| Tuesday, February 13, 2018 |
| Mississippi State's Brad Peterson to talk recruiting at Breakfast with the Bulldogs | |
 | Mississippi State football's Director of High School Relations and Recruiting Brad Peterson will be the guest speaker at Breakfast with the Bulldogs on Feb. 15. Among Peterson's primary responsibilities at MSU is the organization of on-campus recruiting efforts and serving as the director of all camps and clinics within the program. Peterson will highlight information about the 23 athletes who officially signed with MSU either on the early signing day of Dec. 20 or on National Signing Day Feb. 7. All MSU alumni and friends are invited to Breakfast with the Bulldogs, which is held monthly at the Starkville Cafe. The breakfast event is Dutch treat and starts at 7:30 a.m. |
| EMCC's Buddy Stephens explains winning philosophy to the Rotary Club | |
| Buddy Stephens is the very successful head football coach of East Mississippi Community College, but he made sure the Starkville Rotary Club understood on Monday that he is not alone. Even though he has a 98-13 record in the last 10 years and four national championships in seven seasons, Stephens said the things the Lions have accomplished over the years are not about him. "Believe me all of those accolades would not have come without other people," Stephens said. "Believe me, it's not me. I don't do this. Somebody asked us, how did we get here? We got here because of a lot of really good football players. We can coach, you can x and o and draw up stuff all you want to, but if you don't have the players, you can forget it and it doesn't matter." Whether it's Starkville, West Point or Columbus in the Golden Triangle, or other areas in the state, Stephens tries to stay plugged into as many high schools as he can. |
| Update: More details emerge following Cotton District assault | |
| A Madison man was arrested early Saturday morning in connection with an alleged assault that occurred outside of a Starkville bar. The Starkville Police Department arrested 21-year-old Harrison S. Browning after responding to a report about 1:37 a.m. of an individual being assaulted outside of Gringo's bar in the 600 block of University Drive in the city's Cotton District. According to court documents obtained by the Starkville Daily News, Browning is accused of injuring the victim by "head butting and slamming" the victim's head into the concrete multiple times. This resulted in severe lacerations, a broken orbital socket, a contusion to the front left brain lobe and other facial broken bones. The arrest report says Harrison voluntarily came to SPD upon request, where he was interviewed and later charged. It is unclear at this time what caused the incident. |
| Abortion bill from Rep. Becky Currie still alive | |
 | The current legislative session has moved swiftly in Jackson, and most of the bills presented since January have been quietly waylaid. But several measures authored by local lawmakers remain viable -- including proposals dealing with abortion, alcohol sales and the statewide opioid crisis. Five pieces of legislation written by Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, who represents Copiah, Lawrence and Lincoln counties, are still working their way through the Statehouse. Four of her remaining measures were recently transmitted to the Senate. |
| State attorneys general: No citizenship question on census | |
 | Mississippi was part of a coalition of state attorneys general on Monday urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to not add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census, saying it could lower participation among immigrants and cause a population undercount. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra led a letter sent to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. They were joined by Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. The governor of Colorado also signed on. |
| 140 victims of Mexico resort blackouts; now, Congress wants action | |
 | Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are pressuring the State Department to reform the way it handles deaths and injuries to U.S. citizens vacationing in Mexico. In a letter Monday to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said the more than 140 recently reported cases of tourists blacking out and getting injured -- and in some cases dying -- after drinking small or moderate amounts of alcohol show that the department needs to take a more "proactive, victim-centric" approach. The pressure from elected officials follows a months-long investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which first uncovered the array of problems in July. The Journal Sentinel heard from more than 140 people who had terrifying, sometimes tragic, experiences while visiting Mexico, most often while staying at upscale, all-inclusive resorts. |
| 3rd charged with Ole Miss grad student's 2013 murder stands trial this week | |
 | The trial of the third former University of Mississippi student charged in the 2013 shooting death of graduate student Zacharias Hercules McClendon is expected to begin this morning at the Lafayette County Courthouse. Prosecutors and defense attorneys worked into the late evening hours Monday to choose the 12-member jury with two alternates. The jury was selected from a pool of Lafayette County residents; however, they will be sequestered during the course of the trial that's expected to last until Friday. McClendon, 25, was working toward his second master's degree at Ole Miss and had been accepted into medical school in Jackson before he was murdered. |
| USM Professor Appointed to Mississippi District Export Council | |
 | Dr. John Lambert, associate professor of International Business at the University of Southern Mississippi, has been appointed to the Mississippi District Export Council by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Selection is based upon energetic leadership, position in the local business community, knowledge of day-to-day international operations, interest in export developments, and willingness and ability to devote time to council activities. The Mississippi DEC, follows a mission to be the best source of customized solutions for Mississippi businesses to compete and win in the global market place. |
| Post-Katrina Debt Cleared for Four Southern Colleges Including Tougaloo | |
| Three historically black universities in New Orleans and one in Mississippi will see about $330 million in post-Katrina debt owed to the federal government cleared under a provision in a congressional budget deal signed by President Donald Trump. Dillard University, Xavier University and Southern University at New Orleans and Tougaloo College, just north of Jackson, Mississippi, borrowed the money in 2007 from the federal Department of Education as they struggled to deal with crippling blows dealt by Hurricane Katrina. Senate Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican whose committee wrote the bill, played a key role in including the provision in the text. |
| U. of Alabama granted patent for sideline medical tent | |
 | The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has recently granted the University of Alabama a patent on the portable collapsible medical sideline tent that captured national attention when it appeared on the Crimson Tide sidelines during the 2015 championship season. The patent was awarded to the university last month. The SidelinER was the brainchild of UA's director of sports medicine, Jeff Allen, and was created by four students as part of a senior design project. The collapsible, portable tent offers privacy on the sideline for the examination of injured players. "I can't believe we did this without the SidelinER," Allen said. "I clearly knew there would be a benefit to privacy, but I didn't realize how much it would improve our medical exam on the sideline. The medical staff and the athletes are much calmer in a private environment, and we get a better medical exam than we used to get." Allen and alumni Jared Cassity, Christian Parris, Jared Porteous and Patrick Powell are credited on the patent as the inventors. |
| Auburn University Board of Trustees vote on bylaws, budgets; recognizes Jay Jacobs | |
 | The Auburn University Board of Trustees voted on bylaws and budgets, as well as recognized the accomplishments of student-athletes during its February meeting at Auburn University at Montgomery. The trustees unanimously approved changes to the bylaws that would require more executive positions at the university to be filled by board approval. Under the former bylaws, the Auburn University president and provost and AUM chancellor were all voted on by the board of trustees as part of the hiring process. Other positions, including athletics director and general counsel, were filled by appointment of the president after consultation with the board. Under the proposed bylaws and related policies approved Friday by the board, all vice presidents, the athletics director, general counsel and chief financial officer all must be approved by the board, or board designees, before they are hired. |
| LSU president calls for scholarship program to be fully funded amid statewide tour | |
 | LSU President F. King Alexander warned a crowded auditorium that "we may be the only generation" in the nation's history to leave the next generation with fewer educational and economic opportunities, unless actions are taken soon. Drawing attention to Louisiana's high incarceration rate, King also urged attendees to take on the challenge of educating more people and putting them on the pathway to college instead of prison. "I've heard people say not everybody should go to college. Well, I think everybody doesn't have to go to college, but everybody should have the option to go to college," King added. Alexander's comments were part of a presentation he gave Feb. 7 at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, as part of a tour titled "LSU 2025: Challenge Accepted | LSU's Role in Addressing the Biggest Problems Facing Our State - And Our Nation." |
| U. of Tennessee museum hosts family fun day to celebrate Charles Darwin's birthday | |
 | The McClung Museum at the University of Tennessee hosted its 21st Darwin Day celebration on Saturday by welcoming hundreds of parents and children for a celebratory birthday party for the late biologist who would have turned 209 on Monday, Feb. 12. The celebration marks the third year that a birthday event has been held for Darwin at the museum and featured scavenger hunts, gallery tours and other arts and crafts activities designed to expose visitors to the light-hearted side of science. Co-coordinator Maggie Limbeck, a graduate student in UT's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said that UT's annual celebration stands out from events at other universities because of its size and longevity. She said this year's birthday celebration was designed to engage children and families by making science fun. |
| U. of Florida admits 36 percent of freshman applicants | |
 | During the weekend, 14,866 students received acceptance letters from the University of Florida, getting the opportunity to be part of UF's class of 2022. The school received 40,849 applications and admitted 36 percent of applicants, it announced Monday. Of those, 11,741 were admitted for the fall 2018 semester, and 3,125 were admitted for the summer B 2018 semester. The Innovation Academy, which offers students classes in the spring 2019 semester and leaves fall semesters open for study abroad or internship opportunities, admitted 649 students, and 2,271 students were admitted to the university's Pathway to Campus Enrollment program, which starts students in online courses before allowing them to become a residential student once they've received 60 credit hours. The university has an enrollment goal of 6,400 students for fall and summer B semesters combined, meaning 57 percent of accepted students likely won't enroll at UF. |
| Year of the Dog celebrated at Vanderbilt | |
 | The Chinese New Year Celebration at Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness Center saw hundreds join the festivities Saturday as Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville presented an engaging and educational program with a lion dance, puppet show, juggling, Kung fu and other performances. Cindy Hui-Lio, whose family lives in China, performed a demonstration of Tai-Chi and wrote down the names of people in Chinese characters for them to take home. "I like the excitement, the unity," Hui-Lio said. "I love that's it's something to share." 2018 is the Year of the Dog, one of the 12-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. |
| Texas A&M names Michigan's Robin Means Coleman as new diversity leader | |
 | Texas A&M University named Robin Means Coleman of the University of Michigan as its new vice president and associate provost for diversity. Coleman, who is set to begin in the role April 1, will lead the university's initiatives in accountability, climate and equity, reporting directly to Provost Carol A. Fierke. "I could not be more excited to join Texas A&M as its next vice president and associate provost for diversity," Coleman said in a statement. "Texas A&M's indefatigable commitment to inclusion, equity and diversity is embedded in its very DNA, as evidenced by its core values." Coleman currently serves as associate dean of social sciences in the Rackham Graduate School at Michigan. |
| U. of Missouri non-faculty staffers required to complete performance survey | |
 | University of Missouri System leaders are moving forward with the first official step in the Fiscal Year 2018 Administrative Review project, according to emails sent Monday from UM System President Mun Choi and MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright. Over the next two months, an advisory committee of UM System faculty and staff will study responses from non-faculty staff members across all four UM System campuses to understand the specific roles and distribution of work performed. According to the UM System website, the Activity Analysis Survey designed for the study "will augment organizational knowledge about how our daily workload is managed and help the University find the right balance of work in functions and academic units." "It will be very important that we hear from each non-faculty staff member through this survey so that we can use data to inform our decisions and find the right balance of work in our functions and units," Choi said in an email. |
| Trump budget proposal reflects congressional GOP priorities on higher ed | |
 | The White House budget released Monday won't be approved by Congress and likely won't even be seriously considered by lawmakers as a framework for their spending priorities. But the document makes clear that the Trump administration is in many respects on the same page with House Republicans as they seek to dramatically reshape the student aid system in renewing the Higher Education Act. President Trump's budget proposes consolidating multiple income-contingent repayment plans for student borrowers into a single plan, eliminating Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and ending subsidized student loans. It also would expand Pell Grant eligibility to short-term nondegree programs, end the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and overhaul the Federal Work-Study program. Meanwhile, the White House proposed keeping funding flat for key federal research agencies. And it sought to eliminate agencies and programs including AmeriCorps, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. |
| Youthful 'snowflakes' are made, not born | |
 | Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "Don't blame the college kids. The snowflakes among them weren't born to feel privileged, entitled or in need of shelter from diverse ideas and opinions. Those characteristics, just like racism and sexism, are learned behaviors. So, is it the fault of parents? Not completely. ... Wise students will seek truth and learn how to reason. They will resist all who tell them what to think. Haters are made, not born. So are snowflakes." |
| Firearms have no place in a SEC football stadium, rock concert or the Mississippi Capitol | |
 | The Sun Herald editorializes: "We sympathize with state Rep. Charles Young, who flashed a gun on the floor of the state House to make a point. He was pointing out the hypocrisy of his fellow House members who voted to void rules that limit where people carry guns on public property, including university football stadiums and such. They took that vote in a public place, the state Capitol, where lawmakers by rule have banned firearms, except for those carried by law enforcement officers or those granted special permission by a majority of lawmakers. If lawmakers feel safer with fewer guns around, why force universities and other public agencies to allow them? The theory pushed by the National Rifle Association, which not so coincidentally backed HB 1083, is that more guns equals more safety. Research suggests that is a false sense of security." |
SPORTS
| Healthy arms bolster Bulldogs' pitching staff | |
 | Injuries certainly took their toll on Mississippi State's pitching staff last season. Coach Andy Cannizaro recalls just how limited his options were on the mound by the end of the year. "Last year we went into the Super Regional at LSU with five or six healthy arms on our whole team," Cannizaro said. "That's just five or six guys that actually had a jersey and could literally huck it up toward home plate at the end of the season." The Bulldogs are in a much better place in terms of its pitching staff for this season. MSU brings back several arms that missed the majority or the entirety of last spring and will provide plenty of options for Cannizaro and pitching coach Gary Henderson to utilize. |
| All eyes will be on this Mississippi State ace Friday at Southern Miss | |
| With Major League scouts set to watch his every move in 2018, Konnor Pilkington will face his greatest test yet this season. The Mississippi State left-hander will be eligible for the MLB Draft following the 2018 season and he's considered one of the best pitching prospects in all of college baseball. Rated as the 23rd-best prospect for this June's draft by MLB.com, Pilkington has a chance to climb well into the first round with another strong showing this year. If past performance is any indication, the junior is more than up to the task. When Pilkington takes the mound Friday night in Hattiesburg, he will face a USM lineup that's loaded with potent left-handed bats. There's a good chance USM will have at least five players swinging from the left side of the plate in the starting lineup. When you consider that USM had more success against right-handed pitching last year, Pilkington should have the edge. |
| MSU Notebook: Luke Alexander starting at shortstop | |
| Luke Alexander and Hunter Stovall were locked in a competitive battle all preseason to be Mississippi State's starting shortstop. Last week, coach Andy Cannizaro announced it would be Alexander that would begin the year in the six-hole and Stovall will remain in his starting role at second base. "Those two guys have played two years in the SEC now and that gives us a veteran presence and a lot of ability up the middle of the field," Cannizaro said. "That's really going to allow us to defend at a really high level again this season." Alexander started 16 games at shortstop as a true freshman but earned most of his playing time at third base last year. The Belmont native is glad to be returning to his former position. |
| Roshunda Johnson's strong start, balanced attack power No. 2 Mississippi State | |
| The power of five has been a key all season for the Mississippi State basketball team. Instead of relying on one or two players to carry the offensive load, the Bulldogs have shared the wealth with a motion offense and a healthy dose of half-court sets to get all five players involved. As a result, MSU have proven to be one of the nation's toughest teams to guard. On numerous occasions, opposing coaches have talked about "picking their poison" when their defense has tried to shut down one or two individuals. On Sunday, Kentucky tried to clog the middle and take away 6-foot-7 junior center Teaira McCowan. The strategy limited McCowan to only one field goal in the first half. Fortunately, Roshunda Johnson was there to pick up the slack. |
| Mississippi State's McCowan, Vivians up for another award | |
| Teaira McCowan and Victoria Vivians remain in contention for another national award. The Mississippi State standouts were notified Monday that each were named to the Naismith Trophy Late Season Top 30. The Naismith Trophy is awarded each year to the top player in women's basketball. McCowan leads the Southeastern Conference in rebounding at 13.3 per game and is also fourth in scoring at 19 points. The junior forward from Brenham, Texas is also second in the league shooting 61.9 percent from the field and has posted 18 double-doubles. Vivians ranks third in the SEC in scoring at 19.7 points a contest and has scored in double figures in 25 of 26 games this season. |
| UK coach Matthew Mitchell happy for success at alma mater | |
| Matthew Mitchell knows Mississippi State better than most coaches. Growing up in Louisville, Mitchell recalls coming to Humphrey Coliseum plenty of times to watch basketball games. As a 1995 graduate of MSU, Mitchell also attended plenty of games as a college student. Mitchell's visits to the Hump continued during coaching stints at Tennessee and Florida. After he took over as head coach at Kentucky in 2007, Mitchell kept having fun on his visits to his alma mater. The only rub was not a lot of people were there to see Mitchell's dominance of MSU. On Sunday, a sell-out crowd (announced attendance of 9,520) was on hand to see No. 2 MSU snap an 11-game losing streak in the series with a 74-55 victory. |
| Mississippi State softball completes shutout-filled weekend | |
| Power hitting and shutdown pitching carried the Mississippi State softball team to a sweep of Missouri State and Mississippi Valley State on Sunday at Nusz Park to clinch the Bulldog Kickoff Classic title. Senior right-hander Holly Ward tossed her second shutout of the weekend in a 5-0 victory against Missouri State. Freshman right-hander Emily Williams earned her first collegiate victory in her debut in the circle in an 8-0 victory against Mississippi Valley State in six innings. MSU opened the 2018 season with four consecutive shutouts, marking the first time in program history that the Bulldogs have blanked opponents in four straight games to open a campaign. The Bulldogs are also off to their first 4-0 start since the 2016 season. MSU will play host to Tennessee-Martin at 4 p.m. Thursday at Nusz Park. |
| Delta State's Mike Kinnison picks up win No. 900 | |
| Friday afternoon turned out to be a special one for Delta State University head baseball coach Mike Kinnison. Kinnison picked up his 900th career win as the Statesmen defeated the Ouachita Baptist Tigers 3-2 in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Kinnison has won at a rapid rate as Friday's win came in only the fourth game of his 22nd season as a head baseball coach on the college level. Kinnison also picked up his 901st career victory when Delta State defeated Nebraska-Kearney 9-4 Saturday at Arkadelphia. Kinnison's career record is 901-289-2 for a winning percentage of .757. Kinnison said winning over 900 games is not a one-man job. "It's a reflection of a lot of good players and a lot of good coaches that I've had that were part of it," Kinnison said. Kinnison has spent all his 22 years as a head coach at DSU, which is the same place he played college baseball in 1977 and '78. |
| Andy Kennedy Out as Mississippi Basketball Coach After Season | |
| Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy and the school are parting ways after 12 seasons. Kennedy announced Monday his decision to step down as head coach, effective at the end of the season. The decision comes two days after Ole Miss (11-14, 4-8 SEC) lost at LSU to extend its losing streak to five. Kennedy is the winningest coach at Ole Miss with 245 wins, ranking 18th in SEC history. This season he picked up his 100th SEC regular season win and is the only Ole Miss coach to reach that accomplishment. "I woke up Sunday morning with a true conviction that there needed to be some clarity as it pertained to the future of Ole Miss basketball moving forward," Kennedy said during a news conference with athletic director Ross Bjork. |
| Andy Kennedy stepping down as Ole Miss' basketball coach at end of season | |
| Andy Kennedy woke up Sunday with what he called "a true conviction." That's how the dean of Southeastern Conference basketball coaches said he came to the abrupt decision to step down as Ole Miss' coach at the end of the season, one that's on track to be by far his worst in Oxford. Kennedy announced his decision at a press conference Monday afternoon after meeting with his players and members of his coaching staff. Ole Miss, which hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2015, has lost five in a row and seven of its last eight games heading into Tuesday's home tilt with Arkansas (6 p.m., SEC Network). The Rebels have never finished worse than a game below .500 in league play under Kennedy. |
| U. of Arkansas students push Nolan Richardson Court | |
| If the student government at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville gets its wish, the floor at Walton Arena will bear former Coach Nolan Richardson's name. Andrew Counce, president of the UA's Associated Student Government (ASG), submitted a recommendation to the UA athletic department Monday in support of naming the floor Nolan Richardson Court. Counce, the nephew of former Arkansas basketball player Jimmy Counce, said he showed the ASG legislation to Chancellor Joe Steinmetz in his monthly meeting with the chancellor Friday. The legislation was passed by the ASG on Feb. 6 by a 41-1 vote with seven abstentions, Counce said. The idea of naming the court for Richardson, who led Arkansas to the 1994 NCAA championship in the Razorbacks' first year in Walton Arena, has been around for years. |
| Guns at games? They can't be serious | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "So, your faithful correspondent comes back into port after a week on the high seas, away from the Internet and all state and local news. Immediately, I go online and type mississippitoday.org into the search engine. And one of the first headlines I see is this one: 'SEC, university officials warn of repercussions of concealed carry bill.' And I think to myself: Seriously? And then I read on to learn that, indeed, the House has passed a bill (introduced by Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton) that would allow permit-holding citizens to carry guns on college campuses and therefore into athletic events. And I think to myself: Of all the ill-conceived, dimwitted, nonsensical ideas I've ever heard, this one takes the proverbial cake and eats it, too." |
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