| Wednesday, March 14, 2018 |
| GTRA numbers start year on record pace | |
 | Fresh off two record years, Golden Triangle Regional Airport is off to another strong start in 2018. And the big January and February come despite bad weather in Atlanta and the Northeast. "We only had four cancellations in January, despite all the bad weather, and only one each way in February," GTRA Executive Director Mike Hainsey said. "In February, we had several flights delayed because of the weather but they made it. And our passengers have been understanding. They know we can't do anything about the weather somewhere else." A number of factors go into the growing numbers, ranging from Mississippi State University to increased confidence in local leisure flyers to the region's growing business base. "This is just continued proof that the industry in the Golden Triangle continues to mature and grow," Hainsey said. |
| New health rankings show Rankin on top, Holmes on bottom | |
 | New health data released today reinforces an all too familiar narrative of the counties in Mississippi: Those in the Delta struggle, while the affluent communities remain on top. The County Health Rankings, a system that uses a variety of statistics to measure health factors and outcomes, listed Rankin as the healthiest county (unseating DeSoto, last year's top county), with DeSoto and Madison as Nos. 2 and 3 in the rankings. Holmes, Coahoma and Quitman were ranked as the least healthy counties. Those Mississippi counties ranking lower have higher rates of sexually transmitted infections and teen births, as well as a high ratio of people per primary care physicians. "There's definitely a strong correlation between economic opportunity and health, and across the state you'll see that," said Justin Rivas, a community coach with the Population Health Institute. |
| Mississippi Representative Tyrone Ellis Recognized After Nearly 4 Decades of Service | |
 | Colleagues are applauding longtime state Rep. Tyrone Ellis as he returns to Mississippi's House chambers after retiring in June. Representatives recognized the Starkville Democrat Tuesday for his 37 years of service in the House. As one of the longest-serving representatives at the time of his 2017 retirement, Ellis led House Democrats for several years beginning in 2008. Ellis had two years left in his four-year term when he left. After a November special election for the seat, Democrat Cheikh Taylor now represents District 38. |
| Bill providing best option to hike cigarette dies, issue might be revived | |
 | The bill that contained language that could lead to an increase in the state's tobacco tax died Tuesday when it was not taken up in the House on a deadline day. The Senate bill authorized the issuance of bonds to pay for long-term construction projects on university and community college campuses and for other construction projects throughout the state. House Ways and Means Chairman Jeff Smith, R-Columbus, confirmed he did not bring the bill up because it contained a legal code section that could lead to an amendment increasing the cigarette tax. Smith added that other bills are alive in the process that could be used to incorporate all bond proposals under consideration. Smith also said he believes at least two Senate bills, including the major transportation legislation, could be changed under legislative rules at the end of the session to include an increase in the cigarette tax. |
| Dead without a vote: Cigarette tax increase appears no-go this session | |
 | A proposal to raise taxes on cigarettes died without a vote in the House on Tuesday, although proponents hold out some hope it could be revived before the Mississippi legislative session ends this month. The cigarette tax language was included in a borrowing bill passed last month 46-4 in the Senate. The bill did not specify a tax increase, but was considered the "vehicle" for further efforts. Other proposals in both the Senate and House to raise cigarette taxes had previously died this session. Senate Medicaid Chairman Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, was a strong supporter of raising cigarette taxes. "As Medicaid chairman, I'm aware of the health concerns facing this state," Wiggins said. "... In the private sector, if you are a smoker, you pay an extra insurance premium because of that choice you make. We don't have that in Medicaid, which has to pay for those choices people make. We would just be taking a private sector policy and applying it to government." |
| MDOT official: Latest roads plan relies on 'unstable' funding source | |
| An infrastructure plan Senate leaders said could generate more than $1 billion using a mix of grants, loans and existing revenue streams will not raise enough cash to meet all of Mississippi's highway and infrastructure needs, said a top transportation official. The infrastructure package, also known as the BRIDGE Act, would rely on a combination of agency budget cuts and borrowing, including from the state's so-called rainy day fund. Dick Hall, chairman of the Mississippi Transportation Commission, on Monday said the latest edition of the infrastructure-funding plan would not be sufficient or dependable enough to use unless it produces a new source of revenue. Much of the plan's funding depends on the amount of cash deposited in the state's Working Cash-Stabilization Fund, commonly called the rainy day fund. When crafting the yearly budget, lawmakers aim to set aside 2 percent of the budget for emergencies. |
| Jackson lawmakers question Highway Patrol moving to Rankin | |
| The Senate on Tuesday rejected a request supported by the Jackson-Hinds delegation that would have withheld bond money for the relocation of the Mississippi Highway Patrol headquarters to Rankin County. The Department of Public Safety is located in Jackson. Several years ago, the Legislature approved $3 million in planning funds for the agency's relocation. House Bill 1650 would allow the state to borrow $7 million to begin the construction of a new headquarters on state property near the new Mississippi Forensics Laboratory on Mississippi 475 South in Rankin County. Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, citing the listing price of a now shuttered Jackson shopping center argued that a new development was not cost-effective and offered an amendment to remove bond money for the project. "I understand why everybody would like a nice, new building, but the question is, 'is this the most conservative, fiscally responsible thing to do?'" Blount asked. "I think the answer is 'no,' it's not.'" |
| State Employees' Union Seeks Pay Increase | |
 | Members of a state employees union are calling on legislators to pass an across the board raise this legislative session. Lagging state revenues and tax cuts have led to about six rounds of agency cuts over the past two years. Senate Appropriations Chair, Republican Buck Clarke of Hollandale, says they have to look at agency pay individually. "It gets into more of an agency by agency job by looking at where some critical needs are. We worry about the Department of Health. We worry about the Department of Mental Health," said Clarke. Clarke also says state employees are getting pay increases they don't consider raises, like step increases. He says they approve agency reclassifications, which increase salaries across the board. In 2014, state employees making less than $30,000 per year that didn't receive any increase got a $1,000 bump in pay. Mississippi Public Broadcasting staff are state employees. |
| Child Protection Services, once lauded, now in contempt of court | |
| The state's Department of Child Protection Services has once again violated a court order in the long-running Olivia Y settlement, the lawsuit responsible for dismantling and then rebuilding the state's foster care system, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs in the case. Last week, Marcia Lowry of the New York-based firm A Better Childhood sent a letter of non-compliance to Child Protection Services. According to the letter, the agency has been in contempt of court since Dec. 31 for not employing enough caseworkers to properly monitor children in the system, a major violation of a settlement agreement signed just 15 months ago. "We were living, perhaps, in a fool's paradise," Lowry said by telephone. "We had been assured last year that they would be in compliance." |
| McDaniel supporters urge Bryant to appoint him to Cochran's seat | |
| FreedomWorks and state tea party activists on Wednesday plan to call for Gov. Phil Bryant to appoint state Sen. Chris McDaniel to the U.S. Senate seat Thad Cochran will vacate April 1. Sources close to the Republican governor have said Bryant has no interest in appointing McDaniel to the seat. They also said the governor has been angered by repeated phone calls to his office and by a push to appoint McDaniel that began even before Cochran announced his resignation. On Tuesday, Bryant spokesman Clay Chandler said: "Gov. Bryant will announce the U.S. Senate appointment once he decides who that will be. That decision has not been made. But he will not be affected by any political group or dynamic. The governor believes Sen. McDaniel should focus his energy on the campaign to which he is committed." McDaniel on Tuesday said his campaign is not involved with the event, but he appreciates his supporters. |
| Tight race in Trump country worries Republicans | |
 | In the final weeks of the special election in Pennsylvania, Republicans anxious about defeat in a pro-Trump district argued that their own nominee was uniquely flawed while the Democrat was a once-in-a-cycle dream candidate. The Election Night result, they suggested, would be irrelevant beyond the borders of the 18th congressional district. But as both parties watched results yield a virtual tie on Tuesday night, the reality is that a district Donald Trump won by big margins shares similar fundamentals with close to a dozen other contests around the country -- including those in deep-red seats that Republican officials now warn could also be vulnerable despite their heavy rightward tilt. And that's not even counting the many other races playing out in more traditionally competitive territory. |
| National School Walkout: Florida Shooting Spurs Protests Today | |
 | Thousands of students, emboldened by a growing protest movement over gun violence, will stand up in their classrooms on Wednesday and walk out of their schools in a nationwide demonstration, one month after a gunman killed 17 people at a high school in Florida. The 17-minute protests unfolding at hundreds of schools are intended to pressure Congress to approve gun control legislation after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and will come 10 days before major protests in Washington and elsewhere. Students are scheduled to leave classrooms at 10 a.m. in their local time zones. School administrators have been grappling with how to respond. Some districts have welcomed or even tacitly encouraged walkouts, while others have threatened disciplinary action against students who participate. |
| Auburn U. students to showcase their research and creativity at symposium | |
 | Nearly 500 Auburn University students with a flair for research and creativity will showcase their talents when they gather for the annual student research symposium. With projects ranging from poultry science to aerospace engineering to music therapy, the "This is Research: Student Symposium 2018" on Monday, March 26 will provide Auburn and Auburn-Montgomery students an opportunity to share their discoveries university-wide. The daylong event will take place in the Student Center. More than 470 undergraduate and graduate students from almost every department have registered to participate through posters, oral presentations and creative scholarship displays. "Research is a central component of Auburn's mission, and this symposium lets us feature students who are seeking new discoveries and innovations," said Steve Taylor, chair of the This is Research Symposia Committee and associate dean for research in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. |
| Dreamers in Tennessee: Committee endorses in-state tuition bill for undocumented immigrants | |
| A Tennessee House committee on Tuesday quickly and quietly approved a bill that would grant in-state tuition to undocumented and immigrant students. With a voice vote, the House Education Administration and Planning Subcommittee approved the measure shortly after the panel convened Tuesday afternoon. The move was lauded by dozens of students who flocked to the legislature in an effort to encourage lawmakers to get behind the measure. Among the more than 150 students who traveled to Nashville was Riverdale High School junior Lizeth Luna, who said she dreams of becoming a homicide investigator someday. Luna said she hopes the General Assembly can adopt the bill, HB 2429, in order to make college tuition more affordable. So far, she has reason to be hopeful, following the education committee's vote. "My father works two jobs," she said. "He pays taxes and does everything he can. I do as well." |
| Sigma Alpha Epsilon latest frat to be shut down at U. of Missouri | |
 | Sigma Alpha Epsilon closed its University of Missouri chapter Monday, the fifth fraternity to be shut down at MU for a long period in the past two years and the third university chapter closed by the national organization since the beginning of classes in August. The order closing the chapter for at least four years --- or until all current members have graduated or left MU --- was because of "multiple health-and-safety violations and an inability to adhere to the national organization's standards and guidelines," according a statement from the national Sigma Alpha Epsilon headquarters in Evanston, Ill. The chapter was placed under a cease-and-desist order by the national fraternity in December, directing it to cease all operations until further notice. At the time, the national fraternity said it was working with MU to gather more information about the health and safety infractions at the chapter house. |
| National study counters perception of college students as intolerant to opposing views | |
 | A new study of college students' attitudes toward free speech shows support for open learning environments that strike a balance between protecting free speech and promoting diversity and inclusion. With the wide range of tensions on campuses about free expression, and also with a new administration in the White House, Gallup and the Knight Foundation teamed up in 2017 to randomly survey 3,014 U.S. college students. The students came from 39 public and private institutions in different parts of the country, including six historically black colleges or universities. The aim of the study was to determine what college students think about First Amendment issues. How well do those results reflect the attitudes at the University of Missouri, which was thrust into the national stage as a campus community struggling with competing First Amendment protections? |
| Education Dept. Clarifies DeVos Comments on Sexual Assault | |
 | Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's appearance on 60 Minutes Sunday was widely panned, with special scrutiny for her one foray into higher education policy, in which DeVos said she didn't know which was greater -- the number of false accusations of sexual assault on campus or the number of campus rapes. It's an answer that the Education Department has walked back now in response to questions from Inside Higher Ed. A department spokeswoman, Liz Hill, said Tuesday that DeVos agrees that false reports are a fraction of the overall complaints. A reporter asked if DeVos does not believe that that false reports are rare compared to actual rapes or assaults. Hill said DeVos "doesn't believe that," which was unclear in her 60 Minutes segment. Asked to clarify whether DeVos "agrees or disagrees" with the statement that false reports are a small percentage of complaints, Hill said, "Agree." Research shows that untrue allegations are indeed a small percentage of reported college sexual assaults. |
| Stephen Hawking Dies at 76; His Mind Roamed the Cosmos | |
| Stephen W. Hawking, the Cambridge University physicist and best-selling author who roamed the cosmos from a wheelchair, pondering the nature of gravity and the origin of the universe and becoming an emblem of human determination and curiosity, died early Wednesday at his home in Cambridge, England. He was 76. His death was confirmed by a spokesman for Cambridge University. "Not since Albert Einstein has a scientist so captured the public imagination and endeared himself to tens of millions of people around the world," Michio Kaku, a professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York, said in an interview. |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs begin postseason play against Nebraska | |
| It might not be the triumphant return to the postseason that Mississippi State had planned on but tonight's National Invitation Tournament game is a step in the right direction the program. The fourth-seeded Bulldogs will host No. 5 seed Nebraska at 8 on ESPN2 marking their first trip to the postseason since Rick Stansbury's final game in 2012. "It means a lot because we haven't been in the postseason in I don't even know how long," said MSU guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, who leads the team averaging 14.8 points. "We're just excited to be in any type of postseason and are looking to try and get our first win." The Bulldogs (22-11) are making their ninth appearance in the NIT and own a 7-8 record in the event. State's previous postseason came at home in the 2012 NIT where the Bulldogs lost in double overtime to UMass, 101-96. |
| Time to shine: Carter, Wright could have huge impact in Mississippi State's NIT game | |
| When the lights dim at the Humphrey Coliseum and the starting lineups are introduced Wednesday night for Mississippi State's first postseason game since 2012, there's a strong chance the MSU starting five is going to include the team's hometown boy. With State's All-Southeastern Conference Freshman Team guard Nick Weatherspoon expected to miss Wednesday night's first-round National Invitation Tournament game against Nebraska due to a hip contusion suffered last week, it's likely that former Starkville High guard Tyson Carter will be the first man up to try and fill Weatherspoon's big shoes. Carter says he's ready to handle the responsibility. "It won't be too big of an adjustment," Carter said. "I started probably half the season anyway, so it'll just be normal." MSU's Lamar Peters says he believes the Bulldogs will be just fine leaning on Carter and Wright. |
| Minor rule tweaks on display as Mississippi State plays host to Nebraska in NIT | |
 | The National Invitation Tournament used to be a relatively good predictor of NCAA tournament success to come; that link has begun die down in recent seasons, but a close tie between the NIT and the men's college basketball season that follows remains strong in another area. In recent years, the NCAA has used the NIT as a testing ground for new rules. Two of them -- the restricted area arc underneath the basket and the 30-second shot clock -- were adopted into use for the entire NCAA as soon as the following season. This year, the NIT will take on four new rules that have obvious significant impacts on the game; Mississippi State will play under them for the first time in today's first-round game against Nebraska (8 p.m., ESPN2) at Humphrey Coliseum. Three of the four have to do with modifications to the court or the events on it; the other is the spread of a rule already seen in women's basketball. |
| What would a deep run in the NIT mean for Mississippi State? | |
| Unlike some coaches when asked about their respective teams, Ben Howland never mentioned the NCAA tournament during the preseason. Asked directly about the Bulldogs' chances, Howland, at the time, said they were capable of winning any game on the schedule. It was a measured, predictable and understandable response. After all, MSU went only 16-16 last year, Howland's second in Starkville, and was 14-17 two years ago. Mississippi State made things interesting over the final month of the regular season, and Howland often publicly acknowledged the Bulldogs' goal of making the NCAA tournament. But this season was always about growth, and any kind of postseason appearance would've sufficed. That expectation was reached, and so now, here we are. |
| Mississippi State men will have different look without Nick Weatherspoon | |
| The Mississippi State men's basketball team had to adapt after losing the services of freshman guard Nick Weatherspoon at the Southeastern Conference tournament. Play had just started in the second half when Weatherspoon was a hurt on a collision at the basket. A somber MSU squad battled after Weatherspoon was carted off before falling to Tennessee 62-59 in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Now back home, the Bulldogs are aware they could be without the All-Freshman performer for the rest of the season, so a new plan is in place for the National Invitation Tournament. MSU (22-11) will put that plan into action when it plays host to Nebraska (22-10) in the opening round of the NIT at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Humphrey Coliseum (ESPN2). We are preparing to play without Nick and may be for the tournament," MSU coach Ben Howland said. "We are not shutting him down, so to speak, because hopefully, if we were able to make it to New York, he might be able to come back and help us some." |
| No. 19 Bulldogs travel to Biloxi tonight | |
| No. 19 Mississippi State will get one final tune up prior to Southeastern Conference play starting this weekend. The Bulldogs (10-6) will travel to the coast to take on Southeastern Louisiana at 6:35 tonight at MGM Park, home of the Biloxi Shuckers. Sophomore righty Cole Marsh (1-0, 1.42 ERA) will start for MSU, while the Lions will counter with junior right-hander Corey Gaconi (0-0, 6.14). Southeastern Louisiana is 12-6 on the season and coming off a 4-0 home win against Purdue on Tuesday night. |
| Mississippi State women have bigger bull's eye on back as No. 1 seed | |
| Teaira McCowan is used to shouldering a bull's eye. At 6-foot-7, McCowan is one of the tallest players in Division I basketball. A season that has featured a single-season record 23 double-doubles has helped the bull's eye on her back grow even bigger. The junior center didn't need a bigger load to handle, but she received it Monday night from former Georgia women's basketball coach Andy Landers on the NCAA tournament Selection Show. On a night MSU made history by receiving its first No. 1 seed, Landers showed highlights to illustrate McCowan's growth from her freshman season to the 2017-18 campaign to show how she has emerged as one of the nation's most dominant low-post players. McCowan's maturity is part of the reason MSU (32-1) earned a No. 1 seed in the Kansas City Regional. It will kick off NCAA tournament play at 5 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) when it plays host to No. 16 seed Nicholls (19-13) at Humphrey Coliseum. Tickets for the game are sold out. No. 8 seed Syracuse (22-8) will play No. 9 seed Oklahoma State (20-10) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2). The winners of both games will play Monday at a time to be announced. The winner of that game will advance to the Sweet 16 in Kansas City. |
| Mississippi State women anxious to return to floor for NCAA opener | |
| The time for answering questions has nearly expired. For the past nine days, the Mississippi State women's basketball team has faced query after query about how it plans to bounce back from its 62-51 loss to South Carolina in the championship game of the Southeastern Conference tournament. The loss ended MSU's 32-game winning streak and denied the program a chance to add its first SEC tournament title to its first SEC regular-season championship. It also brought with it a certain "sky-is-falling" storyline that suggested the Bulldogs had major issues to solve after their first loss. MSU senior guard Victoria Vivians said it doesn't feel any different for the Bulldogs as they prepare for another run at a national title. |
| Our View: Mississippi State women's basketball is result of a landmark moment in women's history | |
| The Dispatch editorializes: "March is Women's History Month. That probably wasn't on anyone's mind Monday afternoon, when several hundred fans gathered with the Mississippi State women's basketball team to watch the NCAA Women's Tournament Selection Show. Yet that gathering is the by-product of a significant moment in women's history. Women's basketball is a big deal at MSU. Last year, the team went all the way to the national championship game. This year, the Bulldogs are one of the top four seeds in the tournament and no one would be surprised if the Bulldogs again play for a championship. Along the way, fans have turned out in record numbers -- the Bulldogs broke attendance records again this year, averaging more than 7,000 fans per game. What does that have to do with the larger subject of women's history? None of what the Bulldogs have achieved could have happened without what happened on June 23, 1972." |
| Shoop instrumental in Moorhead's success | |
| Bob Shoop grew up about 10 minutes away from Joe Moorhead outside of Pittsburgh and played basketball with Moorhead's older brother Murph. The two didn't know each other well during that time but both would later become instrumental in the other's professional career. While working as defensive coordinator at Penn State, it was Shoop who brought Moorhead's name to head coach James Franklin for consideration for the Nittany Lions' offensive coordinator opening. Franklin hired Moorhead for the role which helped Penn State produce one of the nation's most prolific offenses. "I'm very, very proud that worked out for Joe," Shoop said. "Joe really did a good job the last two years with that offense at Penn State and helping them to unrivaled success." During that time however, Shoop had left to serve as defensive coordinator at Tennessee. But when Butch Jones was fired at the end of last season, it was Moorhead who called about a new opportunity at Mississippi State. |
| Ole Miss set to hire Kermit Davis as men's basketball coach: reports | |
| Ole Miss is closing in on its next men's basketball coach. The school is expected to hire Kermit Davis, according to multiple reports. Davis has spent the previous 16 seasons as the head coach at Middle Tennessee State. An official announcement is expected by the end of the week, ESPN's Jeff Goodman reported. Davis would replace the program's all-time winningest coach in Andy Kennedy, whose 12-year tenure ended with his resignation in February amid the Rebels' first losing season since 2006. Davis appeared to become Ole Miss' leading candidate late last week with multiple reports linking him to the job. Davis sidestepped questions about those reports after MTSU's win Tuesday night. "Everybody in this town knows how much I love Middle Tennessee," Davis said. "My full focus is Middle Tennessee basketball and how we can make a run and keep trying to keep these guys playing in the NIT tournament." |
| LSU baseball renderings show expanded facility, touches expected to wow recruits | |
 | Expansion of the LSU baseball team's hitting facility will cost about $2 million and will cover an area of about 6,000 square feet, according to details and renderings released Tuesday. As previously reported, construction is expected to begin after this season is over. The project is projected to last about 14 months. It is supposed to be completed by Aug. 31, 2019, according to documents in the LSU Board of Supervisors agenda. The Tiger Athletic Foundation is funding the expansion with private dollars. An interior rendering of the addition shows a weight room similarly designed to the recently renovated weight room in the football operations building. The exterior of the expansion will be in the same Italian Renaissance style as other university buildings -- tan stucco walls and red-tiled rooftops. |
| Former Alabama All-American becomes Mississippi Highway Patrolman | |
 | Former Alabama All-American De'Quan Menzie said training to become a Highway Patrolman was tougher than training for the NFL. Menzie was one of the 57 graduating members of the Mississippi Highway Patrol's Trooper School Class 62, which held its commencement last week. The class, which started with 120 cadets, endured 19 weeks of training to reach graduation. "It was one of the worst things I've ever been through in my life," Menzie told newsms.fm. "Coming from an NFL background, you would think football is harder, but it's not." Coming to Alabama from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Menzie earned first-team All-American recognition from the American Football Coaches Association during his senior season, when he helped the Crimson Tide win the 2011 BCS national championship. |
| The Penance of Kentucky Coach John Calipari | |
| He was once the most reviled man in college basketball -- a fiercely competitive coach with a nasty streak. His detractors couldn't stand him; his players loved him. And now, after seeing the one-and-done model he helped pioneer imitated throughout the NCAA, the head coach of Kentucky reckons with his place in history. (But not without a few choice words for Duke, first.) |
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