| Wednesday, February 7, 2018 |
| New NSPARC-developed app allows users to report suspected child abuse, neglect | |
 | Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services launched a new app that allows people report suspected child abuse/neglect concerns. Developers said this is an easier and faster way to communicate or report problems. MDCPS said the app is free and available on any Apple or Android mobile phone as well as through any internet web browser. "As technology advances and more people rely on cell phones to conduct everyday business, this mobile app makes it more convenient for abuse and neglect reports to be submitted," said MDCPS Commissioner Jess. H. Dickinson. "Our agency is focused on working smarter to make sure the children of Mississippi are protected. If we think there may a better or more efficient way to accomplish our goal, our staff will seek it out and find it." The app was developed by the National Strategic Planning & Analysis Research Center at Mississippi State University. |
| New App Developed by MSU's NSPARC Allows Faster Child Abuse Reporting | |
 | Reporting suspected child abuse/neglect concerns is now faster and easier thanks to a new mobile reporting app offered by the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services. Available as a free download to any Apple or Android mobile phone as well as through any internet web browser, the new MDCPS Report Child Abuse mobile reporting application was developed by the National Strategic Planning & Analysis Research Center (NSPARC) at Mississippi State University in Starkville. NSPARC developers say the mobile app is the first of its kind in the U.S. and has already improved the quality of reports received by MDCPS. As part of the development process, NSPARC researched what tools other states utilize for abuse reporting. NSPARC could only identify five states with web applications. |
| If you suspect child abuse and want to report it, there's an NSPARC-developed app for that | |
 | The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services is going high-tech. The new "Report Abuse" app puts the power in the palm of your hand, to report suspected child abuse or neglect and help Mississippi children get the care they need. "We get almost 30,000 calls per year or reports a year of suspected child abuse and neglect and we respond to every one of them," said MDCPS Commissioner Jess Dickinson. Of that 30,000, Commissioner Dickinson says about 7,000 turn out to be legitimate cases, and he expects reports to increase with the help of the app. The app is said to be the first of its kind in the country. And thanks to a collaboration with researchers at Mississippi State University, it gives MDCPS another way to reach children in need. |
| Slim Chickens opening franchise in former Abner's space | |
 | A new chicken eatery looks to call Starkville home after recently closing a deal on the property, which was previously owned by Abner's. Slim Chickens, a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in chicken tenders and wings looks to open its doors in April right before residents leave for the summer. Director of Operations for Slim Chickens, David Bagwell said the franchise has ties to both Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi. The idea for Slim Chickens sparked from an Ole Miss alumnus who got the idea from Abner's and looked to create a business similar in terms of operation. When asked why he decided to bring Slim Chickens to Starkville, Bagwell said his entire family has ties to MSU, making it a no brainer as to why they should bring it here. |
| Houston man charged for Sportsplex shooting | |
 | A Houston man is facing charges for a January shooting that injured two people at the Starkville Sportsplex. Starkville police charged 19-year-old Jalon Javon Gates with two counts of aggravated assault on Tuesday for the Jan. 28 shooting incident. The shooting happened shortly after 12:30 a.m. while the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity was hosting an event at the Sportsplex. The shooting happened as people were leaving the event, and police reported both victims suffered non life-threatening injuries to their lower bodies. |
| Jackson lawmakers angered at moving Highway Patrol to Rankin County | |
 | The House over protests from Jackson-area lawmakers passed a bill to allow the current Mississippi Highway Patrol headquarters to be leased to developers to help pay for the agency to move to Rankin County. House Bill 1109, authored by House Public Property Chairman Tommy Weathersby, R-Florence, passed the House 83-32 on Tuesday. It would allow the Department of Finance and Administration to lease the current headquarters on Woodrow Wilson Avenue to developers, and use the lease money to pay off borrowing to build a new headquarters on state property near the new Mississippi Forensics Laboratory on Mississippi 475 South. "I'm having a difficult time understanding why we're moving everything out of Jackson," said Rep. Alyce Clarke, D-Jackson. |
| Bill honoring Mississippi State track star would require flashing lights | |
| Mississippi State University track star Kaelin Kersh died on May 7 after a speeding state trooper smashed into the car in which she was a passenger. A House bill named after her would require any emergency vehicle to use flashing lights when they are traveling more than 30 mph over the speed limit. House Bill 1202 faces a Thursday deadline for passage in the House. Kersh's mother, Toni, said she is still devastated by what happened eight months ago. "I still keep expecting her to come home from school," she said. "One weekend, you're watching your daughter graduate, and the next weekend you're burying her." Each year, hundreds of bystanders and passengers are killed in the U.S. in law enforcement car crashes (more than 5,000 since 1979), and tens of thousands more have been injured as officers pursued drivers at high speeds, a USA TODAY analysis concluded. |
| Equal pay bill heads to Senate | |
 | Legislation has passed the House and is now heading to the Senate to mandate equal pay for women. In a surprise move this past Friday, the House approved an amendment to another bill that would mandate gender pay equity. But the bill was held in the House for other issues. On Tuesday, Judiciary A Chairman Mark Baker, who authored the bill that was amended, said he would acquiesce to the wishes of the House and would not try to remove the gender pay equity amendment. The bill went on to pass by a 106-10 margin. Most of the members voting against the bill were Democrats, who support pay equity, but oppose the original intent of the bill – to prevent municipal governments from passing ordinances dealing with employment law, such as mandating a higher minimum wage than the state. |
| Medicaid expansion debate pops up in Senate | |
| The issue of Medicaid expansion, which seldom is debated in the Mississippi Legislature, was briefly the topic of conversation Tuesday in the state Senate. Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, bemoaned that working people, who cannot afford private insurance, were having to go without health care because the state would not expand Medicaid as allowed under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. "These are working people, people who work a lot harder than we do," Bryan told his fellow senators. He added they were people working everyday even though they need to go to the doctor but do not because they can't afford it. Mississippi is one of 19 states choosing not to expand Medicaid as is allowed under the federal law to cover those making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level -- $33,948 annually for a family of four. |
| Democrats futilely push for Medicaid expansion in tech bill | |
 | Nothing in the Senate's Medicaid technical bill hints at Medicaid expansion, but that didn't stop a string of Democrats from advocating for it during the floor debate Tuesday afternoon. As the bill, which is intended to reauthorize the Medicaid program for another three years, headed to a vote, several Democrats took the podium, pushing well-trod arguments that expanding Medicaid would benefit both recipients and the state's economy. Mississippi currently has the highest Medicaid match rate in the country, receiving three federal dollars for every one dollar the state puts into the program. If the state had expanded Medicaid, which was a provision of the Affordable Care Act, that match rate would have temporarily jumped to nine federal dollars for every one state dollar spent, a point Sen. Barbara Blackmon, D-Canton referenced at the podium. |
| Mississippi House advances bill cutting wind pool authority | |
 | House members are advancing a bill to strip a tax subsidy and authority from Mississippi's insurer of last resort for hurricane-prone coastal residents. House Bill 948 would divert $11 million a year in subsidies from the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association to help buy rural firetrucks and firefighting equipment through 2021. Gulf Coast House members oppose the bill. It's being pushed by Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, who says the association, called the "wind pool," spends too much on backup insurance. |
| Sexting bill for minors passes in Senate | |
| The Senate passed a bill Tuesday to allow minors convicted of sexting indecent images to face a less severe penalty and keep them from having to register as a sex offender. Senate Judiciary B Chairman Hob Bryan, D-Amory, said the bill is directly aimed at minors. Bryan said the way he understands it now, prosecutors' only option is to charge a minor under the child pornography law, which is a felony and requires registering as sex offender. The Senate bill and a similar bill in the House would provide a lesser option for minors, who may be in a dating situation. Youth Court judges asked for the bill, officials said. Sen. Briggs Hopson, R-Vicksburg, said he has concerns about the hodgepodge of statutes dealing with minors. |
| Congressional hopeful is DA and debt collector | |
| When District Attorney Michael P. Guest announced his bid for U.S. Congress in a packed courtroom in January, he touted his law and order record. Since 2008, Guest has served as district attorney for Madison and Rankin counties, two relatively affluent counties in Mississippi. Guest said that he has prosecuted 20,000 felony cases and helped claim over $20 million for local law enforcement agencies through the use of civil asset forfeiture. His entire career, he said, has been dedicated to protecting, "citizens from those who would prey upon others." One thing Guest did not mention is his other paying job: municipal debt collector. Since 2002, Guest has served as president of Mississippi Court Collections Inc., which collects delinquent court fines and fees in at least 20 counties across the state. |
| House Adopts Rules to Curb Sexual Harassment | |
 | In the wake of high-profile resignations over sexual harassment claims, the House on Tuesday approved sweeping changes to its internal rules intended to protect staffers, including a prohibition on sexual relationships between members and their aides. Lawmakers also passed a bipartisan bill to overhaul the process for investigating and resolving complaints by congressional employees regarding sexual harassment. The House by voice vote adopted the rules change, which goes into effect immediately because it only pertains to the chamber. Representatives also passed by voice vote the bill that would revamp the twenty-year-old Congressional Accountability Act. That bill now heads to the Senate. "There is no place for any type of harassment -- sexual harassment or any type of harassment, period, in the U.S. House of Representatives," said bill sponsor Gregg Harper, the Mississippi Republican who chairs the House Administration Committee. |
| Senate leaders see two-year budget deal within their grasp | |
 | Top Senate leaders were working Tuesday to finalize a sweeping long-term budget deal that would include a defense spending boost President Trump has long demanded alongside an increase in domestic programs championed by Democrats. As negotiations for the long-term deal continued, the House passed a short-term measure that would fund the government past a midnight Thursday deadline and avert a second partial shutdown in less than a month. Despite the optimism, no agreement was finalized with less than three days until Thursday's deadline. And even as congressional leaders were sounding an upbeat note, Trump was raising tensions by openly pondering a shutdown if Democrats did not agree to his immigration policies. |
| Cochran, Wicker join bipartisan push for community health centers | |
| Mississippi's senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker are among a bipartisan group advocating for community health center funding. Wicker and Cochran were two of 67 senators who sent a letter addressed to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-NY. Two years of funding for community health centers is included in a short-term spending bill set for consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives late Tuesday. Both the House and the Senate must approve a continuing resolution to meet the Feb. 8 deadline to avoid a shut down. The short-term spending bill, which would operate the government through March 23, is expected to pass in the House, but there is great concern the bill will not pass in the Senate. |
| The Era of Easy Money Is Ending, and the World Is Bracing for Shocks | |
 | Mere days ago, in what feels like a different era now, the biggest thing that people in control of money appeared to fear was complacency. Stock markets in the United States were surging, enthralled by the regulation-slashing, tax-shrinking predilections of President Trump. Every major economy in the world was expanding. The worst that could happen, the money masters averred, was that investors would be lulled into reckless investments, taking on too much risk in the belief that the dangers of the marketplace had been tamed. As it turns out, the dangers were already at work. A decade-long era of easy access to money engineered by central banks in Asia, Europe and the United States was ending, opening a new chapter in which corporations would have to pay more to borrow and ordinary people would have to pay more to finance homes, cars and other purchases. |
| Jesmyn Ward, Prize-Winning Author, Has 2 New Novels Planned | |
| National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward has her next two novels planned. On Wednesday, Scribner told The Associated Press that Ward will write an adult novel about an enslaved woman sent from the Carolinas to New Orleans. She will then work on her first novel for middle graders, a "magical adventure" featuring a Southern black woman with "special powers." A Mississippi native, Ward won the National Book Award last fall for her novel about a black family in her home state, "Sing, Unburied, Sing." She also won the National Book Award in 2011 for "Salvage the Bones," the story of a Mississippi community confronting Hurricane Katrina. |
| MUW Professor Accepts Diversity Award | |
| The Mississippi University for Women spent the morning recognizing the hard work and dedication of a long time employee. Dr. Dionne Fortenberry was nominated for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award. In her time at MUW, Dr. Fortenberry has increased the international student population nearly 371 percent. Dr. Erin Kempker is the chair of history and political science. She says she nominated Dr. Fortenberry because of her remarkable work with international students and her promotion of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. |
| Oxford Police investigating weekend death | |
 | A formerly enrolled University of Mississippi student died Sunday night in Oxford. The Dean of Students Office has been informed of the death, and Oxford Police Department is investigating. Dean of Students Melinda Sutton Noss said she was made aware of the death Sunday night and has since been following university protocol for recognizing deaths of current or recently enrolled students. The protocol involves providing support to students who may be impacted by the death and reaching out to the student's family when appropriate. Noss said she has yet to contact this student's family, as she typically tries to wait a few days before making that phone call. There are no deaths on the OPD Police Report or the Clery Act as of Tuesday afternoon. |
| USM economics professor weighs in on stock market | |
 | Monday's stock market drop left some people in the Pine Belt wondering what will happen with their 401(k) retirement accounts. Mehdi Barati, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Southern Mississippi, said the important thing is to not panic. "It's too early to say anything because the market just crashed," Barati said. "It goes down, it goes up and it's too early to say anything about it or what will happen to 401(k)." Barati said the markets were overpriced and he expected they might go down sooner or later. He said he wouldn't do anything in the stock markets right now. "In the economy people react based on their expectations. This is what we are witnessing right now. People expecting the economy is going better, that's why they buy the stock. I don't think that it should've been up, the prices. It was a bubble. We expected that it should go down sooner or later." |
| Smoking on USM campus continues after ban | |
| Many students are unaware of the new smoking policy at The University of Southern Mississippi. As of January, the campus has been completely tobacco-free. This new self-governing policy has left students scratching their head ever since. Smoking designated signs still adorn the walls around the school, such as the one behind the Liberal Arts Building. The Moffet Health Center worked with members of both the Hattiesburg and Gulfport campuses to assist the promotion, awareness and implication of the new policy. The center was given a grant from the American Cancer Society that helped provide the promotional items and marketing material. Because the policy is so new, many students do not actually know the technicalities of the policy. "As long as there's ashtrays out here, and that (smoking area) sign is up, I'm going to smoke," one anonymous USM student said. |
| USM professor researching lives of Confederate pensioners at Beauvoir | |
| A University of Southern Mississippi professor of history is reaching out to a local genealogical group for help in researching the Beauvoir home on the Gulf Coast. Susannah Ural, co-director of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society, is studying a 50-year period when Beauvoir was the Jefferson Davis Soldiers' Home. That was a residence for Confederate pensioners from 1903-1957. Tuesday night, she spoke at Hattiesburg's Genealogy Library to the South Mississippi Genealogical and Historical Society. "In some ways, I think it's going to help (SMGHS) with interest in a different way, a different approach," said Ural. "For me, it's also a tremendous help, because I've hit a wall trying to track down information on some of the individuals in the project and so, I'm counting on them to help me, too." |
| Deen-Davidson boardroom unveiled at Meridian Community College | |
 | Two portraits unveiled Tuesday at the Meridian Community College - Riley Workforce Development Center further symbolize the commitment of two institutions toward job training and enticing businesses and industry to operate locally. The building's name indicates the college's appreciation for the $3.7 million investment the Riley Foundation has provided toward the workforce development facility -- an effort to teach job skills so people can earn a good living for themselves and their families. Resources provided by the foundation covered more than half of the more than $7 million in facility costs. Two men -- Bob Deen, 92, and Marty Davidson, 77 -- helped steer Riley Foundation resources toward the program and now have portraits on display in a conference room named after them. |
| Building dedication part of Black History Month at East Mississippi Community College | |
| The public is invited to attend Black History Month celebrations at East Mississippi Community College's Golden Triangle and Scooba campuses. The Black History Month program at the college's Golden Triangle campus is scheduled beginning at 11 a.m. Feb. 19 beginning in the Lyceum Auditorium and will include a building dedication in memory of a longtime EMCC employee who passed away last year. The program at the college's Scooba campus is scheduled at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 in Stennis Hall Auditorium. At the conclusion of the ceremony, guests are invited to attend the dedication of the Johnny W. Fisher Math and Science Building. Fisher taught Criminal Justice at EMCC's Golden Triangle campus from 2008 until he passed away last August. |
| Auburn professor plays role in mapping peanut genetics breakthrough | |
 | New and improved peanut varieties could be coming the way of growers and consumers more frequently in the future with the successful mapping of the crop's genetic code. The Peanut Genome Consortium -- an international team of scientists that includes Auburn University's Charles Chen -- unveiled the map of the cultivated peanut's entire genome in January, marking the completion of a rigorous five-year research project. The genetic breakthrough will allow scientists to pinpoint beneficial genes in cultivated and wild peanuts and use those in breeding new varieties. These traits can lead to greater yields, lower production costs, lower losses to disease, improved processing traits, improved nutrition, improved safety, better flavor and virtually anything that is genetically determined by the peanut plant. "This project gives us the tools to accomplish a lot of different things," said Chen, a plant breeder and geneticist in the College of Agriculture's Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences and head of Auburn's peanut breeding and genetics program. |
| 'Not welcome here:' U. of South Carolina responds to another racist incident on campus | |
 | If there was any confusion, you can't be a racist and a Gamecock. The president of the University of South Carolina sent that message loud and clear outside the Russell House student union Tuesday. Along with faculty and students, Harris Pastides spoke about the latest racial incident on the downtown Columbia campus. Pastides said anyone promoting racist views on campus -- whether student, faculty or visiting from off campus -- would not be tolerated. "We will confront you. We will take action against you," Pastides said to a couple hundred students on a closed section of Greene Street. "This is a warning not to come again." The rally was held after two incidents on campus. |
| UGA's College of Family and Consumer Sciences turns 100 | |
 | Although women enrolled as unofficial students at the University of Georgia as early as 1903, they didn't find a home at the university until after World War I. With a nationwide food shortage raging, women were officially admitted to UGA as undergraduate students in 1918. They took their classes in the home economics and education departments. A bachelor's degree for women was approved within the Division of Home Economics, part of the UGA College of Agriculture, in February 1918, and the first 12 female students enrolled in the college that September. Championed by College of Agriculture President Andrew Soule, the Division of Home Economics eventually became the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. The college now offers a variety of majors, ranging from financial planning to fashion merchandising to nutritional sciences. With an alumni base of nearly 20,000, the college is celebrating its centennial throughout 2018. |
| Why an Update of Higher Ed's Sweeping Framework Could Be Years Away | |
 | The Senate has held four hearings since the middle of January to discuss revamping the federal law governing higher education. But as momentum ramps up, signs of discord on fundamental issues may throw a wrench into the plan to reauthorize the law -- which is overdue for an update -- this year. The Senate's education committee convened on Tuesday to discuss affordability in higher education. The problem was clear: The cost of higher education is rising, and students are having trouble repaying their debt. But there was less consensus on a solution. "While it is never easy to pay for college, it is easier than many think, and it is unfair and untrue to suggest that for most students college is out of reach financially," Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, chair of the committee, said. He proposed the "Bennett hypothesis," which is the idea that increasing federal student aid fuels rising college costs. |
| Higher ed groups criticize House GOP's financial aid bill as lawmakers corral support | |
 | With their attention occupied by tax reform last year, the higher education lobby had a muted response to the GOP's first crack at overhauling the student aid system and how it keeps colleges accountable. That's begun to change over the last month as major higher ed associations have issued forceful criticisms of the PROSPER Act, as Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have labeled their update to the Higher Education Act, while also alerting member institutions about perceived serious problems with the bill. The timing may seem odd, with the groups only becoming engaged on the bill about a month after it advanced out of committee. But over the last few weeks, major lobby groups have had their first chance to seriously examine the legislation, which overhauls the system of federal student loans and grants and curtails benefits for graduate students in particular. |
| Over Time, Humanities Grads Close the Pay Gap With Professional Peers | |
| There is something that the defenders of the humanities (and, more broadly, the liberal arts) want you to know: Sure, graduates who majored in the arts, philosophy, religion, or literature might make less than someone who majored in a professional program -- at least initially. But they're loving work and loving life -- and that, the advocates have argued, is a good start. We've seen that conclusion in a number of surveys and reports over the years -- from the Gallup-Purdue Index, the Annapolis Group, and the Association of American Colleges and Universities, that stalwart defender of liberal education. Add to that group the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, whose latest report -- "The State of the Humanities 2018: Graduates in the Workforce & Beyond" -- compares humanities graduates' job status, earnings, and job satisfaction with those of graduates from engineering, business, and the sciences (including health professions). |
| Study finds humanities majors land jobs and are happy in them | |
| What's the worst college major for your career, according to Forbes? Anthropology and archaeology. Kiplinger's says to stay away from religious studies, music, anthropology and art history. Such warnings are common these days. And liberal arts professors and admissions deans at liberal arts colleges will tell you that plenty of students (and an even larger share of parents) believe them. Many colleges with liberal arts roots are rushing to add preprofessional programs. But a study being released today by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences -- based on data from the U.S. Census and other government sources, plus Gallup polling of workers nationwide -- challenges the myth of the underemployed, unhappy humanities graduate. |
| As Protests Mount, U. of Chicago Plans for a Visit From Steve Bannon | |
| The University of Chicago is standing by its plans to host an event with the former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon on its downtown campus, despite protests and petitions calling for administrators to revoke an invitation he accepted in January. Luigi Zingales, a professor in the Booth School of Business, planned the event, which was first announced as a debate between Bannon and faculty experts to be moderated by Zingales. Zingales said in a statement explaining the invitation that he disagreed with Bannon's politics. But, he said, "the current problems in America cannot be solved by demonizing those who think differently, but by addressing the causes of their dissatisfaction." Zingales defended his decision to invite Bannon during a town-hall meeting on Monday at which he fielded questions from faculty and students. |
| Few institutions charging students extra fees for counseling services | |
| The president of the University of Texas at Austin announced last month he would eliminate counseling center fees for students -- a step, he said, that would remove a "barrier for students seeking needed care." But few centers across the country even charge students out of pocket, and campus mental health professionals prefer that students hold onto that money because they already face, in many cases, steep expenses, they said in interviews. "There are students who come from circumstances where their parents are not in a position to really provide a lot of financial assistance in regard to college education," said Sharon Mitchell, president of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors and senior director of counseling, health and wellness at University at Buffalo, of the State University of New York. "It's a myth that all college students are being subsidized by their parents. A lot of students are living off loans and grants, and working." |
| Barbour's embarrassing mistake illustrates the depth of the nation's partisan divide | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's lapse of memory, judgment or whatever one chooses to call it that left him facing a federal misdemeanor gun charge is what it is. ...Barbour took public responsibility for that lapse and said he'd pay a stiff fine (in keeping with penalties levied against violators who aren't former governors or Republican National Committee chairmen). The law enforcement community seemed satisfied and they allowed Barbour to actually board his flight that morning and continue his travel to Washington. ...For Barbour, 70, the incident is first and foremost embarrassing and particularly so for a man other people have long turned to for strategic advice and guidance after they made similar mistakes. But in Mississippi, it's not even the embarrassment of the media coverage of the event or the subsequent time in the barrel of mostly anonymous social media criticism from political foes that likely stung the most. It's something else." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State men extend win streak by beating Alabama | |
| Mississippi State's winning streak is adapting -- and growing. The first three games of the streak showed consistent offense against highly rated competition for the first time all season and it willed the Bulldog men's basketball team to wins; MSU scored at least 72 points in all three wins, the first time it has had such as streak. Now it has won with defense. MSU shook off its own shaky 3-point shooting (10.5 percent, 2-19) and second-half free throw struggles (10-19) by forcing Alabama to miss 13 of its final 16 shots as part of an equally bad 3-point shooting night (13.6 percent, 3-22). MSU won 67-63, snapping a four-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide (15-9, 6-5 Southeastern Conference). |
| Bulldogs beat Alabama for fourth straight win | |
| Two weeks ago, Mississippi State failed to make plays down the stretch in a tight loss at Alabama. Tuesday night, the Bulldogs found a way to close things out. MSU took the lead with 4:31 remaining and held on for a 67-63 victory. "This was our best win of the year," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "They're an NCAA Tournament team for sure so that's a real quality win for us." The victory snapped a four-game skid against Alabama and was also the Bulldogs' fourth straight SEC triumph, the longest stretch of conference wins for MSU since 2008. "We've been playing good lately and winning because of our defense," said MSU guard Tyson Carter. "We've really been guarding people. We came into this game with a lot of confidence." |
| Weatherspoon brothers lead Mississippi State past Alabama 67-63 | |
| Nick Weatherspoon had 18 points and his brother Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 13 to lead Mississippi State past Alabama 67-63 on Tuesday at Humphrey Coliseum. Mississippi State (18-6, 6-5 Southeastern Conference) snapped a four-game losing streak to Alabama and had lost 10 of the previous 11 meetings entering Tuesday's contest. "It was a great win for us against a very good team," said Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland. Mississippi State goes on the road Saturday to Missouri. |
| Mississippi State finding its toughness as it beats Alabama | |
| When Lamar Peters found himself in a trap and rushedly threw it right into the hands of Alabama's Donta Hall, and Collin Sexton then ran the fast break and lobbed a perfect alley-oop back to Hall to give the Crimson Tide a 49-45 lead, it seemed so easy -- so likely -- that Alabama could run away with the game. Mississippi State had given away momentum, and this was the kind of tight, back-and-forth game the Bulldogs might have lost months or weeks ago. Then Nick Weatherspoon hit a jumper. Then Aric Holman swatted the daylight out of a Dazon Ingram layup. Then Xavian Stapleton finished a fast break of his own with a behind-the-back dish to Quinndary Weatherspoon for the basket. Mississippi State had answered. And they kept answering from start to finish Tuesday night after each impressive basket from Sexton and each frustrating foul call. |
| Bulldogs top Tide at home | |
| If Mississippi State wanted to see a bubble in recent years, the Bulldogs had to find some gum to chew. After Tuesday night, that may no longer can be considered the case. MSU continued its recent string of successful basketball on Tuesday with a 67-63 victory over Alabama at Humphrey Coliseum. The victory gave State its first four-game winning streak in Southeastern Conference play in a decade, moved the Bulldogs to 18-6 overall and 6-5 in the SEC, and also put MSU right in the conversation for an at-large berth in this year's NCAA Tournament. It's quite a turnaround for the Bulldogs after the team lost five of its first seven league games this year. "I think we're growing," Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland said. "I think our overall toughness is better and the guys are preparing so hard." |
| Alabama stumbles late, falls to Mississippi State | |
 | Coming down the stretch, the Alabama basketball team had a shot. If that shot was beyond the arc, though, it wasn't going to be good enough. In a defensive struggle, Alabama held Mississippi State down but couldn't capitalize offensively in a 67-63 loss that evened the season series against the Bulldogs. Alabama led 54-53 on a John Petty 3-pointer with 5:04 remaining, but stalled at that point as MSU went on a 12-4 run to pull ahead by seven points with 30 seconds remaining. That gave State enough of a cushion to win despite missing four of seven foul shots in the final 30 seconds. "Our defense is why we win today," said Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland. "Alabama is a sure NCAA Tournament team, so this is a big win for our guys." |
| MSU Notebook: State stays hot at the Hump | |
| Mississippi State has been hard to handle at home this season. The Bulldogs improved to 16-1 at Humphrey Coliseum with its 67-63 win over Alabama on Tuesday, which tied the 2006-07 team for the most home victories in a single season. "They've been a hot team at home all year long, and especially in SEC play," said Alabama coach Avery Johnson. MSU's only slip up in Starkville this season came in a 76-68 setback to Auburn on Jan. 13 after holding an 11-point lead at halftime. |
| Andy Cannizaro looks to give freshmen Bulldogs opportunity | |
| When freshmen saw the field for Andy Cannizaro's first Mississippi State baseball team last season, it was a matter of necessity. When Riley Self, Denver McQuary and Graham Ashcraft were called to pitch, it was because they were among the few healthy and able. When freshmen see the field this year, it will be because they are the best option on a full roster. MSU is a little more than a week removed from opening its season with a three-game series at Southern Mississippi, and when it does, it won't surprise Cannizaro to see a handful of freshmen in the starting lineup. If that's how he ultimately fills out his lineup card, he and none of his players will have any hesitations. "Last year we had some freshmen that came in and were kind of timid; this year, there's no timidness to our freshmen," junior second baseman Hunter Stovall said. "They're all attacking it and fitting in well. They all have good personalities so we bond very well." |
| Toughness tells tale for Bulldogs' redemption | |
| Vic Schaefer reared back and raised his leg for added emphasis. The fist pump that followed exorcised five years of frustration. The Mississippi State women's basketball coach and his No. 2 Bulldogs had to wait another 6 minutes, 24 seconds to complete a 67-53 victory against No. 7 South Carolina on Monday night before a Humphrey Coliseum record crowd of 10,794. But Blair Schaefer's 3-pointer from the right corner, which included a pump of her right arm and a leaping spin from the senior guard, signaled this might be the night MSU (24-0, 10-0 Southeastern Conference) ended an 11-game losing streak to South Carolina. Coach Schaefer punctuated that signal with a fist pump that rivaled a baseball umpire's best out call and suggested the Bulldogs weren't going to be denied. "I thought it was freakin' awesome," Blair Schaefer said of seeing the reaction of her coach/father. |
| A respectful rivalry: Gamecocks and Bulldogs sing each others' praises | |
| Anyone looking on Monday for a repeat of the off-court drama South Carolina women's basketball has recently experienced was sorely disappointed. When the Gamecocks faced Mississippi State on the road in a nationally televised clash of top-10 teams, all the ingredients were there for another week of bad blood between SEC foes -- a national title rematch, a sold-out, raucous crowd of nearly 11,000, a Bulldog team that had lost 11 in a row to USC, an unsportsmanlike foul on each team. Instead, Dawn Staley and her MSU counterpart, Vic Schaefer, couldn't stop complimenting each other. "They're a great team, no doubt about it. They're our league's best team, the record shows it, the rankings show it. They did a great job," Staley said after losing 67-53 to No. 2 Mississippi State, now 24-0 and in line to win the first SEC regular-season title in program history. |
| Things falling into place for No. 2 Bulldogs | |
| The Dispatch's Adam Minichino writes: "Echoes reverberate after games like this. They also should stir a fire in players and fans to make it happen again. There's no denying the atmosphere for the No. 2 Mississippi State women's basketball team's 67-53 victory against No. 7 South Carolina on Monday night was the best this reporter has seen in his years covering the Southeastern Conference. ... There's no telling how far MSU or South Carolina will go this season. That's another story for another day. With six SEC regular-season games remaining, MSU (24-0, 10-0 SEC) has a two-game lead on Georgia and a three-game lead in the loss column on Tennessee, South Carolina, Missouri, and Texas A&M. That cushion gives the Bulldogs a margin for error as they move closer to clinching the program's first SEC regular-season title." |
| Every SEC spring football game to be televised again in 2018 | |
 | Every SEC spring football game will be televised by ESPN, ESPNU or the SEC Network once again this year. First up is South Carolina's Garnet-Black spring game, set for March 31. Games continue through April, with five games set for April 21. Vanderbilt is not playing an official spring game this year. Mississippi State's Maroon-White game will air at 3 p.m. on April 21 on the SEC Network. |
| Ole Miss files appeal in NCAA infractions case | |
| Ole Miss' appeal is in. The school filed its written appeal with the NCAA in its football infractions case Monday -- more than two months after receiving a multi-year bowl ban as part of the Committee on Infractions' final ruling. Ole Miss filed a notice of its intent to appeal on Dec. 15 with the NCAA acknowledging it during the first week of January, starting a 30-day window in which the school was required to submit its appeal. The COI has 30 days from the time the appeal is received to issue its response. Ole Miss will have 14 days after that to provide a rebuttal before an in-person hearing is scheduled. Only penalties and findings can be appealed. Ole Miss cannot introduce any new evidence during the appeals process that wasn't a part of its hearing with the COI. |
| Auburn releases details of Gus Malzahn's 7-year, $49 million contract | |
| Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn will make $6.7 million in 2018 and that number will increase by $100,000 every season over the life of the new contract he signed with the university. The Opelika-Auburn News obtained a copy of the contract Tuesday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Malzahn, university president Steven Leath and former athletics director Jay Jacobs signed it on Jan. 26. The deal runs through the final game of the 2024 football season and will pay Malzahn $49 million total. He will earn a base salary of $500,000 every season, plus $3.1 million in personal endorsement rights (increased by $50,000 per season) and $3.1 million in radio, internet, television and appearance rights (also increased by $50,000 per season). He will make $7.3 million in the final year of the contract. |
| Ohio State AD Gene Smith calls Jimbo Fisher's contract 'ridiculous' | |
 | Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith was critical of schools that shell out large sums of cash to their football coaches, taking aim at Texas A&M's approach to hiring Jimbo Fisher. In response to a discussion about Texas A&M giving Fisher a 10-year, $75 million contract at Ohio State's Board of Trustees' Talent and Compensation Committee meeting last week, Smith felt coach Urban Meyer's contract wasn't comparable. "I don't even put Texas A&M in our sphere because I'm considering Urban's situation with three years left on his contract," Smith said. "Talking with (Susan Basso, vice president of human resources) and (Joanna McGoldrick, associate vice president of total rewards), that's not even someone that we're comparing with because it's so ridiculous." |
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