Backpacks and track bags will also not be allowed inside the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as part of the new clear bag policy being implemented by Ole Miss.
 
Coach Jim McElwain: Florida's alternate uniform fits right demographic
The new Nike alternate uniforms the Gators will be wearing Saturday night are getting mixed reviews on social media. But among the coaches and players, it's unanimous --- they like the look. UF coach Jim McElwain said the fans may not like the new uniforms, but he likes what the uniforms have done for his players this week. "Based on just the amount of hate mail I get already, it really tripled when all of a sudden when we put out the new uniforms, and yet the excitement of our team, first of all," McElwain said. "The response from recruits and ultimately the demographic we're looking at, man, the excitement has been unbelievable and the response has been great. I know they're looking forward to it. It's a one-time deal." The players are all in with the new unis.
 
Auburn receives federal subpoena as part of FBI's investigation into college basketball
Auburn confirmed Thursday that it received a federal subpoena as part of the FBI's investigation into college basketball. A university spokesperson said in a statement that "Auburn has pledged full cooperation with the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York." The subpoena is in response to Chuck Person's alleged involvement in steering top college basketball players toward a financial adviser, Marty Blazer, who was working as a confidential informant for the FBI. The Auburn men's basketball coach was arrested on Sept. 26 and charged with six counts of federal corruption as a result of a joint investigation conducted by the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office.
 
For sale: Rick Pitino's Louisville house hits the market amid scandal
Rick Pitino's home in an upscale Louisville neighborhood is on the market, the Courier-Journal reported Thursday. A sign has gone up in front of the house on the 200 block of Mockingbird Gardens Drive, the newspaper reported. The University of Louisville is taking steps to fire Pitino because of a federal bribery investigation. The two-story home, built in 2013, sits on one acre and has five full bathrooms and one half-bath. The main part of the home is 5,141 square feet, and it has 2,500 square feet of finished basement and an 864-square-foot attached garage, according to Jefferson County property valuation administrator. The home's assessed value is $1,075,920. Pitino owns real estate elsewhere, including homes in Indian Creek, Fla., and Bal Harbour, Fla., according to Miami-Dade property records.
 
How 5 persistent women were able to restore the Lady Vols name, logo
The message came to Raubyn Branton seemingly out of nowhere via Facebook. The communication was from someone named Mollie, and it was something about her heading to a Kroger in Knoxville on a Sunday afternoon in November of 2014. She was going there to collect signatures for a petition urging the University of Tennessee to reverse its decision to drop the Lady Vols name and logo the following year for all women's sports except basketball. Branton's first thought was, "Who is Mollie?" "This woman is crazier than I am," Branton remembered thinking, "but it's a good crazy." And so a friendship started. An army began forming as well -- one that was small in numbers but large in resolve. Mollie DeLozier, a former UT swimmer, was joining forces with Branton, a senior CAD specialist for an architect in Morristown, and her sister, Donna. Through social media, Susan Whitlow and Jean Lusardi -- two retired schoolteachers who are married and live in Bristol, Tenn. -- filled out the ranks. They came together and pooled their actions, outraged that the university was discarding the long-standing women's collegiate brand.
 
North Carolina Receives No Punishment From N.C.A.A. for Academic Scandal
The N.C.A.A. on Friday announced that it "could not conclude that the University of North Carolina violated N.C.A.A. academic rules" in what is widely considered the worst academic scandal in college sports history. The organization, which governs the top tier of college sports in the United States, did not levy any penalties against North Carolina athletics. Given that the university's athletic department could have faced severe sanctions, including the loss of championships, the N.C.A.A.'s determination was a major victory for North Carolina. The N.C.A.A. did not dispute that a major academic fraud had occurred over several years, but its committee on infractions, which empowered a panel to investigate, concluded it did not have the power to punish the university.



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