| Wednesday, November 1, 2017 |
| Efforts aim to limit the spread of fire ants in the US | |
 | They sting, damage crops and wildlife, and are extending their range in the United States. Imported fire ants are unwelcome guests here, and careless plant shipping helps them spread. Both fire ant species -- black and red -- are similar, said Blake Layton, an extension entomologist with Mississippi State University. "Controls are the same. Stings feel the same," he said. Fire ants can be controlled but not eliminated by using granular baits and broadcast insecticides. "Poisonous baits are pretty efficient," Layton said. "Ants carry them back to their mound and kill the queen. But it's got to be a long-term effort." Well over $5 billion is spent each year on medical treatment, prevention and control in fire ant-ridden areas, the USDA says. |
| MSU-Meridian education students visit Georgia academy | |
 | Photo: The Educational Leadership cohort at Mississippi State University in Meridian recently traveled to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Ga., to experience best practices in teaching and provided an opportunity for the emerging school leaders to interact with leaders in education. The group of graduate-level students studying school administration at MSU-Meridian that attended the academy are (l to r) Debbie Fant (Clarkdale Attendance Center), Brandi Sumrall (Oak Grove/MSU-Meridian), Johanna Littleton (Meridian Public School District), Emily Sullivan (Newton City Schools), Deidre Bland (Meridian Public School District), Brittani Jones (Meridian Public School District), Dr. Penny Wallin (MSU-Meridian), Constance Watts (Clarkdale Attendance Center). |
| Soil moisture sensors: Winter's a good time to get to know them | |
 | Over the last several years, Mississippi Delta farmers have invested a considerable amount of capital, time, and energy in the purchase, installation, and use of soil moisture sensors -- which have primarily been used during the growing season as a part of irrigation scheduling. But, says Paul Rodrigue, Natural Resources Conservation Service Delta supervisory engineer at Grenada, Miss., winter can provide a good opportunity for producers to become better familiarized with the installation and use of the sensors, as well to gain an understanding of their readings. "Since 2014, approximately $8.5 million in financial assistance has been provided to NRCS cooperators in the Mississippi Delta to implement conservation practice under the 449 Irrigation Water Management (IWM) program," he says. Most of the funds have been expended through the Mississippi Water Conservation Management Program (MWCMP) that was promoted by the conservation partnership to support the implementation of the findings of the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center's Row-crop Irrigation Science and Extension Research (RISER) program. |
| Candidates file first round of campaign finance reports | |
 | Candidates appearing on the ballot for the Nov. 7 special election filed the first round of campaign finance reports to highlight donations and spending leading up to election day. Tuesday marked the deadline to file the pre-election report, as mandated by the Mississippi Secretary of State. Candidates for the Mississippi House of Representatives District 38 filed campaign finance reports in Jackson, which had not been obtained by the Starkville Daily News as of press deadline on Tuesday. The grassroots effort fighting to keep OCH Regional Medical Center locally-owned filed a campaign finance report on Tuesday, which detailed fundraising efforts for the cause. Friends of OCH reported $38.850 in itemized contributions and $4,880 in non-itemized contributions. For the calendar year-to-date, Friends of OCH has raised $43,730. For cash on hand, the organization reported $27,258.33 on the Tuesday filing deadline. |
| Regional hospitals score well in safety ratings | |
 | Northeast Mississippi hospitals made the grade in a national safety ratings report announced Tuesday. Around the region, five hospitals earned A's and one a B in the national safety grade ratings from the Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care ratings organization. The hospitals were graded on performance in preventing medical errors and infections as well as other safety measures. Earning A's were North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County in New Albany, Gilmore Memorial Hospital in Amory, Magnolia Regional Hospital in Corinth and OCH Regional Medical Center in Starkville. "Receiving an A grade from Leapfrog validates our continual process of quality improvement," said OCH Regional chief executive officer Richard Hilton. |
| Jack Wallace remembered as a mentor, community leader | |
| Jack Wallace, a man who pushed for economic growth and the development of Starkville and Oktibbeha County, passed away at his home on Tuesday at the age of 75 after devoting more than half a century to bettering the community he loved so much. Wallace was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority (OCEDA). He had a role in developing the Thad Cochran Research Center on the Mississippi State University campus and in creating the Greater Starkville Development Partnership that helps promote local businesses. GSDP CEO Scott Maynard, who knew Wallace most of his life, said Wallace's passing is a great loss for the community. "He was a great mentor and just so knowledgeable in the area of economic development," Maynard said. "It was always a privilege just to sit down and pick his brain for thoughts and ideas, especially as I started this new role." |
| New SAAC director wants to bolster communication, awareness | |
 | Starkville Area Arts Council Executive Director John Bateman is placing an early focus on improving the organization's communication and outreach efforts. Bateman, who was named the council's first executive director in July, spoke to the Starkville Rotary Club on Monday at Starkville Country Club. During his talk, he reviewed the organization's mission and laid out some of his goals. Bateman said he's working to improve SAAC's communication through things such as restarting the council's blog. Other efforts, such as an undertaking to create an arts calendar to list all of the arts-focused activities happening in Starkville, aim to help keep the public aware of what's going on in the area. He said it's important to find ways to highlight Starkville's arts strength, because it can benefit the city. As an example, he said the Cotton District Arts Festival attracted 40,000 this year, and the event generated nearly $12,900 in sales tax in one day, with $184,148 in gross sales at the festival. |
| No tickets remain for opening weekend of state's new museums | |
| People wanting to tour Mississippi's two new museums during the opening weekend, Dec. 9-10, in Jackson are out of luck if they do not already have admission tickets. Katie Blount, executive director of the state Department of Archives and History, said recently no tickets remain to tour the facilities on the opening two days for the Mississippi Museum of History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. A total of 6,000 tickets were given away on a first-come, first-served basis for the opening weekend. Blount said the hours were expanded during the opening weekend to accommodate more people. After the opening on Saturday and Sunday, the museums start regular operation at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12 when people can purchase general admission tickets for $8 for one of the museums or $12 for both. |
| State dodges credit ratings hit | |
 | A top investment ratings agency -- which helps investors understand the fiscal health of the state -- says the state will not take a credit hit following the recent Supreme Court ruling that the Legislature does not have to fully fund the state's public education funding formula. But the agency, Moody's Investors Services, said the decision is "credit negative" for school districts because it "increases the likelihood of continued legislative underfunding." The report, released last week, does not indicate a change in any credit rating or outlook. Periodically, Moody's releases reports following events that could affect ratings or outlooks for states, school districts or other entities the firm rates. Dozens of factors, including legal proceedings over funding disputes, are considered by credit ratings agencies as they score the state's ability to pay its debts. |
| BP money is 'not the solution' for Mississippi Coast's struggling economy, CEO says | |
 | He painted a picture of a "decade lost" since Hurricane Katrina and the oil spill, with fewer jobs, slow growth in wages and a widening economic gap between South Mississippi and the rest of the state and the country. Then John Hairston, chairman of the Gulf Coast Business Council and CEO of Hancock Whitney Corp., challenged the nearly 500 people at IP Casino Resort on Tuesday to come up with a plan to restore jobs and prosperity. Speaking at what Business Council President Ashley Edwards said will become an annual State of the Coast Economy to measure progress, Hairston said South Mississippi has 4,400 fewer jobs since the oil spill in 2010 and 11,265 fewer than before Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "Just as we climb out of Hurricane Katrina we get hit by the oil spill," he said. "We have not yet recovered from the first one much less the second." |
| Mississippi VA hospitals rank among worst | |
 | Mississippi's two veterans hospitals continue to rank at the bottom, according to an internal rating released by the Department of Veterans Affairs last week. On a scale of one to five, the G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery and Gulf Coast Veterans Affairs medical centers received two and one stars, respectively -- unchanged from 2016. Of the 146 medical centers rated by the department, 44 scored two stars or lower. The rankings bucked the national trend. According to the department's report, 64 percent, or 94 of the 146 facilities, showed improvement over last year. The rankings are based on a facility's performance compared to other hospitals and to its own performance the previous year. The Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson did not return calls for comment. |
| Premature birthrate increases in Mississippi, according to March of Dimes | |
| Mississippi is the worst state in the nation for premature births, and the problem isn't getting any better. According to the 2017 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card, released Wednesday, Mississippi earned an F. Last year, 13 percent of babies born in Mississippi were considered preterm. This year, that number grew to 13.6 percent, the report stated. Dr. Charlene Collier, perinatal consultant with the state Department of Health, said she was in the process of analyzing the data to better understand the increase. "It is not a substantial increase but obviously it's not going in the direction we would like it to be. Unfortunately, this is following a national trend." |
| Lt. gov defends mergers of some Mississippi school districts | |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is defending lawmakers' decision to consolidate some Mississippi school districts, even amid local opposition. Reeves tells The Greenwood Commonwealth that he is willing to listen to objections to the upcoming merger of the Greenwood and Leflore County districts. But, the Republican says the Senate is committed to reducing both the number of school districts in Mississippi and the number of failing ones. Democratic state Sen. David Jordan of Greenwood said last week that he will try to block a 2016 law that mandates the consolidation of the Greenwood and Leflore districts in 2019. |
| Roy Moore tried to fit in with Senate Republicans for a day; it didn't work | |
 | Roy Moore arrived in the Capitol to play an unfamiliar role: Republican conformist. By the time he left, he was once again a lightning rod for controversy. The hard-right former judge made his second trip to Washington on Tuesday as his party's Senate nominee in Alabama. Unlike the last time he was in town, Moore decided to mingle with the Republican establishment he has villainized on the campaign trail. He joined Republican senators at their weekly policy luncheon. Most backed his opponent in the primary. He chatted with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), his bitter foe. The visit offered a preview of the headaches Moore's presence could cause for Senate Republican leaders should he prevail in a Dec. 12 special election to fill the seat once held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. |
| Manhattan Terror Attack Kills 8 and Injures 11 | |
 | A driver plowed a pickup truck down a crowded bike path along the Hudson River in Manhattan on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring 11 before being shot by a police officer in what officials are calling the deadliest terrorist attack on New York City since Sept. 11, 2001. The rampage ended when the motorist --- whom the police identified as Sayfullo Saipov, 29 --- smashed into a school bus, jumped out of his truck and ran up and down the highway waving a pellet gun and paintball gun and shouting "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great," before he was shot in the abdomen by the officer. He remained in critical condition on Tuesday evening. |
| Wal-Mart Hopes to Make Stores Livelier for the Holidays | |
| As more shoppers shift online, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. hopes to make its stores more fun this holiday season. The nation's largest retailer will have parties for customers at its stores for the first time, around the themes of toys, entertainment and curated gifts. The plan for the critical holiday season underscores how retailers are trying to make stores more inviting even as they improve online services. Rival Target now has dedicated staff in areas like clothing, beauty and consumer electronics. |
| Former Ole Miss professor wins tenure lawsuit against university | |
 | A United States District Court jury awarded a former university employee $218,000 in damages as a result of deprivation of his due process rights when applying for tenure in 2014, according to court documents. The jury awarded Michael Wigginton Jr., a former professor in the legal studies department, $18,000 for past wages and benefits and two $100,000 compensations for past and future pain and suffering, inconvenience, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life. Senior US District Judge Neal Biggers Jr. presided over the five-day trial, which ended last Friday. Keith Flicker of Flicker, Garelick & Associates LLP represented Wigginton and said the jury's verdict is a confirmation of what Wigginton has claimed for nearly four years. The university will have the opportunity to appeal the case. |
| Madison Price selected ECCC's 'Humanities Instructor of the Year' | |
| History instructor Madison Price is East Central Community College's "Humanities Instructor of the Year" and will be recognized Nov. 7 on campus. Price will present a special program, held in conjunction with Arts and Humanities Month, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Vickers Fine Arts Center auditorium. During his lecture presentation titled "President for the People: The Progressive Policies of Teddy Roosevelt," Price will focus on Roosevelt's policies aimed to help protect and improve the lives of the American people through his Square Deal. Price is in his fourth year of teaching American history at the college. He is a graduate of Stone High School in Wiggins and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Mississippi State University. |
| Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine hosting equine conference this week | |
 | Veterinarians will learn from a nationally and internationally recognized expert on equine lameness while receiving training and professional development in a variety of topic areas involving the care and wellbeing of horses during the College of Veterinary Medicine's 12th annual J.T. Vaughan Equine Conference Nov. 2-3. Tailored to provide up to 20 continuing education credit units to veterinary practitioners, the conference offers a wealth of information, says Meredith Smildsin, continuing education coordinator at the college. "Practitioners can earn CE credits in the areas of navicular disease, foot infections, acupuncture, respiratory disease, pharmacy law and much more," Smildsin said. "All lectures and the provided meals will be in the auditorium at the Wilford and Kate Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital. Friday labs will be at the JT Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital." |
| U. of Tennessee campuses will not outsource facilities jobs | |
 | In a move celebrated by state workers on college campuses, University of Tennessee administrators announced Tuesday they will not be participating in a proposed facilities outsourcing plan pushed by Gov. Bill Haslam. The announcements by UT Chattanooga, UT Knoxville, UT Martin and the UT Health Science Center ended more than two years of speculation about whether campuses in the UT system would participate in the plan. Still in question is whether other public campuses across the state will follow suit. "Today's news signals relief for the thousands of UT employees across the state whose jobs were imperiled by the plan," said United Campus Workers, the union representing state university employees, in a statement. "Millions of square feet of real estate and tens of millions of dollars will stay in the public interest." |
| U. of Tennessee forms team to combat hazing, look at issue from public health standpoint | |
| A new team at the University of Tennessee Knoxville is taking a long-term look at hazing and how to mitigate its frequency and severity on campus. The team, which met for the first time last month, forms in the wake of several high-profile hazing incidents on other campuses around the country as well as recent disciplinary sanctions handed down to fraternities on UT's campus for hazing. Earlier this month, 10 Louisiana State University students were arrested following the hazing death of a student. A similar case unfolded at Penn State in February, where 11 former fraternity members are now facing criminal charges. "This is a time when we've seen nationally some very serious incidents occurring and it's not a time to shy away or step away from addressing these types of issues," said Danny Glassmann, associate dean of students at UT Knoxville. "This is the time that we are lean-in, and I think that's what we're doing with this team." |
| For Civil-War Scholars, a Settled Question That Will Never Die: What Caused the War? | |
 | What caused the Civil War? Historians thumbing through state declarations of secession, statements in newspapers, and other primary sources have largely come to one conclusion: Slavery played the central role in sparking a war that killed more than 600,000 people. The answer is clear. The documents prove it. So why do people always ask historians like Eric Foner such a basic, and settled, question? Mr. Foner, a historian at Columbia University and author of The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, has plenty of experience talking to the public about the Civil War. He's a frequent lecturer who has been on quite a few book tours, where he invites questions. In those question-and-answer sessions, he's often sensed a reluctance on the part of the questioner to put slavery at the center of the story of the war's emergence -- a sentiment echoed by John Kelly, White House chief of staff, who said in a recent interview that "the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War." |
| A new type of hacking puts professors' accounts at risk | |
 | A former wrestler at the University of Iowa was arrested last week for his role in a high-tech cheating scheme. The student, Trevor Graves, secretly installed devices called keyloggers onto campus computers and used them to record his professors' keystrokes. Armed with his instructors' institutional log-in details, Graves reportedly boosted his grades over 90 times in a 21-month period, in addition to intercepting exam and test questions. Graves is now due to appear in court, but he is certainly not the first student to be caught using a keylogger. Earlier this month it was reported (but not confirmed by the university) that the University of Kansas had expelled a student who used a similar method to change failing grades to A's. Numerous other universities have also had high-profile keylogging incidents in recent years, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Purdue University and Brigham Young University. |
| Where the STEM Jobs Are (and Where They Aren't) | |
| The national priority in education can be summed up in a four-letter acronym: STEM. And that's understandable. A country's proficiency in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is vital in generating economic growth, advancing scientific innovation and creating good jobs. Much of the public enthusiasm for STEM education rests on the assumption that these fields are rich in job opportunity. Some are, some aren't. STEM is an expansive category, spanning many disciplines and occupations, from software engineers and data scientists to geologists, astronomers and physicists. What recent studies have made increasingly apparent is that the greatest number of high-paying STEM jobs are in the "T" (specifically, computing). |
SPORTS
| Where Mississippi State ranked in opening College Football Playoff poll | |
| Two days after re-entering the two weekly top-25 rankings, Mississippi State cracked the first College Football Playoff poll of the season on Tuesday. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 16 by the CFB selection committee. Mississippi State was No. 22 in the coaches' poll and No. 21 in the AP poll on Sunday, but the CFP top-25 is the ranking that matters most because it helps shape bowl decisions. With important and lopsided wins over LSU and Texas A&M and its only losses being against Georgia and Auburn on the road, MSU has a solid resume, so its ranking on Tuesday made sense. The analytical rankings support that --- MSU ranked No. 16 in Bill Connelly's latest S&P+ and No. 15 in ESPN's FPI. The Bulldogs (6-2, 3-2 SEC) became bowl-eligible after beating Texas A&M last week and are on track to play in Florida for their bowl – if they finish 9-3 as the projections indicate they should. |
| Mississippi State's secondary undergoes total transformation | |
| There is no denying Mississippi State has made many strides defensively this season. But one area where the Bulldogs have seen the most improvement in is their pass coverage. Last year under former defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon, MSU ranked 120th against the pass. Now under Todd Grantham, the Bulldogs have the No. 4 pass defense in the nation with many of the same names back in the secondary. "I didn't really care or wasn't concerned about what had happened in the past," Grantham said. "I looked more toward what was going to happen in the future. I really looked at each individual player and where we needed to put them and where they fit." |
| Mississippi State has improved 116 spots in passing yards allowed | |
| Mississippi State's defensive backs first started feeling a sense of renewed confidence after spring ball and heading into the summer when the group dubbed themselves the "jack boyz." That's right. After finishing No. 120 in the country in passing yards allowed per game (281.5) in 2016, the Bulldogs' secondary didn't even wait until the 2017 season started to give itself a new moniker. "Jacked boyz really means that when we step on the field, we are ready to go take everything," safety Brandon Bryant said. "Anything that we can take, we're going to take it. We're going to take your heart out of you, take your soul out of you and hit you every play." |
| Nick Gibson's first TD for Bulldogs earns him new piece of 'jewelry' | |
| Nick Gibson's first career touchdown in Mississippi State's game against Texas A&M came with a celebration of appropriate fervor. Once the sophomore running back settled down, he was seen on the sideline with a big chain wrapped around his neck: and not the kind of chain worn as jewelry, the kind with links big enough to serve industrial purposes. He was wearing the team's new symbol of unity. "(MSU strength coach) Nick Savage had it in there, we're on the road, 'I have this big steel chain that says we're all in this together,'" MSU head coach Dan Mullen said. "We all work -- offense, defense and special teams -- together, and he talked to the team at breakfast about that. He handed it to the captains and they handed it around to somebody else over the course of the game. "They got the message, because I thought we did play well in all three phases of the game." |
| Mississippi State's Jeffery Simmons selected as Bednarik semifinalist | |
| Mississippi State sophomore nose guard Jeffery Simmons was selected as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented annually to the top defensive player in college football. Simmons was one of three players from the SEC among the 18 semifinalists and the first Bulldog to be named a semifinalist since Benardrick McKinney in 2014. The 6-foot-4, 301-pounder from Macon is a two-time SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week this season. Simmons has made 36 tackles, six tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one pass deflection, blocked two kicks and scored a pair of touchdowns. |
| Abdul Ado brings intensity to Mississippi State basketball program | |
| Abdul Ado's intensity doesn't stay on the basketball court. Some of his classmates have seen it firsthand -- others have been the victims. Ado is the only Mississippi State basketball player in his football and basketball officiating class. PE 3033 may not be a make-or-break course for any one student's shot at graduating, but that doesn't mean Ado doesn't attack it with 100 percent seriousness. He showed that when a couple of football players entered the class, one of them with a balloon in hand. The squeaking of the balloon in his hand was too much for Ado -- he thought it was disrespectful to the professor. Truthfully, he thought it was, "childish." He whipped his head around and put an end to it. "Bro you need to stop," Ado said. The balloon wasn't a problem for the rest of the class." None of that comes as a shock to Ado's teammates or coaches, who have come to know Ado as an intense presence whenever and wherever he needs to be, including in MSU's frontcourt. |
| MSU Notebook: Injured quad could keep Abdul Ado out of opener | |
| Abdul Ado is expected to be a big factor in Mississippi State's success this season. However, for the past two weeks Ado has been out of action with a quad injury that could keep him out of next week's season opener. "There's a chance he won't play in that first game," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "We're going to be very conservative with this. It's a quad way up by his hip flexor that we don't want to have a re-aggrivation of down the road once he does come back." In Ado's absence, Schnider Herard started at center in the exhibition game against Nebraska and E.J. Datcher got the nod in the closed door scrimmage against Texas Tech over the weekend. |
| Andy Cannizaro likes what he sees in Mississippi State's scrimmages in Jackson | |
| Mississippi State relief pitcher Jared Liebelt went to Jackson this weekend full of innocent curiosity: as a junior college transfer in his first true intrasquad scrimmage, he wanted to see how his fastball and slider play against Southeastern Conference hitters in a game-like scenario. He got that answer Friday with two scoreless, walkless innings pitched, allowing one hit and striking out three. MSU coach Andy Cannizaro noticed. Cannizaro saw that and much more in MSU's first three-game series of intrasquad scrimmages this fall last weekend at Jackson's Wills-Smith Field. "I thought it was vital to get our team out on a real field, a regulation field for three days," Cannizaro told The Dispatch. "We've been able to get so much work done inside, and I've been really happy with that part of it, but you're still lacking the overall consistency of the game in terms of getting the outfield involved, the cuts and relay part of it." |
| Southern Miss' 7-year deal with Adidas to net 'well north of $4 million' | |
 | Southern Miss has found its new athletic apparel provider. Adidas will become the sole outfitter of all 16 sports beginning in 2018, the school announced Tuesday. Specific financial terms of the deal, which runs through the 2024-2025 season, will not be available publicly because it was negotiated through the USM Athletic Foundation. But, according to a source familiar with the negotiations and willing to speak on the condition of anonymity, Southern Miss' agreement with Adidas will net "well north of $4 million" in product allocation. In addition, Adidas will allot a dollar amount "in the low- to- mid-six figures" for product activation (i.e. advertising, recruiting, etc.). "We will benefit by partnering with Adidas," Golden Eagle athletic director Jon Gilbert told the Hattiesburg American Tuesday. |
| AD Ross Bjork 'ready to strike' in Rebels' search for next football coach | |
| Ross Bjork doesn't necessarily have a timetable for finding Ole Miss' next football coach, but the Rebels' athletic director is ready to pounce. With just a month left in Ole Miss' tumultuous season -- one that began with Hugh Freeze's abrupt resignation on top of a bowl ban and consists of a losing record through eight games -- Bjork's search is picking up some traction. He said he's already had contact with representatives of some coaches. "Now it's all heating up and the market's shifting," Bjork said. Bjork may have to move quickly to get his man depending on how many jobs come open and if those schools end up pursuing the same pool of candidates. Ole Miss is also awaiting final word from the NCAA on its infractions case, which could affect whom Bjork could realistically target. Ole Miss will wrap up its season with the annual Egg Bowl against Mississippi State on Thanksgiving. |
| Georgia lands at No. 1 in first College Football Playoff rankings | |
 | Georgia is No. 1 in the season's first College Football Playoff rankings. It's a sign of the quick progress the 8-0 Bulldogs have made under second-year coach Kirby Smart, but his stance this week is to check back in four and a half weeks for the final rankings that matter. Those determine the four teams that will square off in semifinals leading to the national title game. Others in the top four determined by the selection committee revealed Tuesday night in ESPN's show: No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 4 Clemson. Those knocking on the door include No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 6 Ohio State. |
| Under Armour's terrible year just got worse | |
| Americans, it seems, are over Under Armour. The onetime darling of the athletic wear industry on Tuesday announced that sales are down for the first time since 2005, even as it makes an aggressive push to expand into mainstream chains like DSW, Kohl's and Famous Footwear. The news sent shares of the company's stock tumbling nearly 19 percent Tuesday. "This is an abrupt about-turn for a company that, until recently, was on a mission to challenge the might of Nike," Neil Saunders, managing director of the analytical firm GlobalData Retail, said in an email. "Under Armour has become just another brand in a sea of brands." Although Under Armour racks up billions of dollars in sales each year, analysts say it has failed to drum up much loyalty among its customers. |
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