| Friday, January 5, 2018 |
| Water main break temporarily closes two Mississippi State dorms | |
 | Mississippi State University officials are advising students to be aware of a water main break outside two residence halls. MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said Deavenport Hall and Dogwood Hall have no damage inside, but the water has been turned off until the outside repair is complete. Salter said the university is encouraging students who live in these two halls not to return to campus until they receive notification from the university. |
| Water main break affects two Mississippi State residence halls, no damage to buildings | |
 | A water main break outside two residence halls at Mississippi State University has caused the university to close those buildings while immediate repairs are underway. Deavenport Hall and Dogwood Hall have no damage inside, but the water has been turned off until the outside repair is complete. "We are encouraging students who live in these two halls not to return to campus until they receive notification from the university," said MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter. "They will be notified by email and may follow social media for updates." Classes resume Monday. |
| Mississippi State earns gold distinction as 2018 Military Friendly School | |
 | Mississippi State has earned the 2018 Military Friendly Schools Gold Medal for its veteran-oriented campus culture. Presented annually by Victory Media, the distinction showcases some of the most powerful and effective veteran-centered programs at more than 800 post-secondary schools that were designated as Military Friendly Schools. Criteria for inclusion is based on commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefits for military service members, veterans and their family members. |
| Classes start Monday at MSU-Meridian | |
 | PHOTO: Candace Pierce of Union signs in at the Sonny Montgomery Advising and Career Services Center on MSU-Meridian's College Park Campus. Pierce, a psychology major, stopped by to see her advisor and register for spring classes which begin Monday, Jan. 8 at Mississippi State. Interested students can stop by the center or call (601) 484-0229 for more information. |
| Greater Starkville Development Partnership sets goals for 2018 | |
| The Greater Starkville Development Partnership has its eyes toward the future heading into the new year. GSDP President and CEO Scott Maynard said the GSDP aims to keep the momentum of 2017 going into 2018 through the completion of construction on new developments and businesses, including the new Mugshots Bar and Grill and Gondoliers Italian Restaurant and Pizza near The Mill, as well as Humble Taco on the corner of Jackson Street and Highway 182. "Seeing the expansion of the new industrial park as it takes shape during 2018 is also an exciting time," Maynard said. GSDP Director of Tourism Jennifer Prather said growing partnerships throughout the community, including with Mississippi State University, is a goal for 2018. |
| Air Force awards $48 million contract to develop unmanned aircraft in Columbus | |
 | Aurora Flight Sciences has been awarded a $48 million Air Force contract to continue the development of Orion unmanned aircraft in Columbus. Orion aircraft is a twin-engine high-performance Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) that can stay aloft for more than 100 hours at a time with payloads in excess of 1,000 pounds. In December 2014, the Orion established the current UAS world endurance record with an 80-hour, 2-minute and 52-second flight. The new contract funds the development of a certified version of Orion that will be suitable for deployment anywhere in the world. |
| New kid on the block: Cheikh Taylor talks first week in session | |
| Mississippi House District 38 Representative Cheikh Taylor, D-Starkville, began his journey in the legislative process by taking his first steps in Jackson this week. "Whenever you walk into the Capitol, especially on the floor, you look up to the rotunda," Taylor said. "It's always a new and fresh feeling." Taylor described the formality of the procedures regarding how representatives present themselves, information and even down to how the opening ceremony begins as "awe-inspiring." Sitting just two chairs down from where veteran representative Tyrone Ellis served, Taylor reminisced on watching Ellis when he was younger. Now, Taylor said he understands how important this job is. "The part that's overwhelming about it is realizing that you have the ability to create some good things in your community or destroy them," Taylor said "So, this is not anything to tread lightly on, you want to make sure that you're doing what's best for your district." |
| House passes transportation bills, leaders say they hope to do more | |
| Mississippi's Transportation Committee chairman said he hopes bills passed Thursday by the full House are the opening salvo in the 2018 legislative session in dealing with the state's transportation woes. On Thursday, the House approved three of the five transportation bills that were passed out of committees on Wednesday and the remaining two bills remain pending before the full chamber. Some, such as Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, said the bills will do little to solve Mississippi's infrastructure problems that exist on both the state and local levels. Other legislation pending before the full House would remove civil service protection for the more than 3,000 Transportation Department employees and would divert a portion of the use tax voluntarily collected by online retailers to road and bridge needs. |
| Reeves remains silent on roads as House rushes funding bills to Senate | |
 | For the prospects of a roads bill, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves now represents one of the last remaining roadblocks or the light at the end of the tunnel. The House passed three bills Thursday afternoon, each authored by Speaker Philip Gunn, who has mentioned repeatedly that road and bridge funding will be a priority this session. Reeves and Gunn, R-Clinton, came to loggerheads over an infrastructure funding package last session. That the House got to work so soon, during the typically sleepy first week of the new legislative session, underscored that Gunn is determined to make roads his signature issue and in turn force Reeves' hand. The bills, which now go to the Senate, await committee assignment. |
| Richard Bennett will chair Mississippi House Education Committee | |
 | State Rep. Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, will be named chairman of the House Education Committee Friday morning. Bennett has served in the House for 10 years and for the last several years has chaired the House Gaming Committee. A new chairman will be named for that committee since regulations say a representative can be chairman of only one committee at a time. Bennett will replace Rep. John Moore, R-Brandon, who resigned late last year after sexual harassment allegations surfaced. A special election will fill his District 60 seat in February. |
| Gunn names education chairman | |
 | House Speaker Philip Gunn on Friday named Rep. Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, to lead the House Education Committee. Bennett, a 10-year veteran lawmaker, replaces former chairman John Moore, a Brandon Republican who resigned last month facing a House investigation over sexual harassment complaints. The appointment of Bennett, a staunch public education supporter and former education leader on the Coast, comes over protest from some conservative "school choice" factions who opposed him being named as chairman, House leadership sources said. "Sometimes we in this Legislature come across as or get accused of being anti-public schools, which is just not the case," Bennett said. "I believe in public schools. I'm a product of public schools and for most of my adult life I've fought for the betterment of public schools." |
| Day 3 of 90: MEC Capital Day and transportation related bill passage on the House floor | |
 | It was a busy day three in the State Capitol. It kicked off with the Mississippi Economic Council Capital Day where legislators and MEC talked through some of the top priorities for this year's session. They mentioned transportation, workforce development, and education. "The second issue we talked about with your (MEC) leaders was workforce development," said Speaker of the House Philip Gunn. "It used to be when we pursued businesses in this state they would ask 'how much are you going to give us, what incentives?' That seems to have changed now. Now they ask 'Do you have an educated, reliable, qualified workforce. If we are going to prosper in Mississippi we have to have a solid answer to that question." Speaker Gunn stressed a rewrite of the current education formula, MAEP. He said the goal is a student-centered formula that focuses on the needs of the students directly. Also stressed was the states failing infrastructure. President Pro Tempore Terry Burton said it takes everyone, government and business to tackle the problem of infrastructure. |
| Lawmakers can't flush as water systems freeze across South | |
 | Cold weather is causing water woes across the South, as water mains break and people run faucets to keep pipes from freezing. Everyone on the water system in Jackson, Mississippi's largest city, could be under a boil-water order for days because of low pressure from broken mains. Some restaurants, medical clinics and other businesses have closed, and portable toilets have been set up outside the state Capitol, where legislators are meeting and some toilets won't flush. The University of Mississippi Medical Center closed or relocated some clinics because low water pressure prevented steam heating. |
| MLK, Robert E. Lee: Bill would give each own holiday in Mississippi | |
| A House bill would separate the state holiday for slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The bill by Rep. Kabir Karriem, D-Columbus, would keep the third Monday of January as the state holiday for King's birthday. It would move Lee's holiday to the fourth Monday of January. "It's always the right time to do the right thing and I think separating the holidays is long overdue," Karriem said. "Both men had impacts on history, but I don't think it serves the public well in this country to honor both men on the same day." Karriem said he hopes the Legislature will give the bill full consideration. |
| Some Mississippi lawmakers trained against sexual harassment | |
| Mississippi House members are taking training against sexual harassment, and Senate leaders are suggesting senators do the same. House members were being trained Thursday in a session closed to the public, and House staff members were taking the same training in a separate session. Senate President Pro Tempore Terry Burton issued a memo Thursday saying the Rules Committee is requiring all Senate employees to take a 30-minute anti-harassment course. He said the committee suggests the 52 senators also take the course on the Mississippi State Personnel Board website. "In the environment in which we work, I believe the time has come for us to familiarize ourselves with this issue," Burton, a Republican from Newton. |
| GOP chair of House Administration Committee Gregg Harper won't run again | |
| A Republican congressional chairman who pushed for stronger anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training in the U.S. House said Thursday that he won't seek re-election this year. Rep. Gregg Harper of Mississippi was first elected in 2008. He said in a statement that he never intended to make a career in Congress, and "10 years will be long enough." Harper, 61, is chairman of the House Administration Committee , which held a hearing in November about sexual misconduct involving current members of Congress. Hours after the hearing, House Speaker Paul Ryan said the House will require anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training for all members and their staffs -- a requirement that Harper supported. |
| Rep. Gregg Harper won't seek reelection | |
 | Rep. Gregg Harper, chairman of the House Administration Committee, won't run for reelection, he announced Thursday. Pennsylvania Rep. Bob Brady, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, had nothing but praise for Harper in a statement, calling him a "true gentleman." "He has sought bipartisanship where it has been possible, he has managed the House in a truly professional manner and he has always focused on the people of Mississippi's Third District," Brady said. "His polite, but results focused, approach has made this institution a better place." |
| Gregg Harper says he won't seek re-election in 2018 | |
| U.S. Representative Gregg Harper on Thursday announced he will not seek a sixth term in Congress in 2018, after a decade on Capitol Hill. The Mississippi Republican and Jackson native -- who represents the state's Third Congressional District -- said in a news release he has been contemplating the decision for the last two years. "I never intended for this to be a career, and it will soon be time for another conservative citizen legislator to represent us," Harper said. "I will work hard over the final 12 months of my term this year, but I will not seek re-election for a sixth term." The 61-year-old Harper has an office in Starkville, and his district covers other larger cities such as Meridian, Natchez, Pearl and parts of Jackson. |
| Residents speculate on Rep. Gregg Harper's next move | |
| Congressman Gregg Harper announced he will step aside next year, so we spoke with a political analyst to get his take. Marty Wiseman used to lead the Stennis Institute for Government at Mississippi State University, which is in Harper's district. He says he was surprised by the congressman's announcement. "Congressman Harper did what a good congressman does," said Wiseman. |
| Gregg Harper called a good friend to Mississippi in Congress | |
| Following a statement Thursday by Gregg Harper saying he won't seek reelection as Mississippi 3rd District representative in Congress, local leaders praised his work for the community and state. "It took me by surprise," Greg Snowden, Speaker Pro Tem of the Mississippi House of Representatives, said. "I just had lunch with him yesterday and, of course, he didn't mention it. I just learned about it (a few) hours ago." Snowden, who represents District 83, said he befriended Harper two decades ago, around the time Harper served as the chairman of the Rankin County Republican Party. "When he first announced that he was running (for the House seat in 2008), not many people knew him," Snowden said. "I said all along that people needed to look out for him." |
| Buried in the political grind, Rep. Gregg Harper calls it quits | |
| On a cold night in early December, Congressman Gregg Harper was trapped among the dozens of Mississippi-bound travelers who stood shoulder to shoulder, packed in a shuttle bus, on the tarmac of Reagan National Airport in sight of Washington, D.C. It was the night before President Donald Trump was scheduled to speak at the grand opening of two new history museums for the state's bicentennial and the day parts of Mississippi saw more snow than had been seen in decades. Some of the travelers, who waited about 30 minutes to exit the bus and board the only direct flight of the day headed to Jackson, didn't squander the opportunity to buttonhole Harper with questions and suggestions about tax reform, health care reform and Common Core national education standards. Such is the life of the five-term representative: Long periods of travel between Washington and Jackson, short hours with family on weekends, and the fast pace of the political grind on Capitol Hill. |
| 2 Brookhaven women could make a bid to run for Congress | |
 | Two Brookhaven public officials are on a list of possible candidates to run for Congress after U.S Rep. Gregg Harper's announcement Thursday that he won't run for another term. State Sen. Sally Doty and Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Cindy Hyde-Smith, both Republicans from Lincoln County, are on a list of nine people who are thought to be contenders to run for Harper's seat. Doty and Hyde-Smith are joined by State Treasurer Lynn Fitch on the speculative list, which was released by media hours after Harper's announcement. Others on the list include Mark Baker, Gerard Gilbert, Andy Gipson, Michael Guest, Josh Harkins and Joe Kilgore. Candidates' qualifying deadline is March 1. Party primaries are June 5, and the general election is Nov. 6. |
| House GOP chairman overseeing reform of harassment policies to retire | |
 | Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), the chairman of the House Administration Committee, said Thursday that he will retire at the end of this year, joining a growing list of Republicans opting not to seek reelection. Harper is now the seventh House GOP panel chairman to decide to leave Congress since the start of last year. Harper has been a key part of recent legislative efforts to overhaul Capitol Hill's sexual harassment prevention policies. Harper's Mississippi district is expected to remain under GOP control after this year's midterm elections. But his retirement creates yet another open seat currently held by a Republican in an election cycle expected to be challenging for the party due to historical midterm trends. |
| Who will run to replace U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper in Congress? | |
| With U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper announcing he will not seek re-election in this year's midterm congressional elections, the list of possible candidates is forming quickly. Here is a list of possible candidates for the 3rd Congressional District, which is considered to be a safe Republican seat. We will update this list with new names and information about each candidate and their decisions. ( |
| Public breakup with Trump costs Bannon a key GOP backer | |
| The acrimony surrounding former White House adviser Steve Bannon's very public break with President Donald Trump is escalating, suggesting a permanent split between the president and the pugilistic strategist who helped put him in the Oval Office. The new fissure in an already fractious Republican Party cast doubt on Bannon's hopes to foment a movement centered on "Trumpism without Trump." It already has cost him a key backer. Rebekah Mercer, the billionaire GOP donor and Breitbart co-owner, issued a statement Thursday distancing her family from Bannon. Others who have received boosts from Bannon, including Arizona Senate candidate Kelli Ward and potential Mississippi Senate challenger Chris McDaniel, were more circumspect, wary of alienating either faction of the party's insurgent grassroots. |
| New Pot Policy by Trump Administration Draws Bipartisan Fire | |
 | The Trump administration finally crossed the line for some members of Congress this week, provoking bipartisan umbrage and accompanying pledges to hold top officials accountable. Many thought the day had been far too long in coming. Few thought the galvanizing issue would be weed. Both Republicans and Democrats reacted with dismay and howls of betrayal to the decision by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to renew tough federal enforcement of marijuana laws, illustrating the growing power both politically and economically of the emerging industry. n Interior Department plan to open much of the nation's coastline to new oil exploration also drew strong opposition from some Republicans, including Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, a likely candidate for the Senate this year. |
| Employers added disappointing 148K jobs in December | |
 | The labor market slowed in December as U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in a sign that worker shortages may crimp hiring in 2018. The unemployment rate, which is calculated from a different survey, was unchanged at 4.1%, the Labor Department said Friday. The report provides the first unvarnished glimpse of hiring in several months. Average job growth topped 200,000 in October and November but economists attributed much of the increase to a bounce-back after hurricanes in Texas and Florida kept workers at home and suppressed September payrolls. Businesses added 146,000 jobs. Federal, state and local governments added 2,000. |
| Security flaws found to affect nearly every modern computer processor, allowing hackers to steal data | |
 | Technology companies are working to protect their customers after researchers revealed that major security flaws affecting nearly every modern computer processor could allow hackers to steal stored data -- including passwords and other sensitive information -- on desktops, laptops, mobile phones and cloud networks around the globe. On Thursday, Apple confirmed that all Mac systems and iOS devices are affected. The more pervasive flaw of the two, dubbed Spectre, leaves the world's supply of microprocessors potentially vulnerable to attack, the researchers said. The other flaw, called Meltdown, affects most Intel processors made after 1995. And although security patches exist for devices running Linux, Windows, and OS X, the researchers said, the fix may slow down their performance. |
| At U. of Mississippi, harassment policy breaks the norm | |
 | At the University of Mississippi, it's possible that a single offensive remark could land a student in trouble. While this may not seem significant, Mississippi appears to deviate in its harassment policies from what lawyers and free speech experts consider the norm. Constitutionally, almost all hate speech is protected up until it becomes severe, pervasive and repeated. Then it qualifies as harassment and then, according to experts, administrators can intervene. But Lee Tyner, the outgoing general counsel at Mississippi, has adopted a different approach. He contends that college leaders shouldn't wait until a student has been bullied to the point that the behavior finally can be considered harassment. Then, the institution would be liable for not having stepped in, he said in an interview. |
| USM marine education center opening soon in Ocean Springs | |
 | Staff of USM's Gulf Coast Research Lab were busy on Thursday moving into the new Marine Education Center. Following two years of construction, the center is almost ready to welcome students into a first hand learning experience. "We are surrounded by beautiful habitat that's fully alive with live animals in their natural setting," said Marine Education Center Director Chris Snyder. The facility will replace the destroyed J.L. Scott Marine Education Center on the Biloxi Point that was wiped out during Hurricane Katrina. "When we lost that we lost a connection between the Gulf Coast research lab and the community that we desperately wanted to get back," Snyder said. The connection is back now with an active learning center, space for public exhibits and a conference center. It's all centered on being in the outdoors. |
| JSU further postpones move-in day for students | |
 | Due to ongoing issues resulting from inclement weather, Jackson State University is further postponing move-in day for students. Move-in day is now scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 7 at 9 a.m. Jackson State University's abbreviated operating hours remain in place. The university will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 5. These times and measures will ensure the continuation of services and comfort for JSU's new and returning students for the 2018 spring semester. |
| Millsaps College delaying return to spring semester | |
| Millsaps College is delaying the start of on-campus activities for the spring semester by one week. The delay applies to all athletic practices, and affects undergraduate and graduate students. The school will observe the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday, January 15, and classes will officially begin on Tuesday, January 16. School officials say the academic term will start as scheduled on Monday, January 8, as faculty will begin distributing course material to students via email. This delay comes as the City of Jackson is actively managing an emergency situation related to broken and damaged water lines throughout the area. |
| Crippling Winter Storm Came at the Worst Possible Time for Conference-Going Academics | |
 | A blustering winter storm pummelling the East Coast on Thursday -- dubbed a "bomb cyclone" by meteorologists -- also threw a wrench into the plans of legions of academics in the middle of their annual pilgrimage to one of several key conferences. The multiday conferences serve as a chance for academics in the far-flung corners of the country to swap research and teaching methods. They also can serve as an aspiring professor's first crack at a long-term job. The Modern Language Association's convention is underway in New York City, where five to eight inches of snow was predicted. The American Historical Association held its conference here in Washington, D.C., where snowfall was lighter but temperatures struggled to crawl out of the mid-20s and winds gusted up to 30 to 40 mph. |
| Panel of historians says teaching about American conservatism harder now | |
| Seth Cotlar, a professor of history at Willamette University in Oregon, isn't a historian of conservatism (or a conservative). But around 2010, as the Tea Party raged, he felt increasingly alarmed by some students' tendency to dismiss conservatives as ignorant racist who, in his paraphrasing, "just aren't as smart as me yet." So he began teaching a course on the history of conservatism, to engage one small corner of the overwhelmingly liberal Willamette universe in informed political debate. Cotlar's duty wasn't to change minds, he said, just to open them to what conservatism actually is: "a politically robust, complicated phenomenon." Now, Cotlar said here Thursday at the American Historical Association's annual meeting, President Trump has complicated all that. |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs set SEC scoring record in rout | |
| Arkansas made a concerted effort to deny Mississippi State's top scorer Teaira McCowan by double and triple-teaming the 6-foot-7 reigning SEC Player of the Week. It would be up to the rest of the Bulldogs' supporting cast to pick up the scoring slack on Thursday evening. Morgan William, Victoria Vivians, Blair Schaefer and Roshunda Johnson proved they were more than up for the challenge as the senior guard quartet combined for 74 points in fifth-ranked MSU's 111-69 win over the Razorbacks. "If people are going to back off one of those four, they're probably going to pay the price," said MSU coach Vic Schaefer. |
| No. 5 Mississippi State Beats Arkansas 111-69 | |
| Victoria Vivians was honored a few minutes before Thursday night's game for topping 2,000 points in her impressive four-year career. There were no huge emotions from Mississippi State's senior guard. Just a few smiles, a wave, a hug or two and then a vintage performance that provided more than a few clues of how she piled up all those points. "I just take the award," Vivians said, "and move on to the game." Vivians scored 29 points, Morgan William added a season-high 18 and No. 5 Mississippi State beat Arkansas 111-69. Mississippi State travels to face LSU on Sunday. |
| Mississippi State beat Arkansas, but it wasn't enough for Vic Schaefer | |
| Arkansas did everything it could that first quarter. It did just about everything it could in the second quarter too. It sped up the tempo, made tough shots and made Mississippi State run in that first half. It was 7-2 and then 25-22 and MSU coach Vic Schaefer was taking off his coat and rushing in subs and getting angry. Arkansas made life difficult for the Bulldogs and put them on the ropes. Eventually, though, a team like No. 5 Mississippi State is simply too good. Eventually, even when Arkansas was doing everything right, Mississippi State could just make plays and pull away for a 111-69 victory to advance to 16-0 this season. |
| Neighbors has seen enough: Arkansas coach can't stop Mississippi State's Teaira McCowan | |
| Arkansas' Mike Neighbors had seen enough of Teaira McCowan. Just a year ago, Neighbors and his Washington Huskies could do nothing to stop McCowan in the fourth quarter of the Sweet 16 matchup in Oklahoma City. The sophomore center erupted for 26 points and 12 rebounds, most of which came in the final frame, and sent the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight. Neighbors, now at Arkansas, wasn't going to let that happen again on Thursday night. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, that just opened the floor up for everyone else. Victoria Vivians benefited the most as the senior forward made Neighbors pay for his decision as she scored 29 points, with 15 in the third quarter, and the Bulldogs cruised to a 111-69 win in the Southeastern Conference home opener. The point total was the largest in school history in an SEC contest as it was the first time MSU had ever reached the century mark in conference play. |
| Mississippi State's Mark McLaurin earns spot on Associated Press All-Bowl Team | |
| After tying the school single-game record for interceptions with three in Mississippi State's TaxSlayer Bowl victory, junior safety Mark McLaurin has been named to the Associated Press' national 2017 All-Bowl Team, the organization announced Thursday. McLaurin, the game's most valuable player, intercepted 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson three times and registered a game-high 11 tackles, including 0.5 for loss. The Collins, Miss., native became the first Bulldog since Richie Brown against Texas A&M in 2014 to record three picks in a game, joining a list of six to set the school single-game record. |
| Mississippi State's Mark McLaurin added to AP All-Bowl Team | |
| Being named the Most Valuable Player of the TaxSlayer Bowl was not the only recognition Mark McLaurin received. The Mississippi State safety earned a spot on the Associated Press All-Bowl Team as well. McLaurin tied a single-game school record by picking off Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson three times in the Bulldogs' bowl win. He also matched his career-high with 11 tackles including 0.5 for loss. The junior from Collins was the first FBS player with three or more interceptions in a bowl game since 2010 and only the second player to do so during the 2017 season. |
| Dawgs, Tide mum about concussions, AJC survey finds | |
| Oddsmakers and fans alike can parse reams of statistics for Monday's football championship between the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide. But one on-the-field stat that neither team has revealed is the number of concussions sustained by its student athletes. The AJC sought concussion data from 62 Division I, II and III and found that about 1 in 6 athletic programs do not count student-athlete concussions by sport, even though such data collection could lead to better safety protocols for their athletes. UGA said they kept concussion numbers for a time as part of a grant proposal, but stopped five years ago. Alabama said they kept the data, but declined to release it. |
| LSU AD Joe Alleva: Re-signing Dave Aranda was of 'highest importance' for Tigers | |
 | LSU was determined not to let Dave Aranda get away when Texas A&M came calling. Re-signing the highly-touted defensive coordinator was made the "highest importance" for the Tigers' offseason, and it was a mission fully accomplished when Aranda was officially given a contract extension, LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said in a news release Thursday afternoon Coach Ed Orgeron previously announced an agreement between the two parties on Twitter Wednesday night. The contract extension is pending approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors. |
| Texas A&M hires new defensive coordinator from Notre Dame | |
 | Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher couldn't land the losing defensive coordinator in the Citrus Bowl, so he hired the winner, Notre Dame's Mike Elko, someone he's also familiar with from their Atlantic Coast Conference battles. Before the Citrus Bowl against LSU, Kelly told Irish Illustrated that other schools were courting Elko, "but he's gonna be here at Notre Dame." That changed when A&M turned to Elko after its second run at LSU's Dave Aranda failed. Aranda agreed to stay in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a guaranteed four-year, $10 million contract making him the first college football assistant to be paid $2 million annually. Elko won't be far behind. |
| Suspended U. of Tennessee Athletic Director John Currie continues to be paid | |
 | More than one month after University of Tennessee Athletic Director John Currie was replaced and suspended with pay, the university said his employment status hasn't changed and he continues to earn his full salary. Currie was suspended Dec. 1 after eight months on the job and in the midst of the search for a new head football coach. UT Knoxville Vice Chancellor for Communications Ryan Robinson said Thursday that Currie's status hasn't changed. Asked Thursday if any investigation into his conduct is taking place, Robinson said only that "nothing has changed." Currie was suspended in the midst of a search he was leading for a new football coach to replace the fired Butch Jones. |
| Dan Mullen's UF staff long on SEC experience | |
| Dan Mullen still has one hire to make before his Florida coaching staff is complete, and so far he's only announced the responsibility for one assistant, Todd Grantham, who is the Gators' defensive coordinator. But this is a staff that already has a clear identity. It is deep in experience, including in the SEC. Mullen, of course, is a proven SEC head coach who spent the last nine years in that role at Mississippi State. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator at Florida under Urban Meyer for four years. Mullen knows what it's like to compete, and succeed, in the SEC. And he's surrounded himself with assistants who have done the same. |
| After U. of Louisville scandal, legislator looks for more oversight of athletics contracts | |
 | In the wake of an athletics scandal that brought down the University of Louisville's basketball coach and athletics director, a Lexington legislator has filed a bill that would require university governing boards to review big sponsorship and endorsement deals. "There is no distinction between a university and its sports teams, which is why it matters that these schools' governing boards have a formal role in approving the lucrative sponsorship and endorsement contracts their athletic departments enter into," said Rep. Kelly Flood, D-Lexington, whose district includes the University of Kentucky. House Bill 129 "simply calls for our boards of trustees to review these contracts before they're signed to make sure they protect the university's good reputation and are financially viable." |
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