| Tuesday, January 9, 2018 |
| Update: Mississippi State boil water notice lifted | |
 | The boil water notice for part of the Mississippi State University campus has been lifted. This comes after the January 4 water main break near Dogwood and Deavenport halls on the Starkville campus. Following the Friday repair, a boil water notice was issued for the two halls, as well as the university's Montgomery Center for America's Veterans at Nusz Hall. The university's Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter says water consumption and use is now safe in the buildings. |
| Market Talk: More of the Same for US Crop Prices | |
 | US farmers will see little change in prices for their crops this year, according to an agricultural economist addressing farmers at an annual convention in Tennessee. The American Farm Bureau Federation, which hosted the meeting, said Dr. Keith Coble of Mississippi State University told farmers that crop prices, which have lingered at low levels, will likely move sideways as a slump in the farm economy stretches into its fifth year. "Trends for 2018 will be similar to 2017, unless a major disruption occurs," said Dr. Coble. He predicted the farm bill, which authorizes US farm safety-net programs, would see just "minor tweaks" due to a tight legislative agenda during a year of mid-term elections. |
| Stable forecast for U.S. crop prices | |
| U.S. grain prices and crop demand for 2017-2018 will likely show no major changes, according to Dr. Keith Coble, former chief economist for Senate Agriculture Committee Republicans and the head of the Agricultural Economics Department at Mississippi State University. Coble spoke to workshop attendees during the American Farm Bureau Federation's 2018 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show about global crop trends and the U.S. farm policy outlook for the upcoming year. Trends for 2018 will be similar to 2017, unless a major disruption occurs, such as weather or foreign market changes, Coble said. The presentation concluded with audience questions about Coble's opinion of the next farm bill and the North American Free Trade Agreement. |
| Crop, Livestock and Farm Policy Outlook from AFBF18 | |
| Each year American Farm Bureau Federation brings in expert crop and livestock market specialist to provide their outlook for the upcoming year. In case you missed it, today's Market Intel provides the slides that were presented to the membership in attendance in Nashville. In 2018, Dr. Keith Coble, the Giles Distinguished Professor and Department Head, Agricultural Economics Department, Mississippi State University and James Robb, Director and Senior Agricultural Economist, Livestock Marketing Information Center provided members their outlook for the 2018 agricultural economy. |
| Insitu Demonstrates Broad-area Airspace Situational Awareness System for UAS | |
| Insitu, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, announced the successful completion of a flight demonstration for its ground-based Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) airspace situational awareness system. Insitu is tackling one of the toughest challenges for UASs -- the ability to detect nearby aircraft flying both within and beyond UAS operators' line of sight. Insitu conducted a test flight of its BVLOS system at the Mississippi State University Raspet Flight Center in November 2017. This successful flight showcased the work done by Insitu, the MSU Raspet Flight Center, and Boeing Phantom Works International, while demonstrating a key airspace integration tool which potentially could be used in the United States. |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves talks up Mississippi economy and population | |
 | When it comes to Mississippi's economy and population growth, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday that things aren't so bad. The Republican, speaking to the Capitol press corps and Mississippi State University's Stennis Institute of Government, said he believes concerns about Mississippi's population loss have been overstated. "I like to look at the good things that are happening," he said. Reeves, a Republican, said he wouldn't seek the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper. Reeves said he supports spending more money on roads and bridges in this year's Legislature, but declined to say what plan he might endorse. |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves: Senate looking for additional transportation funds | |
 | Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said he anticipates the Senate developing a plan during the 2018 session to provide additional revenue for transportation, but he refused to provide details Monday. "It is important we find additional revenue to spend on roads and bridges," Reeves, a second-term Republican, said Monday at a luncheon meeting of the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute of Government/capitol press corps. "We are hoping to do that this session." But when Reeves was asked what the source of the additional revenue might be, he said he was not ready to reveal that. Reeves did say that priorities for him would be a rewrite of the funding formula that provides state funds to local school districts and expanding to all students a program that provides vouchers to special needs students to attend private schools. |
| After Gunn moves swiftly, Reeves slows roads funding plans | |
| Despite swift action by House Speaker Philip Gunn last week, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is in no rush to address new funding measures for the state's roads and bridges. Reeves, who has now twice in 2018 expressed his desire to find more money for infrastructure, told reporters on Monday he's "not prepared" to specify how he'll divert more infrastructure money before April 1, the scheduled last day of the 2018 session. "I'm not going to get more specific today," Reeves later said. "There will be a time for that, and as we go through the legislative process, we'll certainly get more specific, but I'm not prepared to do so at this time." |
| Tax credit proposal seeks to lure, retain college grads in Mississippi | |
 | Mississippi needs to retain and lure college graduates -- fast. According to a report commissioned last year by the state College Board, 40 percent of graduates from the state's public universities leave the state within five years after graduating. The exodus rate climbs higher for students who earn degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. The report found, for example, that only 44 percent of the 481 engineering graduates who received a bachelor's degree in 2013 were working in Mississippi one year after graduating. Tim Mask, president of the Jackson-based advertising agency Maris, West & Baker, has a pitch he hopes will make 20-somethings reconsider. The gist is simple: Graduate from an accredited university, work in Mississippi for five years and receive a five-year tax credit. Mask would like to see those who use the refund buy a home or, if they are already entrepreneurs, receive the refund tax free. |
| Wallethub study says Mississippi not ideal place to rear families | |
| If a recent study by personal-finance website WalletHub is any indication, most folks won't be establishing a family in the Magnolia state. In the site's report on 2018's Best & Worst States to Raise a Family, Mississippi ranked next-to-last as one of the worst states to start a family. In its study, WalletHub measured each of the 50 states across 42 key indicators of family-friendliness. Massachusetts and Minnesota ranked as the top two states to start a family, while New Mexico was rated as the worst. New York, California, Nebraska and Iowa also cracked the top 10. |
| Mississippi governor's State of the State set for Tuesday | |
| Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is preparing to discuss his legislative priorities for 2018. The Republican delivers his State of the State speech at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Capitol. It will be carried live by Mississippi Public Broadcasting on radio, TV and online. Bryant's second term ends in January 2020. |
| Legislators talk education, employment at Eggs and Issues | |
| The Oxford-Lafayette Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual Eggs and Issues Legislative Breakfast this morning. Lawmakers present included Sen. Gray Tollison and Reps. Jim Beckett, Jay Hughes, Steve Masengill and Nolan Mettetal. Each gave updates on what issues Lafayette County residents can expect them to cover in this year's 2018 state legislative session. One of the hot topics discussed was education, specifically the need for better appropriation of funds and the need for more postsecondary education, either at the university level or through workforce training. |
| Trump loves farmers but keeps them guessing on NAFTA strategy | |
 | President Donald Trump on Monday delivered a campaign-style speech to thousands of farmers that largely dodged one of the most pressing concerns in agriculture -- whether Trump intends to blow up the North American Free Trade Agreement. Farm leaders have lobbied the administration and pleaded with the president to tread carefully in the ongoing renegotiation of the free-trade agreement with Canada and Mexico because the agricultural sector has arguably more to lose than any other segment of the economy if trade relations sour in North America. Trump, in a speech to the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual convention in Nashville, Tenn., stopped short of making his oft-repeated threat to pull out of NAFTA if he does not get a reworked deal that is to his liking. But otherwise he offered little assurance to farmers and ranchers who fear the potential loss of important export markets. |
| Winfrey's Golden Globes speech sparks talk of 2020 campaign | |
| Oprah Winfrey's impassioned call for "a brighter morning even in our darkest nights" at the Golden Globes has Democratic Party activists buzzing about the media superstar and the 2020 presidential race -- even if it's only a fantasy. "Look, it's ridiculous -- and I get that," said Brad Anderson, Barack Obama's 2012 Iowa campaign director. While he supports the idea of Winfrey running, it would also punctuate how Trump's candidacy has altered political norms. "At the same time, politics is ridiculous right now." Winfrey, 64, has become a cultural phenomenon over the past 30-plus years, born into a poor home in Mississippi but breaking through as a television news and talk show personality in the 1980s. |
| Is the Air Force changing its mind on long-endurance drones? Aurora CEO hopeful | |
| The U.S. Air Force has been resistant to buy ultrahigh-endurance drones, but a recent $48 million investment in the technology could signify that the service is changing its mind about its requirements, the head of Aurora Flight Sciences said. On Wednesday, Aurora Flight Sciences announced that the Air Force had awarded it a $48 million contract to create a certified version of its Orion medium altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial system. The Orion holds the world record for the longest flight performed by a drone. Yet Aurora, now a subsidiary of Boeing, has struggled to get the Air Force to adopt the technology. But the status quo may be changing. "What we're very hopeful is that the flight plan will recognize the need for very long endurance and very affordable ISR," said John Langford, Aurora's CEO and founder. |
| U.S. dramatically increased searches of electronic devices at airports in 2017, alarming privacy advocates | |
 | Border officers dramatically increased their searches last year of photos, social media messages, emails and private files kept on cellphones and other electronic devices carried by international travelers, including U.S. citizens, according to statistics released Friday. Although fewer than 1% of travelers have their devices screened, the increase alarmed privacy advocates who say U.S. citizens should not lose their protections against warrantless searches when crossing the border. Cellphones, laptops, tablets and other devices carried by 30,200 travelers were searched during the 2017 fiscal year, which ended last September, compared with 19,051 the year before, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The increase follows an even starker jump before that. Just 8,053 travelers had their devices searched in the 2015 fiscal year. |
| Under pressure, Trump team backs off proposal to cull foreign tech workforce | |
 | Under intense pressure from the business and technology communities, the Trump administration appears to be backing away from a policy change that could have forced foreign tech workers out of the country. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security, on Monday said it was still conducting a thorough review of worker visa programs. But after McClatchy reported over New Year's weekend that the agency was weighing a specific policy shift that would prevent foreign tech industry workers from keeping their visas longer than six years, the agency reversed course on that proposal. |
| Apple Investors Warn iPhones and Other Technology May Be Hurting Children | |
 | A pair of investors who say they hold about $2 billion in Apple stock are pushing the company to do more to protect its youngest users from the effects of digital technology. In an open letter to Apple, the investors, the activist hedge fund Jana Partners and the California State Teachers' Retirement System, voiced concerns that such technology might be hurting children and said Apple could help ease the damage even as it generates business. The investors, whose combined holdings are small compared with Apple's approximately $900 billion market value, cited research suggesting that the prevalence of digital devices, such as the laptops, tablets and smartphones Apple makes, may be negatively affecting children. Addressing the issue now could help Apple avoid an impending reckoning as unease grows over the role technology and social media play in our daily lives, the shareholders wrote. |
| Jim Borsig to step down as MUW president | |
| Mississippi University for Women president Jim Borsig plans to step down from his post as the university's leader in June after six years at its helm. Borsig, 61, announced his decision Monday at an on-campus meeting as well as in his January letter to the university. "Since this job doesn't come with an expiration date or a win-loss record, it's up to the president to know when it's time," Borsig said in the letter. "For me, that time is now." Although he did not elaborate on his reasons for stepping down, Borsig said he is healthy, in good spirits and looking forward to what comes next. Under Borsig's leadership, the school's enrollment has grown, intercollegiate athletics were reintroduced and the university's library was renovated. |
| Mississippi University for Women Leader to Step Down in June | |
| Mississippi University for Women President Jim Borsig announced Monday at a campus faculty meeting that he will step down in June. The 61-year-old Borsig wrote in a letter that he and his wife will move to Maine but maintain their ties to Columbus by working with a nonprofit group called Global Connections. College Board trustees named Borsig to lead the 2,800-student university in 2011, after he worked as the board's associate commissioner. He took over the university after a bruising fight over changing its name to the gender-neutral Reneau University that included the then-president cutting ties with the established alumnae group. "He has built a strong foundation on which the university will continue to build and excel," said Higher Education Commissioner Glenn Boyce. |
| 'Sugar Baby' relationships thrive at Ole Miss | |
| More than 200 college students at the University of Mississippi are "Sugar Babies" in a financial relationship with "Sugar Daddies" or "Sugar Mommas," according to data released Monday. With 247 students belonging to www.seekingarrangements.com, a website that sets up people for "mutually beneficial relationships," Ole Miss ranks 43 out of 50 in the country for "Sugar Babies," according to the site. The numbers for other Mississippi universities were not immediately available. According to a press release issued by the site Monday, a sugar daddy provides an "average monthly allowance" of $2,800. |
| Grant at William Carey University to help Meridian Public Schools teacher shortage | |
 | William Carey University has received a grant from the Phil Hardin Foundation for a project that will address the teacher shortage in Meridian by helping professionals complete the coursework to become teachers. The grant will allow someone who already holds a bachelor's degree in another field to take the courses required to obtain an alternate route teaching license. The $20,000 grant will pay the tuition for up to 10 people. If more than 10 people apply, the university will cover the tuition costs for the additional students. Lloyd Gray, the foundation's executive director, said there is a crisis in teacher availability and retention in Mississippi now. |
| Alabama universities seek more funding; lawmakers optimistic | |
 | The 2018 regular session of the Alabama Legislature will again see West Alabama's public colleges and universities seeking more funding for operating costs and workforce development programs as well as some structural changes. Alabama lawmakers meet Tuesday to begin the 2018 legislative session. The University of Alabama System's legislative agenda this year will resemble previous sessions with the three campuses seeking additional operations and maintenance funding. There is early optimism among university officials there will be additional available funds in the budget after no increases last year. "We are expecting to have new revenues in the education budget that we will have discretion to appropriate," said Rep. Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, who heads the House of Representatives' education budget committee. |
| Tuscaloosa sheriff, U. of Alabama president dropped from Megan Rondini wrongful death lawsuit | |
 | A federal judge on Monday dismissed Tuscaloosa County sheriff's officials and the University of Alabama president in a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Megan Rondini, a former student who killed herself after alleging she was raped by a man from a prominent family. U.S. District Judge David Proctor on Monday issued the order dismissing Sheriff Ron Abernathy, Investigator Josh Hastings, Investigator Adam Jones and University of Alabama President Stuart Bell from the lawsuit. The order was filed just before 11 a.m. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama Western Division. The lawsuit against T.J. Bunn and the discrimination claims against the University of Alabama will proceed. Efforts to reach UA officials for comment weren't immediately successful. Abernathy is expected to respond on Tuesday. |
| LSU's online engineering program cited by U.S. News | |
 | LSU's online graduate engineering programs are ranked 16th in the nation, according to ratings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report. Last year the school was rated 11th and tied with New York University. The review, called 2018 Best Online Programs Rankings, covered schools that offer bachelor's degrees online as well as a wide range of graduate programs, including engineering, master of business administration and others. LSU is ranked 51st for its online master of business administration program. It tied with Boise State University and Missouri University of Science and Technology. Last year U.S. News puts LSU in a eight-way tie for 47th. |
| No, aliens aren't the reason for this star's unusual qualities, LSU professor says | |
 | Research into what astronomers have called "the most mysterious star in the universe" has signaled "a new era of astronomy" for humanity, according to Louisiana State University. KIC 8462852, or "Tabby's Star," is more than 1,000 light years away and is about 50 percent bigger and 1,000 degrees hotter than the Sun, according to a university news release. Researchers stated the celestial body stands out among its interstellar peers because it exhibits variations in brightness, "inexplicably dimming and brightening sporadically like no other." This phenomenon was first discovered by citizen scientists known as the Planet Hunters in 2015. LSU stated the star, nicknamed after LSU astronomy professor Tabetha Boyajian, has cultivated several theories among scientists to explain its light patterns, including the notion that it's an "alien megastructure orbiting the star." However, Boyajian is convinced the strange behavior from Tabby's star is originating from comet dust, not aliens. |
| Tennessee colleges face achievement gaps and decreasing adult student enrollment | |
 | Tennessee has received numerous accolades for its push over the past few years to increase college access. But a recent report on the retention and completion rates of the state's most vulnerable college students show that access alone isn't enough if Tennessee wants to reach its goal for 55 percent of adults to hold a degree or certificate by 2025. Complete Tennessee, an education advocacy group, found that despite increases in overall retention rates during the last five years at the state's public and private institutions, African-American students at the state's community colleges still remain 10 percentage points behind their peers. Likewise, three-year community college graduation rates remain relatively low, averaging 20 percent in 2016. The state is ranked 44th in the country in degree attainment, according to the Lumina Foundation. The group also found that adult enrollment across the state's colleges has dropped by 25 percent since 2011. |
| More than $530 million in construction underway at U. of Tennessee | |
 | Students at the University of Tennessee may have enjoyed a break from classes the last few weeks, but that doesn't mean work on campus has stopped. With more than $530 million in new construction underway at UT, crews kept busy building a new student union and science laboratory, despite the sub-freezing temperatures over winter break. The student union, first approved by the State Building Commission in 2008, is now 10 years in the making and expected to open in spring 2019. Progress on both projects, as well as a three-phase $234 million redevelopment of the west end of campus, will take place this semester. And that's not all. |
| Victor McCrary named U. of Tennessee vice chancellor for research | |
| The University of Tennessee filled its top research position Monday with the naming of Victor McCrary as the new vice chancellor for research. McCrary is currently vice president for research and economic development at Morgan State University in Baltimore and holds a seat on the National Science Board. He is scheduled to start at UT March 5 and will earn a salary of $360,000. "UT is really at a progressive state in its evolution and it's got some great energetic leadership in Chancellor (Beverly) Davenport and the people on her team," said McCrary, 62. "Knoxville is an emerging center of innovation. It's got a national lab right in its backyard that I think is a leader not only nationally but internationally." Monday's announcement means Davenport is closer to having her leadership team in place as she approaches her one-year mark at UT. |
| U. of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to ax 600 jobs to curb soaring deficit | |
| The state of Arkansas' largest public employer is cutting 600 positions, nearly half of which were filled, in an effort announced Monday to curb a deficit almost double the amount it initially budgeted. The layoffs make up about 2 percent of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' total 10,900 employees across the state, while the overall cuts -- including vacancies -- make up 5.5 percent of the academic medical center's workforce. The positions are across all areas and will take effect in either 30 or 60 days, depending on the employee's contract, said Leslie Taylor, UAMS' vice chancellor in the Office of Communications and Marketing, who called the move "a very difficult decision." Many academic medical centers nationwide are facing similar financial conditions, experts say. |
| U. of Missouri still has ways to go in diverse faculty hiring, leaders say | |
 | The University of Missouri had its best year in recent history hiring faculty of diverse backgrounds, but it still hasn't reached its goal of having 10 percent of the faculty come from underrepresented minority groups, UM System President Mun Choi and MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright said on Monday at a hearing of the Missouri House Special Committee on Urban Issues. In 2017, MU hired 17 African-American and Hispanic faculty members, who made up 33 percent of the total hiring pool, Choi said, calling it "by far the best year Mizzou has had in terms of diversity hiring in the recent past." He said currently 3.7 percent of MU's faculty is African-American and 4.5 percent is Hispanic. MU also saw a 35 percent increase in applications from minority students, Choi said. Cartwright said MU has a goal of having 10 percent of its faculty come from underrepresented minority groups over the next few years. |
| National headquarters shuts down Sigma Alpha Epsilon at U. of Missouri | |
| Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Missouri has been placed under a cease-and-desist order last month by the national headquarters for the fraternity. According to a statement released Dec. 13 by the Fraternity Service Center, the Missouri Alpha chapter of SAE must immediately stop all chapter operations until further notice. The cease-and-desist order comes after an investigation into health and safety violations by the national headquarters for SAE. According to Johnny Sao, the director of communications for SAE, the Fraternity Service Center is still reviewing the case. After the review is completed, "the appropriate actions will be taken". MU spokesman Christian Basi said the action was initiated by the national organization, not the university. |
| After hazing death, fraternity banned from Pennsylvania for 10 years | |
| A Pennsylvania judge has banned fraternity Pi Delta Psi from the state for a decade, a punishment for a hazing death in 2013, and an unprecedented step likely to rock the national Greek system. The case attracted national attention amid a culture with far less patience for hazing than was the case in previous decades and more willingness among prosecutors to pursue aggressive charges, experts have said. Also of note was that the national fraternity chapter was successfully prosecuted, a relatively rare strategy. Pi Delta Psi, the national branch of which did not respond to a request for comment, was charged with aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter. It was ordered to pay more than $112,000 in fines and cannot operate in the state where Deng died for 10 years. |
| Top online college programs, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report | |
 | If you'd rather scroll a web page than stroll a campus quad, perhaps you should pick up your next bachelor's at Ohio State University. The university's main campus in Columbus topped U.S. News & World Report's 2018 Best Online Programs rankings for the first time. If you're thinking an online MBA, Temple University reigns again in the rankings for a fourth straight year. And engineering? Look to the Ivy League: Columbia University jumped two spots to take top honors. U.S. News analyzed nearly 1,500 programs for the rankings, looking at faculty credentials, technology and graduates' average debt among other factors to size up the top programs for bachelor's degrees as well as popular graduate degrees fields as varied as business, education, nursing and criminal justice. |
| Profs debate role of the historian (or lack thereof) in Burns and Novick's Vietnam documentary | |
| Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's recent 18-hour PBS documentary on the Vietnam War was adored by critics (The New York Times, for example, said it would "break your heart and win your mind"). And judging by the numbers -- some 34 million viewers total -- audiences loved it, too. But historians? Not so much, based on a lively weekend panel called "A Fateful Misunderstanding: A Discussion of the Film Documentary The Vietnam War" during the annual meeting of the American Historical Association. One big problem, panelists said, was Burns and Novick's deliberate exclusion of professional historians from their 80 talking heads. By the panelists' accounting, the documentary included two trained historians with military credentials but otherwise relied on witnesses -- mainly U.S. veterans and their families. |
| A spark of life possible for the Yazoo pumps project | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "In the financial world, an annuity is an investment that pays out cash installments -- often for a lifetime. In the world of Mississippi journalism, the Yazoo Area Backwater Pumps Project is an annuity -- a story that never goes away. The idea was first unveiled in a little room in a little building in Rolling Fork in the mid-1970s. A slide projector and screen were brought in and set up so about a dozen people, most of them from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, could explain the situation. Most recently, revival of the project has been discovered in pending U.S. Senate legislation. Could it be a spark of life?" |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Andy Cannizaro talks baseball with Rotarians | |
 | Since arriving to Starkville well over a year ago, Mississippi State baseball coach Andy Cannizaro has had a very similar message when selling his baseball team. The youthful and energetic Louisiana native is quite aware of the rich history that MSU baseball has built. From countless Southeastern Conference championships to first round Major League Baseball Draft picks, just about everything has been accomplished in Starkville. Except for a national title. "I really believe that this is a program that has the support of our administration and the most passionate fan base in the country that is going to allow us to win that very last baseball game of the season," Cannizaro said to Starkville Rotary Club on Monday. "That is our goal each and every day in our program." |
| Andy Cannizaro likes pieces Bulldogs have to replace Brent Rooker | |
 | Andy Cannizaro knows better than to ask someone to do what Brent Rooker did last season. Mississippi State's baseball coach realizes he saw a once-in-a-generation campaign out of Rooker, who won the Triple Crown in the Southeastern Conference for the first time in 30 years, so he isn't going to ask one player to replicate Rooker's 23 home runs. He might ask three to do it. On Monday during an appearance at the Starkville Rotary Club, Cannizaro identified three candidates to be MSU's primary power bats in 2018. Cannizaro hopes outfielders Hunter Vansau and Elijah MacNamee and catcher Marshall Gilbert can help make up for the loss of Rooker, the Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year who is currently a member of the Minnesota Twins' farm system. |
| Mississippi State hires Anthony Piroli to lead strength staff | |
| Joe Moorhead has brought even more NFL flavor to his coaching staff adding Anthony Piroli to lead his strength program at Mississippi State. Piroli has spent the past three seasons as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Arizona Cardinals but is no stranger to Starkville. The Alquippa, Pennsylvania native served on Rick Court's strength staff at MSU during the 2014 season when the Bulldogs rose to No. 1 in the nation. "I am excited to come back to Mississippi State and lead our strength and conditioning program," Piroli said. Piroli has also worked at Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. |
| Mississippi State finishes 19th in AP poll | |
| Mississippi State vaulted five spots to No. 19 in the final AP Top 25 poll of the season. The Bulldogs (9-4), who beat Louisville in the TaxSlayer Bowl, were one of five SEC teams in the final poll of the season, matching the Big Ten for the most schools in the last voting of the season by the media. Alabama (13-1) and Georgia (13-2) topped the poll after Monday's national championship game, with the Crimson Tide grabbing 57 of the 61 votes. |
| SEC basketball coaches praise strength of league | |
 | Andy Kennedy is in his 12th season as the head coach at the University of Mississippi. On Monday he, like many of the coaches before and after him on the Southeastern Conference basketball teleconference, was asked about the strength of the league so far. SEC play is entering is second full week of play, but Kennedy didn't need more time to say he believes the league is as strong as he's ever seen it. "From top to bottom this is as good as I've seen the league," said Kennedy, whose Rebels are 9-6 and 2-1 in the league. "Everybody has improved. There are no easy outs." Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes went a step further and called the SEC the best basketball conference in the country. "I think it's really time other people start realizing that," added Barnes', who leads a Tennessee team that 10-4 and 1-2 in the league. |
| Gators looking to build off strong league start | |
| Through the first week-and-a-half of conference play, Florida finds itself alone in first place in a more competitive SEC. But to Gator players and coaches, it's not about how they start in the league, but how they finish. Florida (11-4, 3-0 SEC) won its fifth straight and remained unbeaten in league play with a dramatic 77-75 win at Missouri on Saturday decided on a steal and layup by senior point guard Chris Chiozza in the closing seconds. The Gators will face Mississippi State at home Wednesday and could be without Chiozza, who was diagnosed with strep throat Monday and will sit out UF's next two practices. Florida will look to maintain its offensive momentum against a Mississippi State team that always plays tough defense under coach Ben Howland. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in scoring defense, allowing just 63.5 points per game. |
| Irate Alabama and Georgia fans wait hours in rain for national championship | |
| Thousands and thousands of soaking wet and irate Alabama and Georgia fans waited for up to two hours in the rain to enter Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday for the College Football Playoff National Championship. And that was before kickoff. Hordes of fans were left to stand in the rain by kickoff time for the all-SEC title game. At 7:15 p.m. CT it was 37 degrees and raining. Many fans paid well over $1,000 for tickets. The average get-in price for the game was over $1,400 on the secondary market. Claire Schweiker and Chism Lien of Tuscaloosa experienced the hypothermic conditions for two hours. They arrived early only to have Gate 1 of Mercedes-Benz Stadium closed for the arrival of President Donald Trump. An older couple from Pelham, Ala., waited in line for nearly two hours only to have their phones die upon entering the stadium. Soaking wet, they stood in the concourse near Gate 2 before kickoff and didn't know their seat numbers. |
| Trump greeted at Georgia-Alabama game with roar | |
| President Donald Trump was greeted with a booming chorus of cheers mixed with some boos as he took the field Monday for the national anthem ahead of the college football title game between Georgia and Alabama. The president, flanked by military members, stood near the 40-yard line with his hand on his heart as the anthem played. Another wave of cheers and jeers followed him as he left the field. Trump arrived in metro Atlanta around 6 p.m. to take in the all-Southeastern Conference matchup between the two powerhouses. His motorcade caused gridlock and long lines outside the sold-out stadium. The president left the game shortly before halftime. Before he arrived in Atlanta, he sharpened his criticism of athletes who refuse to stand during the national anthem, telling attendees at an agriculture meeting in Tennessee that "we love our flag and we love our anthem and we want to keep it that way." |
| Football trumps politics as 2018 Georgia Legislature opens | |
| Politics took a backseat to college football as the Georgia Legislature opened its 2018 session Monday amid icy weather outside the state Capitol and feverish support for the Georgia Bulldogs within the House and Senate chambers. Most state government offices were closed Monday as freezing rain in the morning made streets treacherously slippery in Atlanta and other parts of northern Georgia. Regardless, lawmakers convened at the statehouse as required by the state constitution, which says the Legislature must begin its 40-day session on the second Monday in January. But lawmakers seemed more focused on Monday's national championship football showdown between the University of Georgia and University of Alabama. Some lawmakers showed up in red blazers to support the Bulldogs. On the Senate floor, legislators joined in a chant of, "Go, Dawgs! Sic 'em!" |
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